US clean technology investments to rise in 2011 - analyst

23 February 2011 16:36  [Source: ICIS news]

NEW YORK (ICIS)--High energy prices and continued environmental concerns will further drive investments in clean technology in 2011 after a record investment year last year, analysts from US investment firm Jefferies & Company said on Wednesday.

The firm released its annual Clean Technology Primer report during a two-day investor conference in New York.

The report addressed key sectors such as alternative energy, water, energy storage, industrial biotechnology, bioplastics, carbon sequestration and project finance.

“In solar, we are looking to another big year with annual installations growing by more than 23% to around 17.2 gigawatts (GW),” said Jefferies analyst Laurence Alexander.

“We are also positive on wind and expect the global wind market to grow by 11% this year to around 40.3 GW,” he added.

He noted large US private financing rounds in the industrial biotechnology sector last year that included Elevance Renewable Sciences, initial public offerings (IPO) from US-based Amyris and Codexis, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) such as DuPont’s bid for Danisco.

“These activities have raised the profile for industrial biotechnology and reduced the scarcity of pure play players such as bioplastic manufacturer Metabolix,” said Alexander.

“The two themes for 2011-2012 are companies that enable the conversion of biomass to feedstock and can deliver step-changes in economics that disrupt established markets, especially broad commodities such as nylon, polyethylene and polypropylene,” he added.

According to the Jefferies report, individual states in the US have taken the lead in driving renewable investments.

California and New Jersey have created the two largest solar markets through policy initiatives, and Arizona is seeking to serve a burgeoning US market for solar module and inverter manufacturers, the report said.

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