NEW ENERGY NOW, THE NUMBERS

Clean Energy Trends 2012
March 13, 2012 (Clean Edge)

"…[T]he 11th annual edition in Clean Edge's Clean Energy Trends report series…outlines five key trends…[1] The Few, The Proud, The Green: Military Leads Clean-Energy Deployment…[2] Japan Moves Toward Cleaner Post-Nuclear Future…[3] Deep Commercial Building Retrofits Reap Major Efficiency Savings…[4] Waste-to-Resource Breakthroughs Attract Attention – and Investment…[5] New Energy Storage Solutions Embolden the Grid…

"...The year 2011, however, will not likely be remembered for this robust growth and global activity, but for the now-infamous [$500 million] Solyndra bankruptcy…But…criticisms…miss several key points…[1] The oil, gas, and coal industries still receive massive subsidies…[2] Venture capital is a risky, high-reward business critical to U.S. innovation…[3] Nuclear power projects require considerably more in loan guarantees than renewables…[4] 2011 marked a number of developments that point to the significant scale up of clean tech…"

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…Biofuels (global production and wholesale pricing of ethanol and biodiesel) reached $83 billion in 2011, up from $56.4 billion the prior year, and are projected to grow to $139 billion by 2021…Wind power (new installation capital costs) is projected to expand from $71.5 billion in 2011, up from $60.5 billion the prior year, to $116.3 billion in 2021…Solar photovoltaics (including modules, system components, and installation) increased from $71.2 billion in 2010 to a record $91.6 billion in 2011…[and] the market [will] continue to expand to $130.5 billion by 2021…

"…[T]hese three benchmark technologies, which totaled $188.1 billion in 2010 and grew 31 percent to $246.1 billion in 2011…[They are projected to] grow to $385.8 billion over the next decade…U.S.-based venture capital investments in clean technologies increased from $5.1 billion in 2010 to $6.6 billion in 2011, an increase of 30 percent, marking a near-record year…[It was] clean tech’s largest percentage of VC activity in the U.S. ever recorded… 23.1 percent….[and] the clean-tech sector has expanded more rapidly than any other venture category…"