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No Sign of ‘Solyndra Effect’ Yet
AUSTIN, Texas – Jan. 9, 2012
– Mercom Capital Group, llc, a global clean energy communications and
consulting firm, today released its annual and fourth quarter funding and
merger and acquisition (M&A) activity report for the solar sector in 2011.
 “Investment activity in 2011
was robust,” said Raj Prabhu, managing partner of Mercom. “Whether you point to the dramatic module
price declines, Europe’s diminishing incentives, or the so-called ‘Solyndra
effect’, solar continued to gain attention and dollars for technology and
innovation through venture capital funding.”
Venture capital (VC) funding and M&A
activity were strong in 2011, setting records for number of deals and M&A
activity. Notable findings include:
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VC investment in solar totaled $1.9 billion
in 111 deals in 2011—the highest number of deals ever in a single year. By
comparison, there were 65 VC deals in 2010, 84 in 2009, 93 in 2008, and 71 in
2007. 
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Thin-film technology raised the most VC funding ($595.5 million in 17
deals), beating downstream companies ($339 million in 26 deals), crystalline-silicon ($338 million in 20 deals), concentrated solar power ($308 million in 13 deals),
and concentrated PV ($129 million in 10 deals).
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The solar thermal power company BrightSource
Energy raised $201 million in Series E funding, making it the largest single VC
investment of 2011. Stion, a manufacturer of high-efficiency thin-film solar
modules, came in second when it announced $130 million. The third and fourth highest VC
fundraising rounds were by thin-film solar panel maker MiaSolé ($106 million,
Series F), and solar cell developer Suniva ($94.4 million, Series D)
respectively.
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The top VC investor of 2011 was Kleiner
Perkins Caufield & Byers, which completed eight transactions, followed by
GE and Good Energies, with six transactions each. There were 182 VC investors
in solar in 2011.
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M&A activity in 2011 was more than double
that of 2010 in terms of dollars, and approximately 33 percent more in deals.
There were $4 billion in M&A activity in 65 deals, compared to just over $2
billion in 44 deals in 2010. The largest single M&A transaction was Total’s
(the French oil & gas company
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While Solyndra dominated headlines in the
United States and globally, over $700 million worth of VC investment came after
the solar manufacturer’s bankruptcy announcement on August 31, 2011.
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Fourth quarter VC funding totaled $511
million, compared to $372 million in Q3, $354 million in Q2, and $658 million
in Q1.
 “Falling
panel prices and oversupply brought about a lot of consolidation activity,”
added Prabhu. “With valuations of publicly-traded solar companies at record
lows, M&A was the go-to exit strategy.”
The United States led all
other countries in number of deals and VC funding, with 84 deals and over $1.5
billion of investments. The United Kingdom completed the second highest number
of deals with five, and India garnered the second highest amount of VC funding
with $95 million.
Globally, debt financing totaled
$20 billion. The top debt investor was the China Development Bank. Chinese
loans, credit facilities and framework agreements came to $15.7 billion in ten transactions.
Mercom Capital Group’s
report also includes information on project-specific funding, U.S. Department
of Energy Loan Guarantee awards, new funds, restructuring and bankruptcies.
For a copy of Mercom’s Solar Funding and M&A 2011 Report
and other clean energy reports, visit: http://mercomcapital.com/cleanenergyreports.php.
About
Mercom Capital Group
Mercom Capital Group, llc is
a global clean energy communications and consulting firm with offices in the
United States and India. Mercom’s
communications division helps clean energy companies build powerful
relationships with media, analysts, government decision-makers, local
communities and strategic partners.
Mercom’s consulting division advises clean energy companies on new
market entry, custom market intelligence and overall strategic decision-making. Mercom delivers highly respected industry
market intelligence reports covering solar, wind and smart grid. For more information about Mercom Capital
Group, visit: http://www.mercomcapital.com. To get a copy of Mercom’s popular market
intelligence reports, visit: http://mercomcapital.com/market_intelligence.php.
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