Pew releases clean energy investment report

Biomass Magazine

By Erin Voegele | April 26, 2013

 

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Attorney outlines ways to attract biomass project investors

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Erin Voegele November 04, 2011

Attracting investment is a key component of getting any biomass-related project off the ground. During the 2011 Southeast Biomass Conference & Trade Show in Atlanta this week, Kate Bechen, an attorney with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP’s Energy & Sustainability Industry Group, outlined what investors and creditors look for when considering investment in biomass projects.

According to Bechen, investors are looking for five main components when reviewing investment opportunities in biomass. They want to see a strong, polished business plan, she said. They also want accurate and credible revenue projections. A reliable source of feedstock is also imperative, as is an effective technology and good project site.

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Study: Aggressive biofuel policies necessary to drive investment

Ethanol Producer Magazine
November 2010
By Kris Bevill
Posted Nov. 12, 2010

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis, suggests that more aggressive federal renewable fuels policies are needed if the U.S. is to replace diminishing petroleum supplies with renewable fuel options.

Study author Debbie Niemeier, a UC Davis professor of civil and environmental engineering, and co-author Nataliya Malyshkina, a postdoctoral researcher at the university, used a market capitalization approach to evaluate petroleum supplies versus renewable fuels replacement technologies. Niemeier said they believe this is the first time this method has been used to quantify aspects of sustainability. Two key elements used for the study were market capitalizations and dividends of publicly owned oil companies and alternative energy companies. “Sophisticated investors tend to put considerable effort into collecting, processing and understanding information relevant to the future cash flows paid by securities,” Niemeier said. “As a result, market forecasts of future events, representing consensus predictions of a large number of investors, tend to be relatively accurate.”

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Biomass overtakes wind as champion in renewable energy

RenewableEnergyFocus.com
07 June 2010

Biomass facilities have become a more attractive investment than wind and solar technologies, according to the renewable energy sector.

The annual survey of global renewable energy mergers and acquisitions (M&A) by KPMG International indicates that 37% of respondents intend to invest in biomass, while 36% want to invest in solar and 35% in wind energy.

The M&A market increased 145% in deal volume in the first quarter of this year against 2009, with a 63% increase in value. It is expected that many start-up small firms in the renewable energy sector, which have limited finances but have survived the economic recession, may face the prospect of being bought up by another company this year or not surviving due to their frailty.

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Report projects reduced VC funding for cellulosic ethanol

Ethanol Producer Magazine October 2009
By Erin Voegele
Report posted Oct. 2, 2009, at 11:50 a.m. CST

A report recently competed by Lux Research concluded that venture capitalists’ (VCs) interest in funding cellulosic ethanol has passed its peak. The report, titled “Funding Exits for Biofuels and Biomaterials Investors,” found that venture funding for agricultural and industrial biotechnology gained considerable momentum during the last decade, soaring from $47 million in 1998 to $1.2 billion last year. However, only nine of the 170 CV backed companies researched in the study have seen successful exits to date. According to Samhitha Udupa, the report’s lead author, a successful exit occurs when a VC-backed company is acquired or completes an initial public offering (IPO).

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Bioenergy PROFITS Principles: “Success = Integrating Your Supply Chain”

Biofuels Digest
September 29, 2009 Jim Lane
by Biofuels Digest columnist Dr. Rosalie Lober

Every element of your business must be interconnected. You spend a great deal of time and effort improving your company’s internal processes, yet how much do you invest in making sure that all your systems and processes work well together? Do you notice any parts that do not belong with the rest?

Integration creates the whole that is bigger than the sum of its parts. It adds cohesiveness and consistency to your business. Work flows from one function to the next seamlessly. Your goals make sense vis a vis every other goal. Your business tells a wonderful story for your customers and employees.

We continue to apply the Bioenergy PROFITS Principles to Amyris Biotechnologies. The focus for this column is the bioenergy principle of INTEGRATION (based on the newly released book, Run Your Business Like a Fortune 100: 7 Principles for Boosting PROFITS, by Rosalie Lober, Ph.D.)

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