GM isn’t the only auto maker with plans to act like a VC. This week, BMW launched BMW i Ventures, which will invest $100 million into mobile and eco-auto technologies, and has made its first investment in a mobile app called MyCityWay. Read more »
If you want to score early bird tickets for GreenNet 2011 — the only conference that looks at digital energy and how software, computing and the Internet can be used to fight climate change — grab ‘em while they’re still here! Early bird ticket sales end Saturday! Read more »
A cleantech investing renaissance could be on its way with an emphasis on finding companies outside of the U.S., and scaling up already-proven clean technology companies. Read more »
Two years ago, utility PG&E first announced it wanted to invest in and own solar projects in California. Well, PG&E’s made some progress on that front in the form of three solar photovoltaic projects it will develop and own in central California. Read more »
In the midst of a seeming malaise around cleantech venture investing emerges a bright spot of news: Private equity firm Silver Lake is launching a clean energy fund with investment from George Soros, and led by dream team Adam Grosser and Cathy Zoi. Read more »
Here comes the biggest cleantech startup launch since Bloom Energy: Transphorm has emerged from stealth at Google Ventures’s headquarters, touting an energy efficient power conversion module and an enviable $38 million in venture capital from Kleiner Perkins, Google Ventures, Foundation Capital, and Lux Capital. Read more »
The smart grid firm that has championed using cellular networks for utilities’ smart grid projects, SmartSynch, has raised another round of $25.67 million in debt and options out of a planned $33.37 million round, according to a filing Wednesday morning. Read more »
The future of the green technology industry rests on consumers, and a big part of that will be how consumers embrace electric vehicles, said David Crane, CEO of power company NRG Energy at the Jefferies Global Clean Technology Conference in New York City on Wednesday. Read more »
If you thought the days of companies touting green marketing was over, think again. Nut maker Planters has an over-the-top new green campaign involving a biodiesel-burning peanut-shaped “Nutmobile,” complete with mobile solar panels, a tiny wind turbine, LED lights, and reclaimed materials. Read more »
Thin film solar firm Solyndra might have had its share of problems throughout 2010, but here’s a seriously cool application for its tube-shaped solar panels: greenhouses. Read more »
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2011 will be a make or break year for many of the next-generation of thin film solar startups that are using the material copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) to make solar cells. Close to a dozen companies are aiming to either ramp up, or move into, production. Read more »
Early adopters of next-generation energy technologies — from electric cars, to home energy management systems, to home solar panels to smart meters — will be crucial players in determining how successful, or not, these technologies are in the mainstream market. Read more »
While some high profile venture firms that moved from Internet investing to cleantech — like Kleiner Perkins — seem to be backing off a bit from their cleantech ambitions, there are still a lot of lower-profile cleantech investors that are remaining steadfast. Read more »
Every week now. it seems like the DOE has offered up a new loan guarantee for clean power. On Thursday, the lucky winner was thin-film solar panel maker SoloPower, with a $197 million conditional loan guarantee to expand its thin-film solar panel plant in Oregon. Read more »
Solar bellwether SunPower reported a blockbuster fourth quarter and fiscal year 2010 earnings on Thursday, representing an upswing in both the solar industry and the economy. SunPower said for 2010, it expanded its global utility and power plant pipeline to more than 5 GW. Read more »
GoodGuide, a startup that ranks goods on how sustainable they are, has released its latest green rankings for 576 cell phones. Does your phone rank at the top of the bottom of the pile? And do you really care? Read more »
Solar installer SolarCity continues its expansion plans this week with another acquisition. On Thursday, the company announced that it has acquired the residential solar installer division of groSolar, a solar installer with a large footprint on the East Coast. Read more »
Entrepreneur Al Bullock electrified his classic VW and has been driving it around the streets of Livermore, California for the past three years. For this week’s Green Overdrive show we interview Bullock and go for a test drive in his e-VW! Read more »
Will kiosks in stores finally convince us all to recycle our gadgets and cell phones? Startup ecoATM and its investors think so — on Wednesday, ecoATM announced it’s raised a Series A round of $14.4 million in funding from Coinstar and Claremont Creek Ventures. Read more »
With no word in sight from Zenn Motor’s endlessly-controversial partner on which it bet the farm — EEStor — the CEO of Zenn Motors, Ian Clifford, has officially stepped down this week. Clifford will shift into the role of Vice Chair of the Board of Directors. Read more »
As expected, independent electric vehicle company Tesla Motors saw soaring losses in 2010, according to its earnings report announced Tuesday afternoon. The widened losses are certainly expected from the company, which won’t be selling its next-generation electric car, the Model S, until mid-2012. Read more »
Will electric car charging networks have the type of roaming commonly found between cell phone providers? Nokia Siemens Networks and a German utility group called Smartlab are developing an authentication service to enable electric vehicle drivers to “roam” when charging up via various service providers. Read more »
Smart grid network players are slowing choosing their preferred startups to provide applications and devices at the edges of the network. On Tuesday, Cisco announced that it has made an equity investment in, and created a distribution partnership with, Control4. Read more »
Turns out building massive solar farms in the desert takes a massive amount of funding. BrightSource, which builds solar projects that use the sun’s heat to produce electricity for utilities, is in the process of raising a $100 million round, according to a filing. Read more »
The broadband-enabled smart energy home finally started to make some initial headway as the new year ushered in 2011, and if the news trickling out from the massive wireless conference Mobile World Congress this week, is any indicator, this trend will only continue throughout the year. Read more »
Transparent electrodes might sound like a bit of high tech machinery, but they’re the basic components of electronic screens from cell phones to solar panels. This week Stanford spinout C3Nano says it’s raised funding to commercialize its lower cost, more flexible conductive coatings. Read more »
GE, one of the leading suppliers of wind turbines in the world, has acquired a company that makes tall wind turbine technology: Wind Tower Systems. The companies announced the deal on Friday, but didn’t disclose the financial terms. Read more »
A new movie on climate change called Carbon Nation debuts this week that’s positioned as the anti-Al Gore climate change movie. The movie is part of a recent trend of leaders (including Obama), policy makers and some pundits ditching climate change language for more accessible branding. Read more »
Town managers and landfill directors are starting to catch on that their least desirable land might be the perfect candidate for a commercial scale solar energy system. The overlooked potential of “landfill solar.” Read more »
Nissan looks like it’s taking a page from the electric sports car pioneers at Tesla. This week the Japanese auto maker showed off a concept all electric sports car called the ESFLOW, that uses technology from Nissan’s first electric car the LEAF. Read more »
Over three years ago I put together this table on 10 of Khosla Venture’s biofuel bets. Given a couple of these companies have gone public, been sold off, or stalled, I decided to look back at these firms with this updated cheat sheet. Read more »
This week’s Green Overdrive is the greasiest yet! We go on a grease pick up and factory tour with the Got Grease crew, which makes a living off of recycling cooking grease from restaurants and hotels and sells it to biodiesel producers. Read more »
Gevo is officially a public company. The biofuel maker priced its shares at $15 — at the high end of its range — raising $95.7 million after offering expenses, and in morning trading Gevo shares are rising. Read more »
LED chip and array maker Bridgelux raised close to $50 million just a year ago, but is raising even more money, according to a filing. The nine-year-old venture-backed startup has raised another $20.74 million of a planned $21 million round. Read more »
An often overlooked area of energy innovation is close to home — literally. In the U.S., buildings account for 40 percent of our total energy use, and up to which 50 percent is wasted. By 2025, buildings worldwide will become the top consumers of energy. Read more »
There’s hundreds of software tools and companies to choose from when it comes to helping organizations manage energy consumption, carbon emissions and water use. But a report out this morning from researchers Groom Energy singles out the top 10 companies providing these important tools. Read more »
I’m very excited to officially announce our third annual GreenNet conference, which focuses on digital energy, or how information technology — from software to networks to the web — can fight climate change! We’ll be holding GreenNet 2011 on April 21, in San Francisco. Read more »
It’s time for the home energy management firms that have been leading the pack to bulk up. Home automation company Control4, is in the process of raising $25 million and has closed $15 million of that round, according to a filing. Read more »
In case you missed the Super Bowl game last night, GM debuted another Chevy Volt ad focused on historical innovations. Instead of the “more car than electric” tagline, GM went with a simpler approach, highlighting how important the Volt technology will be for transportation. Read more »
Lithium ion battery maker A123 Systems, which has built a business off of power tools and electric cars, has been increasingly focusing on the power grid and can thank power company AES for pretty much all of the growth of its grid sales. Read more »
