Smart window startup Soladigm emerges from stealth as View
Soladigm is emerging from stealth after five years as View, and is now commercially selling its dynamic windows that can be tinted on demand by an iPhone app. Read more »
Soladigm raises $55M for smart windows
Soladigm, a startup that makes windows that can be tinted on demand, has raised another $55 million, bringing the company’s total funding to $125 million. Read more »
Battery Ventures comes out swinging for solar, efficient lighting, green IT
Quite a few greentech companies closed sizable funding rounds this week, and Battery Ventures is involved in three of them. Is cleantech support holding on in the venture world? Read more »
Smart window startup Sage sold off to French glass giant Saint-Gobain
A startup making smart windows that can tint and block light, Sage Electrochromics, has been acquired by French glass and construction giant Saint-Gobain. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Read more »
How to get smarter windows without buying new ones
Dynamic windows are being manufactured by innovative companies like Soladigm and Sage. But what if you could get these smarter windows without buying a new one? A startup called US e-Chromic, which is a semi-finalist at the Cleantech Open 2011, has a plan cooking for that. Read more »
The vision for solar windows
Is combining solar cells and windows a case of chocolate and peanut butter (perfect combo) or one of those unions which equals less than the sum of its parts? Startup Pythagoras Solar has designed — and is selling — a double-pane window embedded with solar cells. Read more »
GE to award home energy winners
On Thursday morning, GE will host a day-long event where it plans to announce the latest winners of its $200 million smart grid challenge that are specifically focused on energy use in the home. 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 »
Soladigm Closes $40M for Its First Smart Window Factory
Tinted windows on demand could be a promising way to cut energy, but the technology isn’t common. Soladigm hopes to change that and has just lined up an additional $10 million in equity financing to bring a C round to a total $40 million. Read more »
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Green IT’s Q4 Winners: Wind Power, Solar Power, Smart Energy
Greentech marked its best year ever in 2010, and part of that is thanks to the wealth of activity across sectors during the fourth quarter. Global investment in clean energy surged, and while wind power remained the biggest greentech area, solar power saw the fastest growth. The energy efficiency sector appears to have more room for smaller players to make their mark amidst a rapidly maturing market. Meanwhile, China’s stance as a growing greentech giant continued to complicate its relationship with the United States. Companies mentioned in this report include General Electric, Intel, ZigBee, iControl, People Power and EnerNOC. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Soladigm Grabs $30M For Self-Tinting Glass
Stealthy startup Soladigm has landed $30 million to help build a factory to start churning out its self-tinting glass in 2012. It’s in a race with rival Sage Electrochromics, which just got $80 million for its factory. Read more »
Searching for Soladigm’s Secret Sauce
Soladigm has emerged as a startup to watch in the smart window space, yet not much is known about its technology. Turns out, the 3-year-old startup, which announced its first commercial factory plan in Mississippi last week, has been amassing both technologies and patents. Read more »
Mississippi Lures Khosla's Stealthy Soladigm for $130M Plant
Soladigm, a tight-lipped startup working on energy-saving electrochomic windows, announced plans this morning to invest $130 million setting up its first large-scale plant in Olive Branch, Miss., helped along by a $40 million government loan and $4 million in incentives. Read more »
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Green IT Overview, Q2 2010
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 »
More Cash for Smart Windows: Switch Materials Takes $7.5M
Do makers of low-cost, energy saving windows with high-tech smarts have well, a window of opportunity? A growing number of startups and investors seem to think so. Switch Materials, a developer of energy saving windows based in Burnaby, British Columbia, has just raised $7.5 million in second-round […] Read more »
