Ocean power has suffered some setbacks recently, such as Pelamis’ bellyflop in Portugal and the UK’s WaveHub losing a developer, but the industry isn’t slowing down — in fact, it’s been a busy month for tidal technology. While … Read More »
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David Ehrlich
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UltraCell Picks Up $3.8M for Portable Fuel Cells
By David Ehrlich
May. 27, 2009, 3:30pm PT
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The portable fuel cell market has been rough for some companies, but investors are still interested — startup UltraCell said this week that it raised $3.8 million for its methanol-based portable fuel cells. It plans to use … Read More »
The idea of nuclear-in-a-box sounds like a joke, but investors and potential customers are taking Hyperion Power Generation very seriously — the company is valued at a whopping $100 million by investors, according to the Denver Post. … Read More »
Better Place may be making the most noise in the electric car charging field, but it isn’t the only game in town. And now there’s a new player — one-and-a-half-month-old GreenlightAC, which unveiled plans … Read More »
Fuel cell-powered cars may have fallen from favor in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean fuel cell technology is dead. Germany’s P21, which is focused on building fuel cell systems for cell towers, just picked up Read More »
Energy efficiency may be the low-hanging fruit of the cleantech industry, but it’s a hard sell in these tough economic times. A report released today from Johnson Controls and the International Facility … Read More »
Solar and wind companies trying to build big projects on U.S. public lands can breathe a sigh of relief — the long line for a permit from the Bureau of Land Management can finally start moving. The bureau, part of the Department of the Interior,
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The U.S. wind power industry has huge potential, both onshore and off, but it’s clearly looking for a hand from the government to get through these tough times. First there’s the billions in tax credits from the stimulus package that will benefit … Read More »
Wave Hub, basically a giant underwater socket under development that wave power developers can use to feed power into the grid, has lost its second partner so far this year. Energy company E.ON, which had planned to use a … Read More »
Sure, offshore wind is more expensive than that captured on land, but it’s often windier out there on the water, which means more power and more money generated from selling it. Predicting where the wind will grow stronger over time would be … Read More »
Does yet another announcement about a successful test from secretive ultracapacitor developer EEStor mean a step closer to actual production? Yesterday, EEStor announced that it received third-party verification of the energy storage capacity of a key material used in its technology. The … Read More »
The biggest retail chain in the world may not be the working man’s best friend, but Wal-Mart Stores is trying to make friends with the planet, picking Earth Day to say that it’s Read More »
By David Ehrlich
Apr. 21, 2009, 3:30pm PT
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Protonex Technology, a startup based in Southborough, Mass., said today that a small, tactical robot used by the military and police known as a Talon tripled its operating range in a test using a Protonex fuel-cell … Read More »
The Australian government said today that it’s awarded A$14 million ($9.8 million) to two geothermal power projects in an effort to spur development of the geothermal power industry in the country. MNGI, a unit of Petratherm, will receive A$7 … Read More »
By David Ehrlich
Apr. 17, 2009, 12:00pm PT
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The corn ethanol industry may be struggling, but there’s still some money going into the biofuels biz. Glycos Biotechnologies said today that it’s raised $5 million in funding for technology that could help ethanol … Read More »
Let’s face it: On the road to commercialization, fuel cells have seriously lagged behind other cleantech solutions, such as advanced batteries, solar power, or wind. Whether they’re for consumer electronics, the power grid or vehicles, they’re perpetually a few years away from hitting the market. But … Read More »
Sempra Generation, part of Sempra Energy, is expanding its solar photovoltaic power production in Nevada, teaming up, once again, with First Solar. The duo are adding on an additional 48 MW to their initial … Read More »
Wind power generation was up 50 percent in the U.S. last year, according to an industry report released today, but wind companies have taken some lumps in the current economy, and there are some potential roadblocks that could slow down expansion in … Read More »
Florida has moved one step closer to building a brand-new city centered around the use of clean technology, with real estate developer Kitson & Partners saying today that it’s signed a deal with Read More »
It’s a rough world out there for solar, but it’s easier when you have friends. That’s why Germany’s Q-Cells and China’s LDK Solar are forming a joint venture … Read More »
We know General Motors is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, but building a new car that looks like a souped-up wheelchair may not be the best way to boost sales. The struggling automaker said … Read More »
Despite the big benefits of offshore wind, there are still no wind turbines in the waters off the coast of the United States. The new administration, however, is looking to change that. The Department of the Interior released a … Read More »
By David Ehrlich
Apr. 2, 2009, 1:00pm PT
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Offshore wind can be an expensive undertaking, so the more partners a development can have, the better. Norway’s StatoilHydro said yesterday that it’s decided to share the burden of its Sheringham Shoal offshore wind … Read More »
By David Ehrlich
Apr. 1, 2009, 11:30am PT
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There isn’t a huge market for organic light-emitting diode displays right now, with the new technology only available in some small displays and demo models, but Toshiba is setting out to change that, following in the footsteps of at least one … Read More »
Given that most of the world’s data centers are built smack in the middle of large swaths of land, the notion of powering data centers with tidal power sounds about as smart as tapping into solar power undersea. But some early adopters, like Read More »
Ocean power may be down, but it’s not out. Atlantis Resources, a Singapore-based developer of tidal turbines, said today that it raised $14 million in funding, with Norway’s Statkraft, an energy company, coming … Read More »
Asia is the region to beat when it comes to cutting-edge battery technology. But there are groups in both Europe and North America that are forming with an eye to stealing some of that Asian dominance in what could someday be a booming market for electric … Read More »
Updated: Zenn Motor‘s first highway-speed electric car, the cityZenn, is still on the way, but it may take a bit longer to get to market than originally planned, thanks to the slow moves of its energy storage partner EEStor. Zenn Read More »
Coulomb Technologies, a car-charging startup based in Campbell, Calif., took its first step into a wider electric car market today with its establishment of a Berlin office aimed at serving the European, Middle Eastern and African (EMEA) markets. The European operation, called … Read More »
If you live in Mississippi, your garbage could soon be turned into ethanol. Montreal-based Enerkem said today that it’s heading south for its next commercial-scale plant, with plans to build a 20-million-gallon-per-year cellulosic ethanol plant in Pontotoc, Miss. Enerkem said … Read More »
Looking for cash for your cleantech startup? Maybe you should move up north. Ontario said this week it was creating a new CDN $250 million fund ($202.9 million) for technology companies, with the money to be doled out to local startups … Read More »
Most of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, so it seems like it would be a great idea to harness all that wave and tidal power and turn it into electricity. But so far, that’s pretty much what it is — an idea. Earlier this … Read More »
By David Ehrlich
Mar. 18, 2009, 11:30am PT
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It’s not just the solar biz that’s consolidating these days — energy-efficient lighting, as well as other tech sectors, are following suit, too. Atlanta lighting company Acuity Brands said today that it signed an … Read More »
While there is funding available for U.S. cellulosic ethanol companies in the form of grants or loan guarantees from the departments of both Energy and Agriculture, these days, it doesn’t come close to matching demand. And without help from the federal government, some projects may never … Read More »
While we wait for cellulosic ethanol to ramp up to commercial-scale, the corn-based ethanol industry continues to hang on with a little help from Washington — President Barack Obama indicated over the weekend that import tariffs on Brazilian sugarcane ethanol won’t be ending … Read More »
Fuel cell developer Medis Technologies has become the latest cleantech company to lay off workers in these tough economic times, saying today that it’s cutting 50 employees at its Israeli office. That’s about 30 percent of the New … Read More »
Startup SynapSense said today that it has pulled in $7 million in financing for its wireless energy-efficiency systems, designed to cut down the carbon footprint of energy-hungry data centers. The Folsom, Calif.-based startup also says it is … Read More »
Gemini Solar Development scored its first deal this week, and it’s for one of the largest solar photovoltaic plants in the country — a 30-megawatt plant in Austin, Texas, that’s expected to go online by the end of … Read More »
Ecotality, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company that makes fast electric vehicle chargers and energy storage, is moving up in the world. The firm has lined up a big-name partner, saying today that it will work with Nissan North America … Read More »
2009 could prove to be the year of geothermal in the U.S. The number of new geothermal projects in the country has risen 25 percent since last August alone, according to report out this week from the Read More »
Traffic tie-ups aren’t just a headache for drivers, they can also be a significant source of pollution. But new, low-cost, wireless sensors could offer real-time information on traffic hotspots, potentially helping to clear up the congestion, and clear the air. UK researchers are Read More »
eSolar, a startup that claims to leverage algorithms and software to bring down the cost of solar power thermal plants, has signed its second licensing and investment deal in as many weeks. These deals prove promising for the startup as the company
Can a car run on solar? Yes —as long as you don’t need to fit a whole lot in your trunk. And as long as you don’t mind that it doesn’t actually have a trunk. The new solar car from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s
Spanish solar power developer Fotowatio said today that it’s buying most of the assets of San Francisco’s MMA Renewable Ventures in a $19.7 million deal, a … Read More »
Our ethanol deathwatch map is getting pretty crowded. Sacramento, Calif.’s Pacific Ethanol said today it has temporarily suspended operations at two of its 60-million-gallon-per-year plants in Burley, Idaho, and Stockton, Calif., just a … Read More »
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