UK Government's Support for Cleantech "takes the biscuit"

The UK doesn't get cleantech and as a result should prepare for brownouts as electricity is cut off on a rotating basis as there will not be enough energy efficiency or generation capacity in the future.

This is according to Simon Daniel, an entrepreneur and CEO of Moixa, a fast-growing renewable energy group writing in GrowthBusiness.co.uk ezine.

Last week President Obama awarded $3.4 billion in grants to support smart grid companies in the USA. Meanwhile in the UK after several days of dithering, the prime minister announced his favourite biscuit was a chocolate digestive.

It's a hard-hitting article and one that not only criticises current government policy but also makes some excellent suggestions. He notes, for example, that innovative companies need to preserve equity in order to raise the significant amount of funding required from Series A and B investors to compete internationally.

Well worth a read.

UK Cleantech Sector Gets £18 million

Start-ups and growth companies in the cleantech sector are getting additional investment funds made available through the Carbon Trust. The government has announced an extra £18 million for the Carbon Trust's venture capital arm to make direct equity or equity-related investments in companies helping the UK move towards a lower-carbon economy.