QUICK NEWS, 10-20: INNOVATORS’ MONEY STILL BACKS SUN; WIND’S PROGRESS; SOLAR RULES TO MOVE SUN UP

INNOVATORS’ MONEY STILL BACKS SUN
Tracking The Deal Flow: Venture Capitalists Still Favoring Solar Firms
13 October 2011 (Solar Industry)

"The solar sector enjoyed a "solid" quarter with regard to venture-capital (VC) funding and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, according to a new report by Mercom Capital Group.

"VC funding for solar companies was steady in the third quarter of this year, coming in at $372 million - compared to $354 million in the second quarter. Forty-two different VC investors participated in 29 disclosed deals…"

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"The top five funding deals included an $85 million raise by HelioVolt, a manufacturer of thin-film copper indium gallium selenide modules. OneRoof Energy, a developer, owner and operator of solar energy generation systems for residential markets raised $50 million in a Series A round…

"Solar downstream companies attracted the most funding this quarter, closely followed by thin-film companies, the report says. Downstream companies attracted $130 million in 11 deals, and thin-film companies attracted $125 million in five deals…M&A activity came in at $563 million in 20 transactions, with details disclosed for only eight…"


WIND’S PROGRESS
Wind Energy Outlook for North America; Market Drivers for Onshore and Offshore Wind Power, Regulatory and Policy Issues, Technology Issues, Key Industry Players, and Wind Capacity & Revenue Forecasts
3Q 2011 (Pike Research)

"The North American wind energy industry is lagging in key areas compared to Europe and Asia, but many key industry players are optimistic about the North American market…[T]urbine costs continue to drop…In 2010, a total of 5,784 MW of wind capacity was installed in North America…[which has] more than 22% of the world’s total installed wind capacity…[The U.S. is] the second largest wind market…

"…As a region, North America fell to third place in cumulative installations in 2009 behind Asia Pacific and Europe. Pike Research expects installations in the region to reach 125 GW by 2017, with offshore installations accounting for fewer than 3% of that total. Pike Research anticipates that 2011 will be another difficult year…[but sees] tentative signs of recovery."

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"Pike Research’s analysis indicates that wind energy installation costs in the United States will total more than $125 billion between 2011 and 2017, capturing 15% of the global market during that period. Canada will reach 15 GW of total wind capacity by 217, with more than 400 MW of that amount derived from offshore installations…In Canada, installation costs will total $19.3 billion between 2011 and 2017…

"…In the midst of this market transition, turbine manufacturer market shares [will be] fluid…In 2010, Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Sinovel overtook GE Wind Energy to become the second largest wind turbine supplier worldwide, and came in at less than 1% (350 MW) behind industry leader Vestas…"


SOLAR RULES TO MOVE SUN UP
Fight For Your Right: How A New Project Could Transform Solar Access Laws
Jessica Lillian, October 13, 2011 (University of Missouri and Solar Industry)

"Neighbor-against-neighbor legal battles over airspace, town councils' grid-capacity concerns and myriad other local solar permitting and access problems continue to frustrate PV installers and would-be customers. Making matters worse are the inconsistent and often confusing permit rules in the U.S. for installing solar arrays…

"…[Troy Rule, associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law] hopes to put an end to this legal patchwork and remove a major market barrier for solar. Thanks to a $52,800 grant from industry group SolarTech (a portion of a $2.5 million award that SolarTech recently received from the U.S. Department of Energy), he is developing a set of standardized model ordinances and statutes for local governments."

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"As the number of residential and commercial installations in the U.S. increases, the issue of solar rights has emerged as one of the thorniest legal problems…[A] few states have a solar rights rule requiring that residents do not impede operation of a neighbor's solar installation - such as by planting a large tree or building a sunlight-blocking home addition. Others require the solar array owner to sell an access easement, while others have no laws on the issue…

"…Rule says his model ordinance will adopt what he considers the fairest approach…[When his] ordinances and statutes are finalized, local governments will be provided with the completed models, which they may or may not opt to incorporate into their own codes. Because of the individual needs of each city and town, each ordinance is designed for flexibility, with many optional provisions built into it…"