SustainableBusiness.com's  Instablog

Iberdrola Renovables (IBR.MC; IRVSF.PK), based in Spain, is the world's largest wind developer and one of the largest renewable energy project developers, with 10.5 GW of assets worldwide. It also has the largest portfolio of future projects at over 5.7 GW. 

The company constructs and operates plants and sells the electricity to utilities under long term power agreements. It has operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.  

Cereplast, Inc. (OTCBB:CERP), a manufacturer of bio-based plastics, says it's developing a technology to transform algae into bioplastics and intends to launch a new family of algae-based resins that will complement the company’s existing line of Compostables® & Hybrid ®resins.

Cereplast algae-based resins could replace 50% or more of the petroleum content used in traditional plastic resins, the company says. Currently, Cereplast is using starches from corn, tapioca, wheat and potatoes and Ingeo® PLA.

"Our algae research has shown promising results and we believe that in the months to come we should be able to launch this new family of algae-based resins,” says CEO Frederic Scheer. “Algae-based resins represent an outstanding opportunity for companies across the plastic supply chain to become more environmentally sustainable and reduce the industry's reliance on oil. We are still in the development phase, but we believe that this breakthrough technology could result in a significant new line of business in the years to come.”

90% of wealth managers say responsible investment portfolios perform the same or better than other investments, according to a survey conducted by social investment research firm Eiris.  

The report identifies a growing awareness of environmental, social and governance issues among high net worth individuals and finds that wealth managers are taking a more salutory view of responsible investing in the wake of the financial crisis. 

Over half the wealth managers surveyed said the current financial situation has led them to take governance issues and the potential for tighter regulations into account in client portfolios.

A poll of 100 solar professionals concludes the US solar industry will experience strong growth in 2010 and 2011, but other studies warn that an increasingly saturated market will cause problems for the industry after that.

The "2009 U.S. Solar Industry Monitor" conducted by management consulting firm Droege & Co. finds that 93% of solar professionals expect strong growth for their U.S. businesses in 2010 and 95% expect the same for 2011.

Many expect the industry to grow more than 25% in 2010 (37%) and 2011 (55%). 65% say the recession hasn't crushed the U.S. solar industry, but the main obstacles to growth are  lack of financing (82%), little support from utilities (63%), lack of customer knowledge (61%), and insufficient incentives (59%).

They see more favorable legislation and increased marketing efforts as the keys to expansion of their businesses. 83% say they plan to step up sales and marketing communications over the coming year.

"The U.S. solar industry is positioning itself for a sales upswing in 2010 that could pave the way for aggressive expansion in the years beyond," says Sebastian Goeres, a renewable energy specialist with Droege. "Competition is fierce, and players compete mainly via cost. We see the need for leading companies to improve their operational costs and to put more emphasis on their strategic plans."