Are the Worst of Times Behind Us?

After a long, quiet period in the capital markets, renewable energy investors are starting to feel...dare I say, bullish?

At Intersolar North America last week, I sat down with a number of investors in the venture capital and project finance spaces. What I heard from them echoed the sentiments of investors at last month's Wall Street Renewable Energy Finance Forum: there is a sense of optimism that hasn't been so strong since 2007/2008, before the financial turmoil popped the growing investment bubble in renewables.

What's different about this new period? Well, investors getting more aggressive, but they're being far more choosy in what projects they finance or companies they put money into. Ultimately, that's a very good thing for the sustainability of the industry.

Dick Talbert, a manager with GreenPower Capital, has brought together around $1 billion in debt and equity for renewable energy developers and environmental projects over the years. As more investors are willing to look at the space, he's confident that we've gotten through the worst of the crisis. To hear more of this thoughts, check out the interview below.