Next-gen biofuels making slow, slow, slow progress in 2013
Companies that are still looking to produce biofuels from plant waste (and not corn) are making slow, but steady progress on milestones in 2013. Read more »
5 potentially disruptive, but “out there,” energy innovations
The world needs more crazy energy entrepreneurs, said Bill Gates. Well here’s five potentially disruptive but a little out there energy projects spotted at the ARPA-E Summit this week. Read more »
6 questions for DuPont’s CEO on startups, ethanol and solar (interview)
The leader of the 210-year-old science giant DuPont, Ellen Kullman, sits down with GigaOM to give us her take on the future of energy for a world population that will boom to 9 billion in 2050. Read more »
LS9 brings in new CEO, says “not shutting down”
Venture backed biofuel startup LS9 is not shutting down, despite a report, but has changed up its CEO and restructured in the fourth quarter of 2012. It’s a difficult time for biofuel companies, given some VCs have been slowing backing out of greentech investing. Read more »
A Chinese solar company you should know: Hanergy
Hanergy, a Chinese solar manufacturer, has been making news lately, first with the purchase of a German solar company and then on Wednesday with a 3-year deal to make and install solar panels on Ikea’s stores on China. But who is Hanergy? Read more »
The other reason for oil dependency
What most people don’t realize is that a chunk of the crude oil that goes into an oil refinery doesn’t end up anywhere near a car’s fuel tank. It ends up making chemicals. Read more »
Subscriber Content
A near-term outlook for big data
Big data now touches everything from enterprises to smart-meter startups, while Hadoop is fast becoming the leading tool to analyze that data, and debates around privacy abound. GigaOM Pro analysts offer insights on what to consider when it comes to big data decisions for your business. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Biochemical startup BioAmber files for an IPO of up to $150M
Yet another company using plants and biomass to replace petroleum products is looking to go public. On Monday morning, startup BioAmber announced that it has filed for an IPO that could raise up to $150 million. 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 »
First Solar boasts world-record solar cell
Solar-panel prices are falling fast, and that is putting enormous pressure on manufacturers to boost their solar gear’s efficiency. First Solar feels the pressure, too, and on Tuesday boasted a world-record solar cell at 17.3 percent efficiency. Read more »
DuPont buys solar ink maker Innovalight
DuPont announced on Monday that it has bought Innovalight, a Silicon Valley startup that makes silicon ink that solar-cell makers can use to improve the amount of electricity that the cells can squeeze out of sunlight. DuPont declined to disclose the purchase price. Read more »
Lithium Ion Battery Baby Steps: A 3-Year-Warranty Laptop Battery
The next-generation of lithium ion batteries aren’t just here to power the first wave of electric cars, they’ll be providing better energy storage for gadgets and computers, too. Leyden Energy is launching a lithium-ion battery for laptops that won’t degrade for at least three years. Read more »
Despite IPOs, Next-Gen Biofuels Still Creeping Forward in 2011
Despite a series of successful biofuel IPOs recently, and a number of biofuel IPOs in the pipeline, the production of next-gen biofuels, in any kind of volumes that would make a dent in the transportation sector, seems to be creeping, very slowly forward. Read more »
A Requirement for Greentech: The Big Get Bigger
The bigger the better for the greentech sector. Is 2011 the year of the Godzilla greentech company? On this news-laden Monday, there’s some particularly interesting evidence of the market advantages of being a massive company today selling into the energy, fuel and chemical markets. Read more »
Report: Green Stimulus Funds Attached to Eco Exemptions
The Center for Public Integrity reports that funds from the stimulus package for clean power and energy efficiency were issued with “sweeping exemptions” from basic environmental oversight. Read more »
Seaweed-Powered Cars Coming Your Way?
Seaweed: great for sushi, skin care and … powering cars? Bio Architecture Lab (BAL) thinks so, and it announced Wednesday that it has lined up a Norwegian oil heavy weight, Statoil, to help it bring its technology to market. Read more »
Oerlikon’s Mission: Making Silicon Thin Film Solar Bankable
Can solar module producer Oerlikon inject new enthusiasm into amorphous silicon thin film technology, which until now has struggled to compete in cost and efficiency? The Swiss company hopes to do so with the launch Tuesday of a new line of factory equipment. Read more »
Global Solar Guns For Building-Integrated Solar & Solyndra’s Turf
Global Solar on Tuesday unveiled its new flexible solar panel that can be integrated into roofing membranes. The idea is that buildings and roofs can be built with the solar materials weaved right into them, lowering the cost and the time of the solar installation. Read more »
IBM’s Building Blocks for Greener Plastic
There are ways to make greener plastic besides making it from corn. On Tuesday, IBM’s Almaden Research Center and Stanford University announced a new line of organic catalysts that they say could revolutionize the green plastics industry by giving it a set of tools to build […] Read more »
From Spandex to Solar: DuPont Poised for PV Growth
Look at a solar panel and you might think of its manufacturer or installer, or maybe – if you’re a true solar geek – the company that made the cells inside the panel. But when Marc Doyle, global business director for DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions, looks at […] Read more »
Report: Green Data Center Design Strategies
Data centers are a critical component of many businesses these days, but because of the amount of electricity they consume, they are extremely expensive to run. However, a great deal can be done both to cut costs and reduce their environmental footprint, simply by making them more energy efficient. Online technologies and applications are creating skyrocketing demand for new data centers, and most enterprises are now seeking “greener” solutions, both in their own facilities, and in the facilities with which they do business. This report looks at innovations in green data center design and identifies key players — from major data center operators to startups solving specific issues — leading the charge. Read more »
Watch McCain on Saturday Night Live
Hey, that John McCain can be funny! And (shocker) Tina Fey came back for another show. The QVC bit was pretty good. If you missed this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, NBC showed that it knows how to milk a potential viral video with the best of […] Read more »
SFC Fuel Cells Wins Dept. of Defense "Wearable Power Competition"
The Department of Defense is looking for something light but powerful for U.S. soldiers to wear. The Department doled out $1.75 million in prize money to the makers of three light-weight power devices for its inaugural “Wearable Power Competition” over the weekend, following a grueling field […] Read more »
DuPont and Genencor Join for Cellulosic Fuel
If the market opportunity for non-food cellulosic biofuels is really in the tens of billions it’s no surprise that increasingly bigger companies are coming to play where the startups have been working. Today, DuPont and Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, have announced the formation of […] Read more »
Remote control, display a Windows Mobile device with My Mobiler 1.2
Need a free way to remotely control or display a Windows Mobile device on your computer? Consider taking a look at My Mobiler, which just got updated to version 1.2 in the last week. We’ve used this free, handy application to capture screen shots and even […] Read more »
