Yes, you read that right. Pork energy — a.k.a. pig-produced waste energy — will be the subject of a town hall meeting next week in Goldsboro, N.C. If the latest legislation on animal waste management systems passed by the State’s senate becomes law, it’ll … Read More »
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Adena DeMonte
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NextGen Biofuels Get A Boost In Canada
By Adena DeMonte
Sep. 13, 2007, 12:08pm PT
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Canadian biomass-based biofuels have been given a boost with a C$500 million ($484.4 million) fund launched yesterday by the country’s federal government. The fund, which will be managed by Sustainable Development Technology Canada, is designed to jump-start the development and production of “next generation” biofuels … Read More »
The Daily Sprout
By Adena DeMonte
Sep. 12, 2007, 7:13pm PT
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How Green is that PC in the Window?: Lenovo rolled out its eco-friendly ThinkCentre A61e desktop, codenamed “Blue Sky” today. We’re seriously craving one –- release. Why Green IT?: Conference attendees at Infrastructure Management World questioned why energy-efficient IT is gaining popularity, money or morals? … Read More »
Parking Lot Pollution: Besides car emissions, it turns out automobiles are indirectly causing yet another environmental problem: parking lot pollution. Researchers at Purdue University say giant parking lots raise urban temperatures and add to water pollution. Parking lots accumulate pollutants such as oil and heavy … Read More »
5 Questions For Solar Alliance President Schneider
By Adena DeMonte
Sep. 12, 2007, 11:17am PT
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Former Rhode Island Congresswoman Claudine Schneider says that when it comes to the potential of solar energy, the U.S. government has failed to take the lead. That’s why she’s charging ahead as the president of a newly launched organization called The Solar Alliance, … Read More »
Even though environmentalism is part of the cleantech investing equation, we were reminded during a VC panel held at AlwaysOn’s GoingGreen conference this morning in Davis, Calif., that cleantech investing is about another kind of green: cash. “We are a single, bottom-line entity,” said Bill … Read More »
The Daily Sprout
By Adena DeMonte
Sep. 10, 2007, 5:34pm PT
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Energy from Man-Made Tornadoes?: Here are some rather bizarre energy conductors that scientists are using to produce electricity (think tornadoes, kites, and lighting) — Business Week. Positive Energy Snags $1.55M: Positive Energy, an Arlington, Va.-based energy efficiency company, raised its first round, which was led by … Read More »
More Must Reads
Here we go again. In the inexhaustible game of leapfrog between Silicon Valley chipmakers Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Intel Corp (INTC), it’s AMD’s turn to jump. Today, after more than six months of delays, the Sunnyvale, Calif. underdog of the multiprocessor arch-rivalry … Read More »
Sure we’d love to purchase an all electric car like the Telsa Roadster, but its $98k price tag doesn’t quite fit into a bloggers budget. Lucky for us, automakers around the world are starting to seriously address engine fuel efficiency, and will show off
It’s hard to get one’s head wrapped around all the money being poured into the various sectors of cleantech these days. Last year investment in clean energy surged 67 percent over the previous year, but at the same time there was more than $2 billion left … Read More »
By Adena DeMonte
Sep. 7, 2007, 7:40am PT
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It was a who’s-who of cleantech last night at the AlwaysOn GoingGreen launch party. A bit smaller crowd than we expected, but a decent turnout for the announcement of AlwaysOn’s list of 100 emerging cleantech companies. Smart grid start-up GridPoint took home the … Read More »
By Adena DeMonte
Sep. 6, 2007, 12:13pm PT
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Yeasty Ethanol: “Yeast” would’ve been a better choice for our A to Z list of the Biofuel Economy, instead of, um, “Your chopsticks.” Anyhoo. University of California Irvine researchers have teamed up with Laguna Hills, Calif.-based start-up CODA Genomics to explore ways … Read More »
We weren’t surprised to find Masa Ishii, one of Noventi’s managing directors, on the prowl for investment opportunities at the ASME Energy Nanotechnology International Conference yesterday. Menlo Park-based VC firm Noventi sits on a $100 million fund for early-stage cleantech investments. … Read More »
Since moving to California two years ago, it seems like I’ve landed in this eco-savvy bubble, cut off from the rest of the country. Looking at the amount of start-up activity and government support for the sector, it’s clear that California is one of … Read More »
By Adena DeMonte
Sep. 4, 2007, 6:54pm PT
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Greentech Media Launch: Our good friends Greentech Media launched their eco-tech news site today. Check out our blog feed on the site! – release. Cleantech Investing Acquired: As part of Greentech Media’s launch, Cleantech Investing was acquired by the Mass. news and research firm. … Read More »
Who: Zee Dynamics is a startup with a patent-pending technology that supposedly reduces the amount of fuel and energy used in the production of rubber products such as shoes and tires, and can also make the rubber last longer. The company is self-funded by founder John … Read More »
If you’ve been scratching your head over oil companies’ green PR attempts, there’s a new goodie coming up: Chevron (CVX) is due to unveil its latest eco PR effort, and this time it amounts to an earth-friendly-version of SimCity. We were recently emailed a link … Read More »
VC $$$ for Cleantech: A report released today by research firm New Energy Finance notes that VC and private equity investment in the cleantech sector surged 67 percent in 2006 over the previous year. Yet clean energy VCs only invested 73 percent of … Read More »
Plextronics, a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based startup developing organic semiconductors for thin film solar and lighting applications, says it raised $20.6 million in a Series B funding, in a round led by Solvay North American Investments, a member of Solvay Group (SVYSY), a … Read More »
Cow-Powered Fuel Cells: Fluid found in the stomach of cows has been used to generate electricity by researchers at Ohio State University. They filled a microbial fuel cell with cellulose and rumen fluid — the fluid found in the largest part of a cow’s stomach … Read More »
Propel Biofuels, a Seattle-based startup that is building public biodiesel fueling sites, has raised $4.75 million in its Series A round of funding from @Ventures and Nth Power, the company announced on Wednesday. @Ventures led the round and was joined by … Read More »
We’ve written plenty about the growing biofuel market and the rising concern over the sustainability of corn or wheat ethanol and soy biodiesel production. Here’s an A to Z of alternative materials and innovative processes that can turn that biomass into fuel. From … Read More »
By Adena DeMonte
Aug. 28, 2007, 10:07pm PT
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Lighting Up Cleantech: Venture analyst Roger Franklin thinks Europe is missing the boat on LEDs and a $12 billion lighting market –- BusinessGreen.com. Israel Corp’s Electric Car: Israel Corp will invest $100 million of a $200 million investment in entrepreneur Shai Agassi’s electric car venture –- … Read More »
Dan Primack at PeHub pulls two cleantech fundings out of his Regulation D filings grab bag today, while VentureWire reports on an energy fund from EnerTech Capital. Solexant, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based startup that’s developing efficient, low-cost solar cells, has raised $4.3 million in … Read More »
Carnivores, take note: Meat is the latest food group that is falling victim to biofuel production. At least in the U.K. That’s after reports that food like corn, tortillas, and even gummy bears have been getting the pinch. Already hurting from bird flu, floods, and … Read More »
Solar power has plenty of applications for remote regions where the electricity grid is distant and the sun shines bright. The latest, comes from two-year-old startup Solis Energy, which is using solar generators to power Wi-Fi routers located, well, just about anywhere. The Orlando, Fla.-based … Read More »
By Adena DeMonte
Aug. 27, 2007, 7:08pm PT
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Audi to Cut C02: Automaker Audi wants to cut 20% of CO2 emissions produced by its car models by 2012 — Green Car Congress. Offshore Wind: Richard T. Stuebi explains why he thinks Long Island could pull the plug on its planned offshore wind project, while … Read More »
Coal gasification is one of the few areas of so-called ‘clean coal’ technology that critics say could actually offer a cleaner answer to coal. While most of the technology is years from being proven on a large scale, startups are raising funds — Secure Energy, a … Read More »
Who: Nila Lighting Systems, which makes LED lighting modules for the entertainment industry, is self-funded by Hollywood techie Jim Sanfilippo, (he worked as a grip on films including “Ride Around the World” and “Minority Report.”) Sanfilippo says the company can last on current funds … Read More »
Speaking of solar buzz, this week a couple of the big solar players from China released their second-quarter financials, with mixed results. Shares of China Sunergy (CSUN) tumbled more than 20% Friday after the solar cell manufacturer, which went public in May, … Read More »
With the millions of VC dollars being poured into copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar companies (including HelioVolt, Nanosolar, Miasole, and SoloPower) it’s getting time to prove that they can start producing this stuff. The market might not be slowing … Read More »
By Adena DeMonte
Aug. 23, 2007, 12:00pm PT
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GoodCents, an Atlanta-based provider of marketing and field services for electric utility energy efficiency and peak-load management programs, has been acquired by a fund managed by GFI Energy Ventures for an undisclosed amount. Utility power management programs can help maintain grid stability and reduce … Read More »
By Adena DeMonte
Aug. 22, 2007, 7:39pm PT
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Solar Thermal in Idaho: Honolulu’s solar thermal startup Sopogy, which raised a $3 million round in Jan., plans to build a 50 kilowatt plant in Idaho to test its solar thermal technology. (Inside GreenTech). Hybrid Trucks: PACCAR and Eaton Corporation announced that they’re going to … Read More »
Who: Civil Twilight is bootstrapped by three architects. They were awarded $10,000 from the 2007 Metropolis Next Generation Design Competition. What: Civil Twilight is a collective of three professional architects who have teamed up to develop energy-efficient technologies in their spare time. The technology … Read More »
Nano for Solar: Adding a film of silicon nanoparticles onto a traditional silicon solar cell can extend the cell’s life, while boosting power, and cutting down on heat, claim researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For rays in the ultraviolet range of the … Read More »
We caught up with Sun Microsystems (SUNW) CIO Bob Worrall yesterday at the company’s “Eco Innovation” event to chat about Sun’s latest power-saving initiatives. As we reported yesterday, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company has unveiled three new data centers designed to save electricity. … Read More »
Who: Ahwahnee Technology is angel-backed and looking for VC funding. Update: Ahwahnee has raised $1 million in angel funding. What: The company is developing a new energy-efficient lighting source for the general illumination market. The technology uses carbon nanotubes, nano-scale material 10,000 times thinner than … Read More »
If you’re a tech geek and you’ve spent all morning pulling up your jaw, we bet you’re recovering from today’s news that Tilera Corp. is shipping a Linux-capable 64-core processor. Developed at MIT, the processor is more energy-efficient than one would expect for a … Read More »
By Adena DeMonte
Aug. 20, 2007, 10:07am PT
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Orion Energy Systems, a Plymouth, Wis.-based maker of energy-efficient lighting systems for the large commercial and industrial market, has filed for an IPO, which could raise up to $100 million according to a regulatory filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Orion has … Read More »
By Adena DeMonte
Aug. 18, 2007, 11:29am PT
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Fujitsu’s Sunnyvale, Calif. campus looked a bit greener than usual yesterday morning, at the company’s public unveiling of its new 200 kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell generator made by UTC Power (UTX). The fuel cell is expected to power 7 percent of total … Read More »
The NYSE IPO of Brazilian ethanol and sugar maker Cosan (CZZ) had us wondering if the future is bleak for other biofuel IPOs. The company raised about half of the originally planned $2 billion, notes Reuters. The reduced offering, according to Bloomberg, was a … Read More »
By Adena DeMonte
Aug. 16, 2007, 6:53pm PT
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Ethanol IPO Not So Sweet: Brazilian sugar and ethanol company raises $1 billion less than planned in IPO – Forbes; Reuters. Toyko Thin Film: Showa Shell, Japan’s fifth-biggest oil refiner plans to invest $127 million in non-silicon thin-film “solar batteries” – Reuters. Fuel Cell Speed … Read More »
Paper Battery Researchers at Rensslaer Polytechnic Institute have developed an ultra-thin, flexible energy storage device that looks a bit like a small sheet of black paper. Looks aren’t too deceiving in this case, since more than 90 percent of the tiny battery is made out … Read More »
HelioVolt is the latest thin-film solar startup to rake in a multi-million dollar funding round. As we reported yesterday, The Austin, Texas-based company just snagged $77 million in Series B funding in a round led by the Paladin Capital Group and the … Read More »
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