Cleantech Investor

First published in Cleantech magazine, Volume 6, Issue 2. Copyright Cleantech Investor Ltd

Dear Reader,

Any new clean technology with ambitions to take market share from the mainstream energy generation sources must be prepared to suffer growing pains. Wind, like solar, is on a clear growth trajectory. Wind is making an increasing contribution to the energy mix in most major countries and gains market share every year. However, wind equipment manufacturers, like the producers of solar panels, are suffering from competitive pressure on prices.

In the solar industry, competitive pressure from low priced Chinese solar panels hit hard last year – the result of massive capacity expansion in solar in China. Large solar photovoltaic factories, with high levels of automation, have created economies of scale with parallels to the semiconductor industry.

First published in Cleantech magazine, Volume 6, Issue 1. Copyright Cleantech Investor Ltd

Dear Reader,

Natural gas is something of a taboo in some parts of the cleantech community. However, the reality is that the shale gas revolution in the US has resulted in cheap natural gas, at least for that market. Felicia Jackson makes an ‘appeal’ to the US to continue to view natural gas as a transition fuel, rather than a destination fuel in her comment in this issue (see page 23). However, the reality is that gas will play an important role in the energy and transport industries over the next decade and more.