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 »
Cleantech
BP — yep, the company that’s responsible for spewing millions of gallons of oil into the gulf of Mexico — is simultaneously investing more money into the next-generation of biofuels. This morning BP said it will buy up Verenium’s cellulosic ethanol business for $98.3 million. Read More »
It’s tough being a company trying to develop the next-generation of cellulosic ethanol. The good news for cellulosic ethanol maker Verenium, which announced its fourth quarter 2009 and full year financials on Thursday afternoon, was that it managed to lose a lot less… Read More »
Despite the crumbling of the first generation of biofuel projects (corn-based ethanol), the U.S. government is in full support of the next generation of biofuels, particularly cellulosic ethanol and algae fuel. This morning Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack… Read More »
At Senator Harry Reid’s Las Vegas Clean Energy Summit on Monday, the two ends of the ethanol spectrum — first generation corn ethanol and next-generation cellulosic ethanol — were in full representation, but the stark contrast between the group’s diverging goals was clear. While the… Read More »
The Urban Dictionary, the user-generated slang web site, recently had a word of the day which I thought was particularly fitting for cleantech companies and entrepreneurs: the chronoptimist, someone who constantly underestimates the time it takes to complete a task (chronologically optimistic.) While entrepreneurs… Read More »
Tesla Model S Test Drive: The first person outside of the company to drive Tesla’s Model S concept car says the vehicle is “just barely ambulatory — more like a glorified golf cart than a harbinger of tomorrow tech.” — LA Times Segway Maker’s Next Step:… Read More »
In the summer of 2008, 2009 looked like it could be a breakout year for the next generation of ethanol. There were dozens of companies racing to be the first to churn out cellulosic ethanol made from non-food crops and plant waste from pilot and… Read More »
With many of the next-generation ethanol makers being forced to drag their heels on plant construction during the downturn, it’s becoming rare to hear about progress on cellulosic ethanol plants. But here’s a small step for a small demo plant: Next-gen ethanol maker ZeaChem… Read More »
Cellulosic ethanol maker Verenium might have an important partner in UK oil giant BP, but it still can’t help the company from the pitfalls of the difficult capital markets. This morning Verenium says that it is moving forward with a previously announced joint venture with… Read More »
While all eyes are on the $54 billion for clean energy in the proposed stimulus package, federal aid from previous green bills is starting to kick in. This morning, cellulosic ethanol startup Range Fuels says it has secured a conditional commitment for a loan… Read More »
Remember cellulosic ethanol startup Verenium? Last we heard the company had started the commissioning phase of its cellulosic ethanol demo plant in May 2008, and it had big plans to start construction of a 30-million-gallon-per-year commercial plant in the middle of 2009. Well,… Read More »
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