SunPower is signing up residential solar leases at a nice pace in the U.S. while seeing a good demand for its highly efficient solar panels in Japan’s residential market. The company is still posting losses, though it’s doing better than in previous quarters. Read more »
Is the iPad mini eating into iPad sales? It’s difficult to tell since Apple doesn’t break out sales of different models. But Sharp is cutting 9.7-inch display production, possibly due to lower demand for the iPad. Read more »
Indian tech firm Wipro takes the lead for the first time — beating out U.S. companies like Apple, HP and Dell — to become the highest ranking gadget maker in Greenpeace’s latest green guide to electronics. Read more »
The third quarter saw many parts of the traditional media business in flux. Other developments included the rollout of new device-based content ecosystems, red flags and red ink for traditional consumer electronics makers, and a resurgence of consumer purchases of movies. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A startup that makes more efficient power conversion devices has raised money from, and partnered with, a group of Japanese electronics giants. Transphorm is a venture-backed startup and its move is a symbol of the growing importance of corporate partners as well as overseas investors in cleantech. Read more »
Sharp has started production of a 5-inch smartphone screen with the same resolution as top-end HDTVs, 1920 x 1080, which is a whopping 443 pixels per inch. What’s driving the trend for larger displays with more clarity? Thank mobile app maturity and online video content. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: Sharp’s president hints at coming iPhone, why annoyance at Apple’s new round of ads isn’t new, the Mac’s growth trajectory, and pics of Apple mysterious new NC facility. Read more »
One of the largest solar conferences in the U.S., Intersolar, kicked off on Tuesday in downtown San Francisco, and is expected to draw around 22,000 attendees in the solar and power sectors this week. Here’s photos of the latest solar gear shown across two floors. Read more »
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Japan plans to close its last nuclear reactor this weekend, a move that will take nuclear power out of its energy supply for the first time since 1966. Among those who will celebrate that will be solar companies as Japan gets ready to boost its renewable energy production and opens up its market more to non-Japanese players. Read more »
In the wake of one of the world’s largest nuclear power disasters in history last year in Japan, the country is re-thinking its energy policy and looking to provide incentives to boost clean power starting this July. Our charticle: Read more »
Research firm Lux Research has named the top ten global makers of solar modules — which make up solar panels — by production for 2011. Read more »
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 »
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the iPad 2′s introduction, rumors are heating up around its successor. The iPad 3 is reportedly now in production in preparation for an early March launch, when it will ship with new Sharp displays and a relatively unchanged body. Read more »
Power electronics that can boost energy production from solar panels has emerged in recent years as a favorite among venture capital investors. On Monday, that trend continues with the announcement that an Israeli startup, SolarEdge, has raised $37 million from VCs. Read more »
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 »
Remember that gigawatt solar farm called Blythe in California that turned down a $2.1 billion federal loan guarantee? That project and 1.25 GW of other solar farm proposals are being sold by Solar Millennium to Solarhybrid, the two German companies said Thursday. Read more »
Japan has long supported solar energy development, but the nuclear disaster this spring pushed it to expand its clean power supplies. That effort reached a milestone on Friday when its lawmakers approved a program that will require its utilities to buy renewable electricity at government-set prices under long-term contracts. Read more »
One day lights will be as digital as our cell phones. I was reminded of this coming trend after using Sharp’s remote-controlled LED lightbulb that fits in a standard light socket. Read more »
Apple intends to invest in a Sharp plant in order to bring the Japanese company aboard as an LCD supplier for iPhone and iPad manufacturing, according to sources. If accurate, this is only the latest sign that Apple is looking to distance itself from Samsung. Read more »
Big box stores have tried to market solar electric equipment and installation services for years, but they haven’t seen good results. Lowe’s is hoping to change that by offering services from Sungevity and investing in Sungevity. 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 »
Japan’s massive earthquake, tsunami, and now nuclear disaster, is starting to shine a spotlight on just how important the country is in terms of clean energy technology, from solar to electric cars. Read more »
While many Silicon Valley thin-film solar companies have finally moved into commercial production, here comes Solar Frontier, a division of Japanese oil refiner Showa Shell, who has leapt over everyone to open a near-gigawatt factory and has drawn customers such as GE. Read more »
It seemed just months ago our newfound love affair with connected TVs was in full swing. That was before two pieces of news gave us cause to question whether our new living room mates are who we thought they were. With concerns about security and half-baked ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Banks are willing to invest in putting solar panels on rooftops, but not surprisingly, are only willing to back established project developers. The latest example is Rabobank’s $50 million construction loan to SunEdison. Read more »
The television business is on the cusp of the biggest technological upheaval since the introduction of cable TV. The addition of Internet connectivity to living room devices will enable new functionality around programming services, program discovery, social networking, ad targeting and measurement — aspects of the TV viewing experience that have remained largely unchanged for decades. These trends have the potential to become the foundation for new economic models around how viewers pay for video service and how program creation is financed. In this report, we examine the leading contenders’ strategic positioning, relative strengths and weaknesses, and provide the early line on their odds of success. Companies mentioned include Google, Apple, Boxee, Roku, Vudu, Samsung, Microsoft and Sony. To see a full list of companies and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Inverter maker Power-One has bought venture-backed Fat Spaniel Technologies, adding to a list of renewable energy acquisitions this year. The deal is necessary for Fat Spaniel which has endured a tough market. Read more »
Japanese consumer electronics giant Sharp has entered into both the e-book and Android tablet business with the announcement of the Galapagos cloud media service. Galapagos will launch initially in Japan in December, and will offer e-books, magazines and newspapers with automatic push delivery. Read more »
Why develop your own project pipelines when you can just buy them? That seems to be a strategy among large solar electric equipment manufacturers such as Sharp, which announced Tuesday its plan to buy Recurrent Energy for about $305 million in cash. Read more »
Most collaboration tools focus on assigning tasks to the people on your team who will get them done. Teamly takes a different approach, encouraging your team to look for the priorities in your project and exercise a little autonomy. Read more »
In the second quarter of 2010, greentech startups scored record venture capital and increased spending despite a weak economy. Solar power retained its lead in greentech venture financing, while global investment for clean energy asset financing fell. China, meanwhile, underscored its rising might in the greentech industry, raising billions of dollars in green energy financing. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Oil giant Chevron has an itch to test out early stage solar technology. This morning Chevron plans to show off a solar test bed in Bakersfield, Calif., dubbed Project Brightfield, that will use seven “emerging pre-commercial” solar photovoltaic technologies. The companies providing the technology range from […] Read more »
Although it’s only been a few days with the Google Nexus One — and hectic days, at that — here’s a first look at the device along with some basic early impressions. Overall, it’s not a ground-breaking device, although it does use a hot, new processor, […] Read more »
It seems Netflix has already reached a tipping point in the consumer electronics market, as it signed up five more CE manufacturers to enable its streaming services on their devices. Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp, Toshiba and Funai (the CE maker behind the Philips, Magnavox, Sylvania and Emerson […] Read more »
Take that, Boxee Box! Take that, Roku Player! Sure, those companies are adding lots of content to their broadband set-top boxes through channels or apps developed by third-party content partners. But while those guys are competing to get more apps delivered to the TV through a […] Read more »
The mobile computing space has become the new center of innovation and new products after years of shifting away from desktop computing. Mobile technology has been domain of 2-D content and viewing, but we see prospects for a sharp increase in 3-D in coming months and ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The photovoltaic industry has taken a hit this year, shrinking in size compared with 2008 as a result of the economic crisis, tight credit markets and changes in Spain’s generous incentive policy. The good news is that the PV industry has now passed through its first “cycle” […] Read more »
A year ago, it seemed like gigawatt-sized solar factories were just around the corner, with companies such as Sharp and Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary Showa Shell Sekiyu unveiling plans to build 1 GW thin-film solar plants. And back then, predictions like the one from Anish Tolia, […] Read more »
The crossover between the SXSW film and interactive conferences usually comes in the form of DIY tips for filmmakers. The “Soapbox Spielberg” panel, listed on the agenda for both branches of the conference, took that to a new level on Saturday afternoon by producing some classic […] Read more »
