Renewables is 'Hottest' Sector in Sustainable Business this Year

A rating of sustainable business says that renewables is the 'hottest sustainable business sector this year,' with more than half of this year's list including companies in wind, solar, geothermal and biomass.

SustainableBusiness.com says its 2006 ?SB20 list? is printed in its Progressive Investor newsletter, which tracks stocks in the marketplace. The 20 companies selected for the list were determined by 12 environmental investment analysts nominated companies; and four served as judges to make the final decisions.

The SB20 is not a ?buy? list for publicly-traded companies, but nominees must be financially strong and sustainability leaders. It includes companies of all sizes and from many regions of the world.

?Our goal is to create a list that showcases public companies that, over the past year, have made substantial progress toward sustainability within their business or are leading the way with a technology that can significantly contribute to a sustainable society,? says Rona Fried, editor of Progressive Investor.

?We chose Conergy, REC and SunPower from the solar sector because of their unique contributions,? she explains. ?Conergy (Germany) provides the full range of solar options: solar electricity, solar heat, solar hot water and solar air conditioning. It also can combine small-scale wind and biofuels with solar, offering customers a complete renewable energy solution.?

?REC (Norway) stands out as the most vertically integrated solar company, producing silicon, wafers, cells and modules,? she explains. ?SunPower's (US) solar panel is the most aesthetically pleasing, and the least expensive on the market.?

Other companies with a solar component but which are involved in other areas include Energy Conversion Devices, Sharp, Abengoa, Acciona and Gamesa. ECD (US) is innovative in renewables with solar and battery discoveries; Abengoa and Acciona (Spain) are transitioning from conventional business lines to a focus on sustainablility, with Abengoa building solar and bioethanol plants while Acciona is the world's third-largest wind project developer and a major player in solar.

Ormat (US) is the world leader in geothermal energy, with special strengths in energy recovery while, on the wind side, Gamesa (Spain) is the world's second-largest turbine manufacturer and develops windfarms and has started a solar division.

In energy efficiency and storage, Maxwell Technologies (US) made the list for its commercialization of ultracapacitors that can store energy from wind or solar facilities; Philips Electronics (Netherlands) is increasing efficiencies for white organic LEDs which have the potential to revolutionize lighting efficiencies; and Sharp (Japan) is the world's largest solar manufacturer as well as a leader in efficiency.

Other categories rated in the list are natural resources (water, forests, land development); natural foods / natural products; and pharmaceuticals and banks.

General Electric (US) received an honorable mention for its Ecomagination initiative, while HSBC (UK) received an honorable mention for being the first major bank to commit to being climate neutral and ITM Power (UK) was noted for its technology to create hydrogen from renewable energy sources.

Source: Refocus Weekly

 

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