Investment Fever in Clean-Energy The clean-energy business is turning into the next big investment boom,in which risks are lightly ignored.Until recently,recalls Charlie Gay,a 30-year veteran of the solar-power business,venture capitalists were too busy catering to captains of the information-technology industry to waste time on hippy-dippy tree-huggers"like himself.But now the tree-buggers are in the ascendant and the IT barons are busy investing in clean-energy technology Investors are failing over themselves to finance start-ups in clean technology,especially in energy.Venture Business Research reckons that investment in the field by venture capitalists and private-equity firms has quadrupled in the past two years,from some $500 m in 2004 to almost $2 billion so far this year.The share of venture capital going into clean energy is risingrapidly. Clean-energy fever is being fuelled by three things:high oil prices, fears over energy security and a growing concem about global warming. The provision of energy,the industry's cheerleaders say,will change radically over the coming decades.Polluting coal and gas-fired power stations will give way to cleaner alternatives such as solar and wind;fuels derived from plants and waste will replace petrol and diesel;and small, local forms of electricity generation will replace big power stations Investment Fever in Clean-Energy The clean-energy business is turning into the next big investment boom, in which risks are lightly ignored. Until recently, recalls Charlie Gay, a 30-year veteran of the solar-power business, venture capitalists were too busy catering to captains of the information-technology industry to waste time on ‘hippy-dippy tree-huggers” like himself. But now the tree-buggers are in the ascendant and the IT barons are busy investing in clean-energy technology. Investors are failing over themselves to finance start-ups in clean technology, especially in energy. Venture Business Research reckons that investment in the field by venture capitalists and private-equity firms has quadrupled in the past two years, from some $500 m in 2004 to almost $2 billion so far this year. The share of venture capital going into clean energy is rising rapidly. Clean-energy fever is being fuelled by three things: high oil prices, fears over energy security and a growing concern about global warming. The provision of energy, the industry’s cheerleaders say, will change radically over the coming decades. Polluting coal and gas-fired power stations will give way to cleaner alternatives such as solar and wind; fuels derived from plants and waste will replace petrol and diesel; and small, local forms of electricity generation will replace big power stations