Cleantech second-quarter analysis and outlook

Table of Contents

  1. Summary
  2. The trouble at Fisker
  3. Coda and Better Place: bankruptcies and the EV shakeout
  4. The state of solar
  5. Moves in the home energy management (HEM) space
  6. Near-term outlook
  7. Key takeaways
  8. About Adam Lesser

1. Summary

Implosions in the electric vehicle space dominated news in the cleantech area just as new EV darling Tesla became the first major success story. Solar, another industry that has faced tough times, is slowly showing signs of a rebound as installation rates are solid despite panel-manufacturer bankruptcies.

And competition in the home energy management space is heating up as companies ranging from Opower to Nest are starting to carve out sections of the market.

This report will examine the following events and their implications for the near term:

  • Fisker edges toward its fate as the company raised a record $1.4 billion yet failed to deliver a hit sports car. This major failure occurred against the backdrop of Tesla’s record success.
  • Coda and Better Place both hit bankruptcy as the understyled and overpriced Coda couldn’t find a market and Better Place’s major bet on battery-swapping tech didn’t pan out.
  • Despite all the headlines about solar PV manufacturers going under, the actual installation rates continue to grow, particularly on the utility side.
  • There’s growing excitement around the home energy management (HEM) market as Nest and Alarm.com made key acquisitions, setting up a broad battle over HEM dominance.

Source: flickr user Axion23