With recent economic factors and global events like the nuclear fallout in Japan, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and instability in the oil-rich Middle East, more and more companies are looking to make new investments in alternative and clean technologies. Innovations in battery technology, solar energy, wind power and electric cars are becoming increasingly popular and influential means for making both a positive environmental impact and, equally important for many companies, money. Furthermore, the diverse array of new clean technologies emerging onto the scene provides plenty of area for new players to become involved. The mainstreaming of clean technology is becoming widely apparent, as countless large corporations and small family funds are joining venture capitalists in pouring billions of dollars into this upcoming lucrative industry.

Let’s take a look at the numbers:

-A January 2011 report by the Cleantech Group, a market research firm, showed a steady rise in the number of clean tech mergers & acquisitions (M&A) deals since 2007, with nearly 200 more corporate deals finalized in 2010 than in 2009.

-The potential market for wind is estimated at $60 billion, while solar is estimated to be from $20 to $30 billion.

-Venture capitalists invested $4.9 billion into domestic clean tech start-ups in 2010 – a 40% increase from 2009.

-The latest in a recent sequence of investments in alternative and clean technologies, Google intends to invest $55 million into a project to build wind turbines in Southern California.

-Cleantech Group expects a record $9.5 billion to be invested in clean tech companies this year, up 20% from in 2010.

-In the first quarter of this year, pre-IPO clean technology companies received $1.75 billion in venture capital investment – a 21% increase from the same quarter last year.

These numbers suggest a strong long-term interest in this field, as the increase in the average size of deals shows a continued bias towards later-stage deals, claims Sheeraz Haji, an analyst at Cleantech Group. Thus, as prices for traditional fossil fuel rise while those for renewable energy, such as solar, fall, clean technology’s rising wave of initial public offerings (IPOs) and M&A are likely to continue for years.

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