New investment in the global clean energy sector total 66.2 billion dollars in the second quarter of 2014. This represents an 8 per cent increase compared to the corresponding period in 2013.
According to preliminary analysis from Clean Energy Pipeline, an online financial news and data service dedicated to the clean energy sector, based on investment levels during the first six months of 2014, last year’s total is likely to be eclipsed. Project finance recorded a five-quarter high in 2014.
One of the major reasons behind the massive growth is investment in onshore wind energy, which totalled 18 billion dollars in 2014. This is a significant increase on the first quarter of 2014 (13.7 billion) and the second quarter of 2013 (13.8 billion). The volume of onshore wind financing was particularly high due to a series of large deals in emerging markets.
The number of public markets listings hit 30 in the second quarter of 2014, a three-year high. Clean energy companies raised 5.3 billion on the public markets globally during the same quarter through a mixture of IPOs, secondaries and convertible notes. This is 25 per cent above the 4.3 billion secured during the second quarter in 2013.
Clean energy M&A activity in the second quarter of 2014 totalled 17 billion dollars, a 24 per cent increase on the previous quarter. The surge in deal value was a direct result of GEs announced acquisition of Alstom’s renewable, thermal and grid business.
Photo credit: Drenaline/CC BY-SA 3.0
