First Commercial FinanceCleantechApril 09, 2010 Posted by Matt MaloneyThe magnitude of opportunities in global energy markets is enormous, but scaling up a new technology to “utility” scale also presents unique challenges for the venture model. The leap from initial product demonstration and small scale manufacturing into production or assets in the hundreds of megawatts (and hundreds of millions of dollars) largely exceeds the capacity of venture equity financing. Given the current state of capital markets, start-ups are wondering what sources of lending are available for initial large scale manufacturing or projects and what role can and should government play (for example, through loan guarantees and grants) in “picking winners” and lowering the hurdle for new clean energy technologies to attract commercial capital and gain traction in the market.
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