Clean-tech policy divisiveness tempers energy start-up hopes

{mosads}Washington, D.C., rhetoric on clean technology has cooled interest and funding opportunities in more expensive clean-technology endeavors, the hedge fund managers said. The pullback from clean energy after California-based solar panel maker Solyndra went bust, after a $535 million federal loan guarantee, spooked investment in similar technologies, they said.

“Most early-stage investing in clean tech today focuses on energy startups that leverage information technology not currently used in the energy sector,” Stanford said in a press release about the event. “The focus is due in part to a cautious U.S. investment environment, especially in clean tech, which has watched some bets fail and seen government retrench support.”