Capturing carbon emissions and selling them for oil production could be big business in the U.S. as the country prepares to require power plant owners to cut their emissions.…
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Where the money is in cleantech: oil and gas
Cleantech investment is not dead, it just requires new approaches and a recognition that the traditional oil and gas industry may very well be the best patron for cleantech development and deployment. At least for now.…
Read MoreBrightSource actually raising $130M for solar thermal
Solar thermal company BrightSource is actually looking to raise $130 million, which is another $50 million over the amount it announced last month. The company makes solar thermal power plants which use mirrors and a boiler to produce electricity.…
Read MoreA 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 MoreBiofuel investments keep on coming
Developing biofuels continues to be a bright spot in the cleantech world. Two startups, plant genetic engineering company Chromatin and biofuel producer ZeaChem, announced separately on Tuesday that they have raised new rounds of funding.…
Read MoreBrightSource’s solar steam project went way over budget
Solar thermal startup BrightSource recently finished building a solar-to-steam farm for oil giant Chevron, which will enable Chevron to use steam from the solar farm for enhanced oil recovery. But according to a filing from BrightSource, that project ended up costing significantly more than BrightSource expected.…
Read MoreChevron 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 MoreSolar-powered oil recovery plant starts up [video, photos]
Chevron officially started up its solar-powered oil recovery facility in Coalinga, California on Monday. Here's a video and photos of the plant, which uses tech from BrightSource.…
Read MorePHOTOS: Chevron’s solar to steam project
Curious about what a project that concentrates the sun's rays and turns them into steam looks like? Here's photos of Chevron's solar to steam project, which uses tech from BrightSource, and with a plan to use the steam for enhanced oil recovery.…
Read MoreSolazyme Prices IPO Up at $18, Raising $198M
Algae oil and fuel maker Solazyme priced shares for its IPO late last night at $18 per share -- above its previously estimated price range -- enabling the company to raise around $198 million when it debuts on the Nasdaq on Friday.…
Read MoreKiOR Lands Chevron JV as Biocrude Buyer
KiOR, the biofuel startup that’s planning a $100 million IPO this year and seeking a $1 billion federal loan guarantee, has just landed a second sizable potential customer: Catchlight Energy, a JV between subsidiaries of oil giant Chevron and forest products giant Weyerhaeuser.…
Read MoreBiofuels, Bioplastics Startups Getting Sparse, Lux Says
Grab your biofuel startups fast, Lux Research says — the field of contenders with game-changing technologies for turning non-food feedstocks into useful hydrocarbons is getting sparser by the minute. The report sees Big Oil and consumer products conglomerates quickly winnowing the field of the best technologies.…
Read MoreSolazyme Draws Richard Branson, Unilever To Algae
Algae fuel startup Solazyme already had a long list of backers -- from Chevron's VC arm to Morgan Stanley -- but this week, the company says it's added two more high profile names: investor Richard Branson and food and personal product giant Unilever.…
Read MoreMiaSole Progress Report: 8.5MW Deal with Juwi
This year is shaping up to be a pretty good one for MiaSole, which began to disclose its customers earlier this year after spending roughly two years to get the manufacturing technology right. The Kleiner Perkins-backed company on Tuesday said it has a deal to supply Juwi with 8.5 megawatts of solar panels.…
Read MoreCorporate Investors Open Wallets for Greentech
Greentech has become a big subject in corporate conference rooms over the past year. Large companies have been among the top investors so far this year, and the latest example came from Samsung Electronics.…
Read MoreProject Brightfield: Chevron Launches Solar Test Bed
Oil giant Chevron (s CVX) has an itch to test out early stage solar technology. This morning Chevron plans to show off…
Read MoreChevron Jumps Into Concentrating PV Solar, Courtesy of Concentrix
Concentrating photovoltaic solar technology — which uses mirrors and lenses to focus sun rays onto high efficiency photovoltaics — is such an…
Read MoreFirst Look and Impressions of Google’s Nexus One
[wpvideo Bd02y84H w=560] Although it’s only been a few days with the Google Nexus One (s goog) — and hectic days, at…
Read MoreGE Grabs $400M Carbon Capture & Natural Gas Deal With Chevron
Carbon capture and sequestration — taking carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and other industrial facilities, and shoving them underground — represents…
Read MoreWave Power Funding: Ireland's Wavebob Raises Interim Round
Ocean power is managing to float forward during the recession, thanks in large part to government programs and to a lesser extent,…
Read MoreThe Algae Fuel Backlash: Here Come the Skeptics
Judging from the flurry of venture-capital deals, big oil company investments, and attention from politicians on startups creating biofuels from algae, it…
Read MoreBiofuel Company LS9 Closes $25M With Chevron Backing
LS9, a company which is using a genetically modified version of e.coli bacteria to make diesel from biomass, on Thursday announced it…
Read MoreCHEAT SHEET: Heavy Hitters in Algae Fuel Deals
The race to bring pond scum to fuel tanks has acquired high stakes in recent years, with venture capitalists, federal agencies and…
Read MoreAlgae Fuel Funding: Solazyme Hits $76M, Still Not Commercial
Despite the slow demise of algae fuel company GreenFuel, investors are still pumping money into algae-based fuels. The latest recipient is Solazyme,…
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