|
|
|
|
||||||
|
ArticlesEco Investor magazine was a specialist environmental investment magazine that was published from 2005 to 2019. It was designed for investors in listed cleantech and clean energy shares with articles, profiles, analysis and comment on environmental companies on the ASX. It also covered investment strategies, and environmental issues of interest to investors. While the magazine is no longer published, you can still access its complete contents through the Eco Investor Database, or read a selection of free articles below. The articles are under the headings of Features & Opinion, Core Securities, Pre-Dividend Securities, Pre-Profit Securities, and Pre-Revenue Securities. There are also stories from full editions of Eco Investor, Eco Innovation and Eco Innovator newsletter, and Eco Investor Update, and there are stories on Unlisted Companies, International Shares, Property, Fixed Interest, and Superannuation. There are also the presentations from the Eco
Investor Forums and the Eco Innovation
Forums.
No
Shortage of Excellent Long Term Share Price Performances First
Sustainability Report for GWA Contact
Energy Promotes its Sustainability International
Acquisition for GWA The
Season of Sustainability Reports Tassal
to Boost Australian Prawn Farming
Two
Australian Solar Farms for New Energy Solar New
Zealand Utilities Promote Electric Vehicles A
Good Future for Manufactured Housing Cleaner
Eco Focus for Gale Pacific More
Light on Beacon Solar Meridian
Energy Looks for Growth Options
Pacific
Energy Tracking Well Australia
Contributes to Metro Glass Profit Qube
Starts Work on Rail Precinct MD
and Short Seller Action at Quintis Blackmores
on Four Corners  Tassal
said it would implement innovative fish farming techniques at Okehampton
Bay in Tasmania now that the Marine Farming Planning Review Panel has assessed
that the company's lease at the Bay is suitable for salmon farming. More
Four
Year High for Sims Metal Holiday
Park Acquisitions for Aspen Tox
Free Acquires Medical Waste Business Divestments
and Acquisitions for Ingenia August
Increases Dividend Bigger
Cleantech Profits
New
Strategy for Energy Action Pacific
Energy Offers Hybrid Diesel-Solar Power Stations Double
Glazing Boosts Glass Profits More
Landfill Gas for Energy Developments  Tox
Free Solutions has added significant bulk in NSW with the $70 million acquisition
of Worth Corporation Pty Ltd. Tox paid in cash and raised $20 million in
an institutional placement and will raise another $4 million through a share
purchase plan, both at $2.55 per share. Worth is a leading liquid waste
and industrial services business... More
Beacon Lighting Justifies Early Promise Transpacific
Now Cleanaway Steady
ASX Listing for Contact Energy Aspen Group sold its 42 per cent stake in Aspen Parks Property Fund to Discovery Parks, which now owns just over 90 per cent of Aspen Parks. Discovery Parks is wrapping up the takeover offer before it moves to compulsorily acquire the securities it does not have. For Aspen Parks security holders, the successful takeover means they have sold out of an illiquid unlisted fund at a 39 per cent premium to net asset value and have cash in hand. For Aspen Group security holders, the situation is a little different. More Is
Australian Ethical Investment Ltd a Value Investment?  While
the rise of renewable and distributed energy and energy storage are expected
to severely challenge the business models of Australia's largest utilities,
this is not the case for New Zealand's renewable energy based utilities
such as Meridian Energy and Mighty River Power. Meridian Energy says marine
and wave technology are not expected to be cost competitive in NZ for the
foreseeable future, while grid scale solar PV is not expected to be cost
competitive for 20 years. Nor will the imminent rise of battery storage
dramatically change the market as NZ already has significant energy storage
capacity through its many hydro lakes. More
Gale
Pacific Strategy Working Can
Beacon Lighting Sustain its High Growth Rate?
Can
Energy Action Regain its Earnings Growth Profile? Record
Results for Beacon Lighting
Sims
Result Well Received
More
Growth from Ingenia Movement
at Qube's Rail Development in Sydney More Downside
from Energy Action
Environmental
Investments Pay, Says August Investments Great
Profit Season Shows Companies' Trends Many Records for Reece Star Performance
from TFS A rare environmental winner from the rise of the Abbott Government is Qube Holdings, which has reached an agreement with the Federal Government to combine their land holdings and develop the Moorebank intermodal rail project in south west Sydney. Read More Transpacific Joins Core Securities Eco Investor has upgraded Transpacific Industries to a core security, following its years of restructure and the reinstatement of its dividend. In October Transpacific will pay a final dividend of 1.5 cents fully franked, the first dividend since 2008. The company intends to pay a regular dividend of 50 to 75 per cent of underlying net profit after tax. Read More Sims’ Shares Make Strong Recovery  Sims
Metal Management’s shares have made a strong recovery since 23 July
when the company announced the results of its strategic review and a five
year plan. In less than a week the shares rose from $10.16 to a two year
high of $11.99, an increase of $1.83 or 18 per cent. Read
More
Supplying
the Fast Charging Electric Car Market
11
Year High For Phoslock Record
High for Orocobre Large
Solar Energy IPO Windlab
Begins Building Big New Wind Farm Two
Share Plunges for Murray River Organics Duxton
Water Fully Invested New
Wind Farm for Infigen Downgrade
for Bellamy's Australia Energy
Action Downgraded to Pre-Dividend Security Orocobre
Makes Maiden Profit New
Zealand Aquaculture Listing on ASX
Infigen
Returns to Profit International
Deals for Pacific Environment
HRL
Upgraded to Pre-Dividend Security Infigen Benefits
From RET Talk Organic baby food maker Bellamy's Australia expects to exceed its prospectus forecasts for 2014-15. If the momentum continues in Australia and China and normal formula ingredient supply arrangements, it expects the business will exceed its prospectus forecast for sales and for net profit by 20 per cent each. Read More
Private
Equity Begins Energy Developments Exit
Pilbara
Minerals Starts Earning Revenue Another
Way to Turn Food into Food New
Strategy for Carnegie, Subsidiary for Tag Pacific Another
Energy Efficiency Hopeful More
Changes at Vmoto NSW's
Largest Grid Support Battery Redflow
Raising Leaves out Retail Investors ReNu
Energy Steps Up Solar Focus EnviroSuite
Sells Consulting Business Secos
Targets Profitability
Lighting
Efficiency to Order All
Time High for Clean TeQ Two
More Acquisitions for HRL Clean
TeQ Shares Soar Good
IPO for Plastics Recycler Big
Revenue Rise for Greenearth Energy
Leaf Resources has opened another front in the commercialization of its waste biomass technology with a joint venture to develop five green chemicals projects with an established US based global project developer, Claeris, LLC. The joint venture vehicle is Leaf Development, LLC. This will combine Claeris' ability to develop large-scale renewable projects with Leaf Resources' Glycell process that can economically break down waste biomass and turn it into cellulosic sugars that are a feedstock for renewable biobased chemicals, bioplastics and biofuels. More Room
to Move for RedFlow Commercialization
Successes for Eden Energy
SECOS
Responds to Banning Compostable Plastic Bags Idea Solar
IPO With Good-Looking Innovations
Carbon
Conscious - How Environmental and Ethical Is Its Farming Strategy? There
Goes Another Biodiesel Company Reducing
Commercial Building Emissions RedFlow
Targets Miners and Householders  Clean
TeQ Holdings has released further information on the environmental benefits
of scandium, a metal it will mine at Syerston in NSW if a feasibility study
and a recovery and purification demonstration plant in Perth perform well.
Scandium is lightweight and adds strength to aluminium, giving aluminium
weight, fuel and cost savings in the key transport sectors of airlines,
motor vehicles, trains and ships where its use is growing and it is expected
to be a prefered material for decades. More
No
Luck for Geodynamics in Pacific and Desert Greenearth
Energy Raises $3 Million Orocobre's
Environmental Impact
Game-Changing
Contract for Phoslock Water Solutions
Cardia
Bioplastics Now SECOS Group Two New Products
from RedFlow Solco
Downgraded to Pre-Profit Company
Greatcell
Solar in Administration Three
Battery Developments
Two
Steps Forward for Leaf 
Micro caps often have several irons in the fire and don't find their main
business activity until one of the irons heats us. This looks like it may
be happening at Algae.Tec, which has now begun to refer to itself as a "plant-based
health & wellbeing company". The company began life on the ASX
trying to commercialize a technology that could grow and turn carbon-consuming
algae into biofuel. More
Technology
Advance for Batteries First
Commercial Graphene Facility New
Market and Products for Algae.Tec Australian
Vanadium Looking at Residential Battery Market World
Solar Record for Dyesol Recycling
Cobalt From Lithium Batteries Good
Timing for Pumped Hydro Carnegie
Now A Different Company Sri
Lanka Opportunity for Carnegie Capital
Raising for Kalina Technology Vanadium
Another Battery Storage Option Protean
Wave Energy Joins ASX
More
Delays for AnaeCo Geodynamics
Buys Biogas Business US Evaluation
of BluGlass Technology Solar Thermal
Project for Enerji Carnegie
Commercialization to Cost $150 Million Steel
Roofing with Photovoltaics and Heating
Eco Innovation No 11. May 2013 More Venture Capital for Hydrexia $3 Million Wind Energy Raising Fast Charger for Electric Cars
Relivit Raises First Round Capital Wind Powered Water Pump Managing Building Energy a Winner More LED Lights from LIFX Commercializing Hydrogen Production Huge Oilseed Plant at Wagga
No 10. April 2013 Energy Storage Project The Sound of Chewing Termites International Renewable Plastics Deal Biogas IPO to Raise $1 Million Wave Power Commercialization to Speed Up Port Hedland Waste to Energy Project on Way Fund Raising for Tyre Recycler Launceston-based Definium Technologies has received a grant to help it develop technology to reduce the cost of power in commercial buildings. The $134,135 grant is under the first round of the Federal Government's $200 million Clean Technology Innovation Fund. Read More Largest Biodiesel Plant to Open Outback Ecology Acquired by Multinational
Eco Innovator Eco Investor Update 2013 2012 2011
|
|
Search Eco Investor |
Many
environmental stocks have shown outstanding share price performance since
their listing on the ASX. Here are seven examples that prove that good
stock selection among environmental stocks can lead to excellent share
price performance and capital gains. Eco Investor classifies all seven
stocks as core securities and so their total shareholder return would
be higher as they also pay dividends. In alphabetical order the seven
are... 
Water
management company GWA has produced its first stand alone Sustainability
Report. In previous years sustainability was covered in its annual reports.
The company says sustainability is at the core of its business, and that
its objectives are to operate sustainably by managing its resources as
efficiently as possible, acting in a socially responsible manner, and
providing products and systems that offer better water saving solutions.
New
Zealand utility Contact Energy has promoted its sustainability credentials
to an international audience in Europe, saying it is remains committed
to decarbonization and working to lower the carbon emissions of its own
operations and those of its customers, partners and suppliers. 
When GWA Group sold its Door & Access Systems business for $107 million
it said it would invest some of the capital in expanding its Bathrooms
& Kitchens business and it has done that with an offer to acquire
Auckland based and New Zealand Stock Exchange listed Methven Ltd. 
The annual report season is quickly followed by the annual sustainability
report season and this year there seem to be more sustainability reports
than usual, which is not surprising as some companies have brought out
their first reports. Among the core environmental stocks to have recently
produced sustainability reports are Tassal, New Zealand King Salmon, New
Energy Solar, Blackmores, and Kathmandu, while Bingo Industries, Cleanaway
and Sims Metal Management have included a sustainability report or review
in their annual reports. 
New
Energy Solar has added the first two Australian solar farms to its portfolio
of US solar assets, continuing its rapid growth since its IPO last December.
The first is the Manildra Solar Project west of Orange in central NSW.
The second is the Beryl Solar Farm 5 kilometres west of Gulgong, also
in central NSW. The vendor of both is a subsidiary of First Solar, Inc.
Electrifying New Zealand's transport sector makes a lot of commercial
and environmental sense. And with New Zealand's electricity grid showing
little growth in demand, it is not surprising that New Zealand's utilities
are prime promoters of electric cars. 
The future of manufactured housing looks good with Ingenia Communities
Group publishing a chart showing strong growth and outperformance in the
US of manufactured housing compared to other commercial property sectors.
Gale
Pacific has come a long way in its plan to become a focused technical
fabrics company as it has now sold most of its non-core businesses. In
the process it has improved its environmental focus. 
So
far Beacon Lighting has given little information on how its small growth
business, Beacon Solar, is going. This year there is a tad more information.
Beacon is near the end of a National Solar Project installing 4 MW of
solar energy on the roofs of over 70 of its retail stores. 
In May Pacific Energy's share price touched 76.5 cents, and in February
it touched 77 cents - only half a cent off its all time high. The point
however is that the all time high was in November 1999, nearly 18 years
ago. Since 2016 the share price has more than doubled from 35 cents. The
company looks to have got its act together and has released an impressive
set of charts to illustrate its growth. 
Australian
Glass Group, which New Zealand's Metro Performance Glass acquired last
September, has contributed to Metro Glass' strong revenue growth and net
profit. For the year to 31 March, Metro Glass' revenue grew by 30 per
cent to NS$244.3 million, while its New Zealand based revenue grew 14
per cent to NZ$213.8 million. 
Drama unfolded at newly rebranded Quintis with the founder and managing
director Frank Wilson resigning to join a possible takeover consortium
only days after TFS Corporation changed its name to Quintis and a short
seller hit the stock and drove the price to a three year low of 97.5 cents.
Aspen
Group's focus is on building a strong affordable accommodations business
and re-establishing scale to its business, said chairman, Clive Appleton,
at the annual general meeting; and in line with this the company has expanded
its tourism portfolio with the acquisition of two new holidays parks.
These are BIG4 Koala Shores Holiday Park and BIG4 Tween Waters Holiday
Park, both in NSW. 
Ingenia
Communities Group has sold the majority of its Deferred Management Fee
(DMF) portfolio, as has been planned, and has acquired two more lifestyle
parks using the funds from its June placement. The sale involves five
of the eight DMF assets and will see Ingenia retain a minority stake and
management rights. The sale will release net cash of $41 million to grow
Ingenia's lifestyle communities business. 
Unlisted
investment company August Investments increased its final dividend for
2015-16 to $6 per share fully franked, bringing the full year dividend
to $12 per share. The equivalent 2014-15 full year dividend was $9 per
share. Managing Director, Damien Lynch, said three features were noteworthy
for the year: continuing high returns, increased interest from investors,
and the company's return to community based investments. 
The
Australian listed cleantech sector had an excellent year and reporting
season for 2015-16, particularly among the leading stocks where many had
outstanding profits and dividend growth. 
New
Zealand's Metro Performance Glass has entered the Australian glass market
and added to its environmental glass business with the acquisition of
Australian Glass Group (Holdings) Pty Ltd. Australian Glass Group was
founded in 2008 and is now the third largest glass processor in Victoria
and New South Wales. It has glass processing plants in Melbourne and Sydney
and these supply double glazed glass units, custom laminates and toughened
safety glass... 
Pacific
Energy has added to its environmental capabilities by entering an alliance
with juwi Renewable Energy, a German world leading renewable energy company.
The alliance will focus on off-grid mining projects that integrate solar
and battery power with diesel or gas fueled power. 
Some
positives in the New Zealand double glazed window market helped Metro
Performance Glass increase net profit for the year to 31 March to NZ$20.5
million. For the previous corresponding eight months since it listed in
July 2014 its net profit was NZ$9.5 million. Sales also rose strongly
to NZ$188 million from NZ$115 million over the same periods. 
After
a strong rise, Beacon Lighting's share price has been trending sideways
since February, despite achieving record sales and record profits in 2014-15.
The company said the results were driven by strong sales growth, solid
gross profit growth and expense productivity gains. Sales growth was 19
per cent to $179.4 million. After tax profit rose 43 per cent to $16.9
million. The fully franked dividend rose 200 per cent to 4.2 cents per
share. 
Transpacific
Industries has completed its name change to Cleanaway Waste Management,
and reported a half year profit of $23 million to turnaround last year's
December half loss of $42 million. Revenue was up 8 per cent to $747 million.
Chief executive Vik Bansal said trading conditions are flat so the positive
results reflect the early success of initiatives across the company. 
When it comes to renewable
energy, New Zealand keeps giving with the latest instalment being the
dual-listing on the ASX of Contact Energy. The listing was announced in
early August last year when Origin Energy said it was selling all of its
389 million shares in Contact Energy, and the listing occured on 24 September
with the shares opening at $4.40. The shares have kept their value, trading
between $4.95 and $4.18 and mostly recently at around their opening price
of $4.40. 
A
general principle in value investment circles is that the higher the rise
in a company's share price, the lower the value of those shares. But is
this necessarily so? We will use the ASX listed shares of Australian Ethical
Investments Ltd (Australian Ethical) as an example. Australian Ethical
is a funds management company with $1.2 billion under management. The
organization is considered by many to be the premier ethical investment
group in Australia, with high returns to fund investors and a strong green
and social focus for its investments. The company's share price on the
ASX is currently $61, a rise of 300 per cent over the last three years.
Gale
Pacific's restructuring appears to be working with the company upgrading
its earnings guidance for the first half and in response its shares hit
a one year high of 30 cents. The new guidance is profit before tax of
between $2.75 and $3.25 million with the full year profit before tax expected
to be weighted to the second half when growth on the previous corresponding
half is also expected. 
Beacon
Lighting is Australia's leading lighting retailer with 78 company-owned
stores and 13 franchised stores around the country. The company is focused
upon the middle to upper residential market segments with 90 per cent
of its products designed, manufactured under licence and distributed in-house.
The company has grown quickly in recent years... 
Ingenia
is looking to make itself more attractive to institutions and other investors
through a share consolidation, while its active acquisitions strategy
is continuing to add to its medium and long term investment profile. Ingenia
is to ask security holders to approve a one for six security consolidation.
Ingenia is hoping for a longish list of benefits. 
After
a strong rise, Beacon Lighting's share price has been trending sideways
since February, despite achieving record sales and record profits in 2014-15.
The company said the results were driven by strong sales growth, solid
gross profit growth and expense productivity gains. 
Sims
Metal Management saw its share price jump $1.71 or 18 per cent when it
announced a solid profit for 2014-5 of $110 million, reversing the prior
loss of $89 million. 
Two
medium term factors will affect Qube Holdings' performance with the company
downgrading its expected underlying earnings from its Ports & Bulk
division for 2015-16, and on a positive note signing conditional contracts
for the development of the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal Project in Sydney.
The latter is good news for environmental investors as the rail freight
terminal will reduce heavy truck journeys in Sydney. 
Amid all the gloom in the environmental sector since Tony Abbott assumed
leadership of the Liberal Party and became prime minister, it is sometimes
easy to forget that many of the leading cleantech stocks are doing well.
One is Energy Developments. 
Tassal
Group's shares fell 42 cents or 12 per cent in the space of seven days,
with not much news in between. A couple of days earlier the company released
its sustainability report, which was detailed and positive. But during
the fall it put out a statement in response to what it called speculation
in the media that a potential acquisition of De Costi Seafoods had been
completed. It said the rumour was not correct. 
Profit
season is great for sorting the sheep from the goats and this season's
interim results clearly group most of the core cleantech stocks into three
groups: strong winners, those marking time, and those that have issues
and went backwards. 
Reece
Australia continues to power ahead with record revenue, profit, interim
dividend and share price. The company's December half sales revenue was
up 25 per cent and topped one billion at $1.049 billion. Net profit rose
34 per cent to $80.2 million. And the company's shares hit an all time
peak at $34.20 on 23 February, a few days before it released its results,
and remained around that level and peaked again at $34.50 after the results.
One
of the standout performers of the interim reporting season was TFS Corporation.
Net profit rose a mighty 1,598 per cent to a record $55 million from only
$3.2 million in the December 2013 half year. Earnings per share did something
similar and rose 1,363 per cent to 16.92 cents from 1.16 cents. Not surprisingly
the share price followed with a 20 per cent leap to a high of $1.90. 
In
late July shares in Phoslock Water Solutions, soon to be Phoslock Environmental
Technologies, reached an 11 year high of 46.5 cents. This is close to
their all time high of 49.5 cents in February 2007. The shares listed
in August 2002 at 20 cents, and in 2015 they were just above 2 cents,
so it has been a long effort and the company has workd hard for the shares
to recover and now, for the second time, to more than double their original
value. 
Orocobre's
shares reached an all time high of $7.44 in late January, having been
only $2.60 last March. The run is well deserved given the time, capital
and work it has taken for the company to begin lithium production at its
salars in Argentina. What the share price will do now is another matter.
Investors
who want to back solar energy projects and project owners have another
option with the IPO of New Energy Solar Ltd. The company listed on 4 December
after raising $202 million. Its target was up to $200 million. The offer
price per stapled security was an indicative range of $1.45 to $1.55,
and they were issued at $1.50. 
Duxton
Water has fully committed the capital it raised in last year's IPO. At
31 March it had invested $63 million in water entitlements or 94 per cent
of its portfolio. It has entered into contracts, agreed terms for contracts,
or has pending offers for contracts for another $4.4 million of water
entitlements. When complete, these will make its portfolio fully invested.
Infigen Energy is to build the 113.2 MW Bodangora wind farm near
Wellington in New South Wales and has launched an underwritten capital
raising of $151 million to pay for the equity component and to possibly
refinance its Global Facility and Woodlawn Project Finance Facility. The
institutional entitlement offer and the retail entitlement offer are at
89 cents per security. 
Eco Investor has downgraded Bellamy's Australia to a pre-dividend security
as the company will not pay a dividend for the December half year. The
company said its cash position was materially impacted by an increase
in inventory, so that may be the reason for the lack of a dividend. It
anticipates returning to positive free cash-flow by the middle of this
half. 
Eco
Investor has downgraded Energy Action to pre-dividend security as the
company has suspended its interim dividend following a disappointing profit
result. The company said the lack of a dividend was due to the decline
in its operating net profit after tax, which fell 45 per cent to $0.8
million. But its net profit was even lower at $0.29 million. 
The
listed aquaculture sector has another player with New Zealand King Salmon
Investments Ltd listing on the NZX and ASX on 18 October in a tightly
held IPO backed by private equity. The float has been successful with
the shares issued at NZ$1.12 and opening on the ASX at $1.15. They have
since traded between $1.15 and $1.02. 
The
takeover inquiry that helped fire Infigen Energy's share price earlier
this year is no longer live, but Infigen Energy's managing director, Miles
George, said the company remains open to proposals that can add value
to shareholders. 
Pacific
Environment's work to commercialize its EnviroSuite software offshore
is paying off with two new deals: in England with Thames Water Utilities
Ltd and in Spain with Libelium. Thames Water has 15 million customers
and is the UK's largest water and wastewater services company. 
HRL
Holdings' strategy of refocusing from geothermal energy to environmental
services has paid off with the company announcing a net profit for the
December half of $339,297. The December 2014 half year loss was $1.48
million. Although the profit is modest, the underlying net profit was
also positive at $556,014 and Eco Investor has upgraded the company from
a pre-profit to a pre-dividend security. 
Bellamy's
Australia's shares keep rising and in mid June hit another post IPO high
of $4.55. It came a few days after Bellamy's upgraded its profit guidance
for the full year. Its IPO price, only last July, was $1. 
Eco Investor has upgraded Pilbara Minerals from a pre-revenue to a pre-profit
stock as the company has commenced sales and first revenue. Last month
it officially opened its Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project 120 kilometres
south of Port Hedland in WA. For the September quarter, the company received
revenue of $16.4 million. At the end of the quarter it had a very healthy
cash position of $90.6 million. 
A
new way to be efficient in agriculture is RotoGro International's Rotational
Hydroponic Garden Systems that can save on space, water, fertilizer and
pesticides. Each garden system is shaped as a cylinder, not unlike a large
compost tumbler or 44 gallon drum. 
In
an unexpected change of strategy, Carnegie Clean Energy is to merge its
2016 acquisition, Energy Made Clean, with ASX listed Tag Pacific. Carnegie
will return to its former focus on commercializing its world leading wave
energy technology. Tag Pacific and Energy Made Clean are both renewable
and remote energy project developers and together will become a larger
remote area energy specialist under the new name of MPower. 
Energy efficiency companies have found it tough going in the ASX, and
while Buddy Platform has had a good share price run over the past year
it still has a long way to go to achieve profitability. In January last
year the shares for Buddy Platform were 5 cents, by November they had
peaked at a four year high of 41 cents, and this January they were still
just above 20 cents. It was a good ride if you caught it and got out at
the right stop. So what is the story, and what's the catch? 
Vmoto
is one of those companies that has a great idea and products - electric
scooters - but is taking a long time to commercialize them and still seems
a long way from getting some serious traction. One big roadblock was out
of its hands: for some time now some Chinese local governments have cracked
down on electric scooters, which has dampened Chinese sales. This has
now impacted Vmoto's Chinese joint venture. 
Having
recently added solar energy as a key area of focus for its business, ReNu
Energy has moved quickly to build its solar assets with an alliance with
a solar projects developer and the purchase of its first solar project.
It has also changed its strategy. 
Biodegradable
and compostable plastics maker Secos Group says it is getting closer to
achieving group profitability now that two of its three business units
are operating profitably. 
In
five months Clean TeQ Holdings' share price has soared 443 per cent or
51 cents from 11.5 cent in March to an eight year high of 62.5 cents in
August. The latest good news is its Chinese joint venture company signing
its first water treatment deal. 
What
to do with mountains of waste plastics has long been a key environmental
question. One answer has been turning them into harder-wearing and longer-lasting
substitutes for timber products and that is the solution being commercialized
by Range International, which debuted on the ASX on 22 July after raising
a not insignificant $50 million. 
Could
Greenearth Energy's energy efficient lighting business finally be coming
good? In the June quarter, Greenearth's revenue was $3.32 million, up
from $59,000 in the March quarter. The company said the result was due
to growing success in its industry focused energy efficiency business,
Vivid Industrial, which now includes Ilum-a-Lite which it acquired in
March. The June quarter results consolidate the two businesses. 
Shares
in Eden Energy reached an 8 year high of 34.5 cents with the company announcing
some key successes in the commercialization of its carbon based concrete
additive that can greatly reduce the volumes of concrete used in commercial
and infrastructure applications. Concrete is a major greenhouse gas emitting
industry... 
The
push in Australia to ban plastic bags could affect biodegradable or compostable
bags, including those made by SECOS Group. Jeff Angel, convenor of the
Boomerang Alliance of 34 groups, which is campaigning against plastic
bags, said the call includes the so-called biodegradable or compostable
bags which are just as dangerous when littered as they don't disappear.
However, SECOS chairman Richard Tegoni told Eco Investor that this statement
is incorrect. 
It's great to see an
innovative solar energy company among the first IPOs for the new year.
Trac Group Holdings Ltd is raising between $3.5 million and $6.5 million
to begin commercializing its beautiful looking home roof system that can
come with or without built-in solar energy and solar hot water. 
Carbon
Conscious recently announced a major change in strategic direction with
their move into dairy production. The company has also notified the ASX
of their intention to change the company's name to Alterra at the company's
AGM in February to reflect their change in business direction. Prior to
this announcement the company's main business activity was the long term
contract management of carbon plantation assets... 
Eco
Investor has been writing about BuildingIQ, Inc. since the company was
founded in 2009 so it is encouraging to see it now issue a prospectus
to list on the ASX. The energy management software and service company
is raising $20 million through an offer of $1 CHESS Depositary Interests
(CDIs) and expects to list on 17 December. 
Greenearth
Energy has raised $3 million through a placement at 8 cents per share
to professional and sophisticated investors. The capital is to fund growth
of its energy efficient lighting business Vivid Industrial and to finalize
the ownership structure of its one third owned subsidiary NewCO2Fuels.
Vivid Industrial provides intelligent lighting to industry scale facilities
with proven savings of over 80 per cent. 
With
its Olaroz lithium project in Argentina ramping up to full production,
Orocobre has put out a statement showing that the project has "a
very low environmental footprint". 
Phoslock
Water Solutions has talked about its hopes to land some big contracts
and has now done so with a consortium that has won a $10 million contract.
Chairman Laurence Freedman said the deal is a game-changer for Phoslock.
The
merger of Cardia Bioplastics with Stellar Films to form SECOS Group is
a positive development for environmental investors. SECOS is double the
size of what it was as Cardia and it remains the only ASX-listed stock
that is focused on sustainable packaging. Cardia Bioplastics' shareholders
overwhelmingly approved the company's changes including the consolidation
of its shares, the change of name to SECOS Group Ltd (derived from Sustainable
Eco Solutions), and the issue of shares to sophisticated and professional
investors. 
Commercial
production of RedFlow's battery has commenced with the company having
accepted what it says is a competitive turnkey price from its manufacturer,
Flextronics. The deal commenced on 1 March. Commercial quantities of the
battery are now available and volumes will increase over coming months.
RedFlow will also have available two new products in late April that offer
significantly lower energy storage and delivery costs compared to the
current ZBM battery. 
Electric
scooter maker Vmoto may have some future competition, future help or both
from Harley-Davidson, which has developed an electric motorcycle under
its Project LiveWire. Harley-Davidson is working with consumers across
the US to gain insights on rider expectations from the project and to
shape Harley-Davidson’s first electric motorcycle. 
Three pre-revenue companies have made significant steps towards developing
and commercializing their new battery technologies. The companies have
leading edge technologies and one of them says it has achieved a world
first. The companies are: Lithium Australia, Protean Energy, and Magnis
Energy Technologies. 
Leaf
Resources has taken two more steps towards commercializing its lignin
and glycerol from waste biomass technology. It has signed an exclusive
agency agreement with HB International, one of the largest glycerol brokers
in the world, for the supply of raw glycerol and the sale of refined glycerol.
The second step is entering the biodegradable packaging market, which
offers short term revenue while it develops its major plant in Malaysia.
Graphite
mine developer Kibaran Resources said it has made a major breakthrough
in the production of battery-grade graphite using a new environmentally-friendly
process that eliminates the use of toxic chemicals. 
First
Graphite has received works approval from the WA Department of Environment
Regulation for the construction of a graphene production facility at the
Australian Marine Complex at Henderson near Perth. This will be operational
in the fourth quarter of this year. First Graphite said it will be the
first ASX-listed company to have a commercial graphene production capability.
Kalina
Power is raising $5 million in the next step to recapitalize and rejuvenate
the company. The capital is to strengthen its balance sheet and help it
implement its business plan to commercialize its Kalina Cycle technology
that uses waste heat from large industrial plants to produce more energy
efficient and less greenhouse gas emitting power. 
With
energy storage expected to take off it is worthwhile not to forget that
there are other technologies in the market apart from lithium and zinc-bromide
flow batteries. One of these is vanadium, another technology in which
for many years Australia was a world leader. The angle for investors is
local miner, Australian Vanadium Ltd... 
There
is a reason why the Australian wave energy industry is a world leader
- it keeps bobbing along, with the latest development being the backdoor
listing of Protean Wave Energy, which is commercializing its Protean wave
energy converter (WEC) technology. 
Geodynamics
has made its long awaited move into a post-geothermal energy business
and has chosen biogas. The company has made a takeover bid for Quantum
Power Ltd, a company which it says is a market leader in the Australian
biogas market. 
Dyesol
has come a long way since its IPO featured in Eco Investor's first issue
in 2005. The big changes have been in the development of its technology
and its path to commercialization, both of which have changed considerably,
particularly in recent times. 
Dyesol could have some competition in the early stage built-in
photovoltaics market with BlueScope Steel completely replacing the roof
on a home in the Sydney suburb of Glebe with what it says is the first
integrated PV thermal system in Australia. The roof combines steel roofing
with cutting-edge thin-film solar panels, and is generating reliable renewable
energy for the residents. 
Queensland
company Hydrexia has received a venture capital investment of $9.25 million
from the Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund and ALIAD, a subsidiary
of Air Liquide. The Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund invested $4.5
million. Hydrexia has previously received venture capital from GBS Venture
Partners. 
Renewable
Energy Solutions Australia (RESA) is looking to establish and outsource
large scale production of its inverter products, expand the manufacture
and distribution of its wind turbines, and commence international marketing
and distribution of the inverters and turbines in the US, Japan and UK.
A
Queensland company has designed a fast charger for electric cars. Manufacturer
Tritium says the Veefil can charge electric vehicles to 80 per cent capacity
in under 30 minutes. "Reducing the charge time of an electric vehicle
from eight hours to less than an hour is a game changer and will be a
major boost for the electric car industry," said Parliamentary Secretary
for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation, Yvette D'Ath. The Veefil
has a small footprint and can be installed in hotels, car parks, airports
and shopping centres for easy access and fast recharging. 
Oceanlinx
has unveiled the new design for its blueWAVE ocean energy unit that it
says is smaller, lighter and cheaper for deep water applications. The
company said continued development enabled it improve performance while
reducing overall costs. Each blueWAVE platform is rated at 3 MW and above,
which the company says is impressive and with clustering is suitable for
utility scale power generation. 
LIFX
has sold out the first batch of its innovative LED light on pre-orders
alone and has begun taking pre-orders for the second batch. The Melbourne
based company set up in San Francisco and is famous for raising $1,314,542
from 9,236 backers on crowd funding platform Kickstarter. It had initially
sought only $100,000 to fund the commercialization and manufacture of
the bulb. 
Riverina
Oils and Bio Energy Pty Ltd (ROBE) has developed a 170,000 tonne oilseed
crushing and edible oil refining plant at Wagga Wagga. The $150 million
plant became fully operational in February and is expected to create around
80 direct jobs, over 500 indirect jobs and contribute significantly to
the region's economy. 
Plantic
Technologies is to supply plastic food trays made from bio-based renewable
natural materials to Profish Food B.V. Netherlands, a European agent,
processor and distributor of fresh fish. Plantic's eco Plastic trays comprise
up to 80 per cent commercially grown natural raw materials certified as
renewable material. It also has an oxygen transmission rate of less than
one-tenth of one percent, creating ultra high barrier packaging materials
that can significantly increase shelf life and improve product freshness.
Bombora
Wave Power, whose novel Wave Energy Converter Device (WECD) was one of
five winners in the GE Ecomagination Challenge 2013, is to speed up fund
raising and commercialization of the technology. The Ecomagination Challenge
was open to all businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators to share their
best ideas on how to reduce carbon emissions, and attracted 191 entries
from Australia and New Zealand. Bombora won $100,000. 
Tyre
recycler Green Distillation Technologies is planning to raise $7.5 million
to fund its first commercial plant ahead of a planned public listing in
2014, says a report by the Wall Street Journal. The company is commercializing
a technology that can turn used tyres into carbon and oil and recover
the steel without emissions. The company says the pyrolytic process is
environmentally sustainable and energy neutral, and can reduce oil imports.
