"Green-technology firms attracted the largest share of venture capital in the third quarter, with global investments rising to $1.59 billion, according to a survey released Wednesday by Cleantech Group and Deloitte & Touche.

That's a 10% increase from the second quarter but still down 42% from the same period last year.

Dallas Kachan, managing director of Cleantech, said that the third-quarter numbers were preliminary and that he expected total investment to have risen by 15% to 20% when the final figures are calculated."