It seems as though the darkest clouds are finally dissipating over alt energy's financing horizon. Over the past few weeks, money has started flowing into the sector again, as evidenced by a number of recent deal announcements:

1. On June 9, I reported on the upcoming IPO for Magma Energy Corp., a geothermal exploration company. The IPO's size will be upped from an initial C$50 MM to C$100 MM, a sign of increased market appetite
2. SunPower Corp.(SPWRA) raised $418 MM in early May through a share and debt offering, and recently announced it had reached a $100 MM deal with Wells Fargo (WFC) to fund commercial-scale solar PV projects across the US
3. John reported a few days ago that A123 Systems had amended the SEC registration statement for its proposed IPO, positing that it could be much larger than initially anticipated
4. In late May, Suntech Power (STP) raised $277 MM from a follow-on offering of its American Depositary Shares (ADSs), and recently received a $50 MM convertible loan from the IFC
5. On June 23, Yingli Green (YGE) raised $193 MM through a follow-on offering of its ADSs
6. On June 25, Trina Solar (TSL) secured credit facilities of about $57 MM
7. New Energy Finance just reported a slight increase in asset financing for Q2 2009, although it cautioned that money flows into renewable energy projects were: (1) down substantially from what they were a year ago (~66% in the US); and (2) far below the level where they need to be if greenhouse gas emissions are to be brought under control by 2020

As noted by both New Energy Finance and John, requirements for matching funds under the ARRA mean that firms that want to access government grants will have to put up some of their money, potentially leading some of them to go to market even if conditions aren't ideal.