Finding hidden product gems at the International Consumer Electronics Show is tricky but three crossed my radar at the first CES mini-event. One is for health tracking, one makes media sharing easier from a phone and one provides 2 weeks of battery life for devices. Read more »
EBay’s decision to install 6 megawatts of fuel cell capacity at its Utah data centers marks a shift in thinking toward on site power generation for the modern data center and using the grid as backup power. Read more »
Renewable energy proponents haven’t always considered the natural gas industry an ally. But a natural gas lobby hopes to change that by pitching an idea that it says will benefit both sides. Read more »
Buried in last week’s catfight between Apple and Greenpeace over the energy sourcing for Apple’s new North Carolina data center and how clean it would be, was a surprising fact—that the conversation between Apple and Greenpeace was happening at all.
Apple almost never reveals early details of ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
We bring you a first for the Green Overdrive show: we test drive a fuel cell fork lift! Read more »
Apple discloses in an environmental report that it plans a 20 MW solar farm and 5 MW fuel cell project for its data center in North Carolina. Those are sizable clean energy projects. Read more »
Out of all of Google’s close to $1 billion in clean power projects, turning biomass into energy seems like the least relevant technology to Google’s core business. But Google has made a few small investments into biomass projects, including a hog waste to energy project. Read more »
FuelCell Energy is showing off what it says is the largest fuel cell park in the world: an 11.2 MW project with Korean power producer POSCO Power in Daegu City, South Korea. It was built on one acre of land. Read more »
Looks like Groupon will go public on Friday morning at $20 per share, giving it a valuation of $12.6 billion for its online coupon business. Let’s compare it to some of the greentech startups and big energy firms and try not to get disturbed. Read more »
Tropical storm Irene reminded us how essential reliable cell phone service has become in our lives. Kathy Fosberg of IdaTech discusses the emerging technology of fuel cells and how they power mobile service so we’re free to tweet about the hurricane. Read more »
There’s more confirmation out on Thursday of fuel cell maker Bloom Energy’s latest $150 million in new VC funds, and reportedly, the round is at a $2.7 billion pre-money valuation. Read more »
In the grand scheme of energy technologies, the key component that makes up a fuel cell is relatively short-lived. This Achilles heel is one of the main reasons that the business of selling fuel cells is often times not profitable. Read more »
Silicon Valley’s fuel cell maker Bloom Energy continues to add customers looking to power part of their data center operations with distributed, cleaner power in California. NTT America plans to install five Bloom fuel cells at one of its data center facilities in San Jose, Calif. Read more »
When electric vehicles merely trickle into the market and utilities move at a snail’s pace when it comes to buying grid-tied batteries, where can an energy storage developer turn? To the somewhat generic, but decidely non-power-grid-connected “off grid market,” according to a new report. Read more »
Electric bus maker Proterra announced Monday morning that it has raised $30 million from investors including Kleiner Perkins, GM Ventures, and Mitsui. Founded in 2004, Proterra makes drive components and energy storage systems for electric and hybrid buses, delivery vans and other commercial models. Read more »
While Bloom Energy scored a preliminary massive deal to sell fuel cells to Delaware utility Delmarva Power (subject to terms and regulatory approval), utilities in general are not all that interested in fuel cell technology, according to the latest report from consultants with Black & Veatch. Read more »
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 »
Bloom Energy may capture the lion’s share of buzz among fuel cell startups, but ClearEdge Power has generated a fair amount of business for its $50,000 stationary fuel cell systems, including a new $40 million distribution deal for the Korean market. Read more »
ECOtality’s latest report to shareholders shows a net loss of more than $29.5 million for 2009, up from $8.1 million in 2008 (a change attributed largely to the expense of pursuing stimulus funds), and reveals a company backing away from hydrogen ambitions. Read more »
Israeli fuel-cell startup CellEra has kept its activities under wraps since it raised $2 million from Israel Cleantech Ventures last year. But a German press release from angel investor group BrainsToVentures has revealed the company has raised another $2 million, from BrainsToVentures and Israel Cleantech Ventures, […] Read more »
