PRESS RELEASE
SOLAR, WIND, AND BIOFUELS MARKETS RISE 31 PERCENT TO $246.1 BILLION DESPITE ONGOING ECONOMIC TURBULENCE
Clean Edge Annual Report Finds Rapid Expansion in Global Deployment and Improving Cost-Competitiveness for Solar and Wind
Portland, Ore./Oakland, Calif., March 13, 2012 – Clean-energy markets continued to expand rapidly in 2011, even against a tough economic and political climate, increased industry consolidation, and downward pricing pressures on manufacturers. Combined global revenue for solar PV, wind power, and biofuels rose 31 percent over the prior year, growing from $188.1 billion in 2010 to $246.1 billion last year, according to the Clean Energy Trends 2012 report issued today by clean-tech research and advisory firm Clean Edge, Inc. The bulk of this expansion came from double-digit growth rates for both wind and solar deployment globally.
The full report, read by tens of thousands of industry stakeholders and observers annually, can be downloaded for free at www.cleanedge.com.
Despite this continued market expansion, clean energy in 2011 will not likely be remembered for its robust growth and global activity, but for the now-infamous Solyndra bankruptcy. “Last year saw many in the clean-tech community caught off guard, as the industry became a modern-day whipping boy,” said Ron Pernick, Clean Edge co-founder and managing director. “The attacks, offered up in sound bite-sized nuggets delivered more for impact than accuracy, overlooked the fact that many clean-energy technologies are becoming increasingly cost-competitive, central to the expansion of energy markets in places like China, Japan, and Germany, and a critical hedge against more volatile forms of traditional energy.”