SolarCity IPO represents a bellwether for clean energy exits
If SolarCity does manage to debut in its expected range, it would represent one of the rare venture-backed cleantech IPOs that have emerged over the years. Read more »
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Key steps for successful renewable-energy permitting
Developers of renewable-energy projects frequently spend more time obtaining permits than the actual projects. Such delays — often unanticipated — pose serious financial risks. But several key steps will help developers navigate successfully through the thicket of nonuniform regulations, jurisdictions, and lawsuits that await them. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Regulators push for energy storage for solar farms
Over the past year, BrightSource Energy has touted the importance of using energy storage for its solar power plants. And no wonder. California regulators are looking at approving three of five deals between BrightSource and a utility partly because they will benefit from using energy storage. Read more »
A road trip to the land where oil and solar meet
An 180-mile drive takes me through the farm belt of California to Coalinga, where Chevron runs an old oil field that uses steam to boost its production. It operates a demonstration project, completed last fall, that uses sun’s energy instead of natural gas to produce steam. Read more »
The real reason for the greentech IPO missteps
Three greentech IPO hopefuls pulled the plug on their public market plans this month. There’s a lot that these companies have in common, and it’s not that they’re green: it’s the lack of profits and even revenues. Read more »
Waste-to-fuel startup Enerkem withdraws its IPO, too
Waste to fuel startup Enerkem has withdrawn its IPO plans citing — what else — poor market conditions. The move is the third greentech IPO hopeful to cancel public market plans this month. Read more »
Gas farming startup Luca to withdraw its IPO
The second greentech startup that had planned an IPO this month has now withdrawn its plans citing market conditions. Luca Technologies, a startup which uses biotech to produce natural gas via microbes in coal beds, announced that it intends to withdraw its IPO plans. Read more »
BrightSource pulls its solar IPO plan
It’s not meant to be after all. Solar power plant developer BrightSource Energy, plans to withdraw its plan to go public because of poor market conditions, the company said Wednesday night. Read more »
5 reasons BrightSource’s solar IPO is important
Brightsource Energy could go public as early as Thursday on the Nasdaq, and with that move the solar power plant developer will be making history. Read more »
Enphase Energy goes public, ends solar IPO drought
Enphase Energy will become the first solar company to go public on the U.S. market since the fall of 2010, when its stock begins trading on the Nasdaq on Friday under the symbol ENPH. Read more »
Goldman banker: Things are looking up for greentech IPOs
Stuart Bernstein, the head of the clean energy group at Goldman Sachs, showed up at Cleantech Forum in San Francisco to talk about the IPO market, and his message to startups and investors was: hang in there. Read more »
A “crazy idea”: Tiny solar mirrors controlled by actuators
The kind of flat solar mirrors that BrightSource Energy is erecting in California’s Mojave Desert run 7.2 meters by 10.5 meters. The kind that Saul Griffith is working on stretches all 5 centimeter by 5 centimeter and sit on trackers that are no taller than a toothpick. Read more »
NRG embraces CIGS solar tech
Solar Frontier, the largest manufacturer of copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar panels, announced Wednesday that it’s shipped 13.2MW to NRG Solar, which is evolving from being a buyer of solar power projects to a developer. Read more »
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After Solyndra: analyzing the solar industry
The solar industry has begun 2012 with some trepidation, with many on the warpath to cut costs and reduce output. These moves give the market a chance to reduce inventories and get production more in sync with demand. But recovery will likely come slowly. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Some good news: Fewer solar projects in Cali will fail in the future
The failure rate of developers to fulfill their renewable energy contract in California has historically been around 30-40 percent, but that failure rate is expected to come down now that utilities are seeing better prepared and managed projects — and more developers who are in the game. Read more »
While 2011 cleantech investing grew, later stage dominated
Cleantech venture capital and corporate investing for the full 2011 year was up in terms of overall dollar amounts compared to 2010, according to the research firm The Cleantech Group, but large follow-on rounds for matured companies continued to dominate the year. Read more »
10 solar trends to watch for in 2012
Solar tech companies have suffered in 2011, and a speedy recovery in 2012 doesn’t seem likely. But the market holds huge potential for growth, and this dark time shall pass. Here is our look at solar trends to watch for in 2012. Read more »
NRG gobbles up Solar Power Partners for distributed solar
Clean power giant NRG Energy has mostly been building a solar empire based on large centralized solar farms, but it’s keenly interested in the distributed solar market. That explains the company’s announcement that it has bought a project developer Solar Power Partners. Read more »
The fate of 9 giant solar farms in Cali
It was roughly a year ago when the California Energy Commission approved nine solar farms all within a few months in order to make sure those projects could qualify for a federal program that subsidizes 30 percent of their costs. Where are they now? Read more »
BrightSource Energy plans 3rd massive solar farm
BrightSource Energy is still building its first solar farm, but the company already is steaming ahead with the third, 810 MW project called Rio Mesa, for which the company said Friday it has applied for approval from the California Energy Commission. Read more »
Looking for a big cleantech IPO in 2011? Forgetaboutit!
A massive selloff of stocks back in August raised the possibility of a closing IPO window for cleantech companies. But if you were hoping for a more uplifting prognosis since, then you’re out of luck — at least for the rest of the year. Read more »
Chevron is really bearish on cleantech investing
Most of the oil giants have made small investments in cleantech and Chevron’s investment arm, Chevron Technology Ventures, was no exception. But Chevron has been moving away from making any cleantech investments, and hasn’t invested in a cleantech startup in two years, according to its President. Read more »
Are there more Solyndras out there?
Are there other Solyndras waiting in the wings that could one day lose over a billion in funds to failed green technologies? Well, there are a couple of other green startups that have raised similarly massive private funds and DOE support. Read more »
Solar Stirling startup Infinia looking to raise $25M
Infinia, a solar startup which is using Stirling engines to produce solar power, is looking to raise $25 million in funding, and has closed $6 million of that round according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Read more »
Genomatica files for IPO for making green chemicals
Green chemical developer Genomatica has filed for an initial public offering to seek up to $100 million, according to its government filing on Wednesday. The company engineers processes to create chemical from renewable sources for making a variety of products, from clothing to auto parts. Read more »
The road is long & hard for giant solar farms
A year ago, California and federal regulators were busy reviewing and signing off on giant solar farms. Now, the pace has slowed considerably as fewer projects are up for review and uncertainty over federal subsidy programs loom. Read more »
Did the greentech IPO window just slam shut?
In the first half of 2011, a variety of cleantech firms both filed for IPOs and made their debuts on the public markets. But in the wake of the market sell-off this week, that IPO window could be swiftly shutting. Read more »
BrightSource turns to taller tech for new solar plant
Solar project developer BrightSource Energy isn’t close to completing it first solar power plant, but it’s already getting the ball rolling on its second project, which will use a taller tower and is a more efficient use of the land. Read more »
Alan Salzman: It’s all or nothing for greentech investing
When it comes to greentech investing, it’s basically all or nothing, and either you have a commitment to the field or you don’t, says VantagePoint Capital founder Alan Salzman. Read more »
BrightSource to offer solar salt storage, too
Adding energy storage is becoming vogue for concentrating solar thermal power projects, particularly when it’s facing intense pressure to reduce costs. BrightSource Energy said Wednesday it, too, will offer an energy storage option to its power plant design. Read more »
DOE backs largest rooftop solar project in U.S.
The DOE on Wednesday said it is offering a partial loan guarantee for a $1.4 billion loan that will fund Project Amp, which will erect solar panels on hundreds of rooftops around the country. The project is the largest rooftop solar plan in the country. Read more »
BrightSource passes tortoise hurdle to continue solar project
On Friday BrightSource Energy received approval from the Bureau of Land Management to restart the part of its Ivanpah Solar power plant project that was suspended in April of this year in order to reassess the project’s impact on desert tortoises. Read more »
Solar Landing Near Las Vegas, Courtesy of Federal Loan Guarantee
A large solar power panel farm is set to rise near Las Vegas, Nevada with the help of a federal loan guarantee program. The DOE on Thursday announced a $45.6M conditional loan guarantee offer to Fotowatio Renewable Ventures to build a 20 MW solar project. Read more »
Tortoises Lead to Halt of Part of BrightSource’s Solar Project
BrightSource Energy has stopped working on phases 2 and 3 of the Ivanpah solar project –- which includes investors such as Google and NRG Energy –- after finding more desert tortoises on the project site than previously anticipated. Read more »
BrightSource Energy Files for $250M IPO
The rumor has become reality: BrightSource Energy, which is heavily backed by private and public money for its concentrating solar thermal technology, on Friday filed for an initial public offering to raise $250 million. Read more »
Mixed Signals for Q1 Greentech Investment
Greentech investment trends in the first quarter of 2011 either signal a record-setting expansion for the industry in 2011, or retrenchment in the face of economic and political headwinds — depending on how you look at the numbers. Read more »
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Green IT Q1: Cleantech Breaking Out — and Bracing for Hard Times
Is the greentech industry headed for a breakout year or is it retrenching for hard times to come? The first three months of 2011 provided evidence that could support both assertions, with a big rise in venture capital investment and a big drop-off in global energy financing. Solar power remained the largest green technology sector in terms of venture capital investment, while in the world of electric vehicles, GM’s Chevy Volt hybrid and Nissan’s all-electric Leaf — the first two mainstream plug-in vehicles — hit the showroom floors in significant numbers. Meanwhile the smart grid sector’s relative dearth of VC investment was more than made up for by the massive round of acquisitions. Companies mentioned in this report include NRG Energy, Microsoft, Silver Spring Networks, Tesla and BrightSource Energy. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
CA Gov. Brown Expected to Sign Bill for 33% Clean Power
On Tuesday afternoon, California Governor Jerry Brown is widely expected to sign a bill into law which says utilities in the state need to produce 33 percent of their electricity from clean sources by the end of 2020. Read more »
Google Invests Massive $168M in BrightSource Solar Project
The solar investments from Google just keep on comin’, and this, time it’s a biggie. On Monday afternoon, the search engine giant announced its largest investment in renewable energy to date: $168 million into BrightSource Energy’s solar project in the Mojave Desert in California. Read more »
Greentech VC Investing Hit Second Highest Quarter At $2.5B
Greentech VC hit $2.5 billion in the first quarter of 2011, the second-highest quarter on record. Is that a sign of renewed investor confidence, or a sign that greentech IPOs are weak? Read more »
