Science is the cleantech. Well, sort of. My thoughts on the evolving way for VCs to fund tough problems.…
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A potentially disruptive electronics startup you should know about: Transphorm
More efficient power electronics might not be all that sexy. But a startup is scaling up the process to make next-generation power conversion a reality.…
Read MoreA Norwegian startup launches its green data center services
Fjord IT opens its first data center space in Oslo and is banking on a air cooling technology and cheap hydropower to attract European customers who want low-carbon cloud services.…
Read MoreA power conversion startup buddies up with Japan’s electronics giants
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 MoreGreentech struggles are business as usual for the Valley
Do recent struggles dominating the news represent the beginning of the end for green technology? Nah, it looks like business as usual for Silicon Valley. Only one in ten start-ups ever make it, VCs like to say, and failure makes you stronger.…
Read MoreInnovations emerge to boost solar panel power
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 MoreTransphorm and Enphase team up on solar power conversion
Figuring out ways to convert solar power efficiently is attracting a lot of public and private dollars these days. Google-backed Transphorm is teaming up with another startup, Enphase Energy, to develop a device using a novel material with financial support from Department of Energy’s ARPA-E.…
Read MoreUsing radio waves for more efficient solar power
Using radio waves to efficiently convert solar power -- that's the idea behind startup Array Converter, which spoke for one of the first times this week at the AlwaysOn GoingGreen conference in San Francisco.…
Read MoreBiden, Chu: We’re at a crossroads for clean energy
It’s been hard to avoid the elephant in the room at the fourth annual National Clean Energy Summit. While the clean energy industry was eager to talk about the latest cleantech breakthroughs, the reality is that the industry is facing a difficult near-term funding future.…
Read MoreA growing market for cleantech: data centers
Data centers might not be the energy hogs anticipated in 2010, but they're still offering a growing market for both energy efficiency technology and clean power.…
Read MoreTransphorm raises another $25M via Soros, Google, Kleiner
Power conversion startup Transphorm has added yet another high-profile investor to its list of backers: George Soros' investment fund Quantum Strategic Partners. On Thursday Transphorm announced that it has raised another $25 million from Quantum Strategic Partners, as well as existing investors.…
Read MoreGoogle Has Now Invested Over $400M in Clean Power
Mark down yet another clean power project that Google plans to back. This morning, Google announced that it's providing $55 million for part of the construction of a 1.5 GW wind farm being built by Terra-Gen Power in Southern California's Mojave Desert.…
Read MoreVIDEO: Transphorm Moves Power Conversion Beyond Silicon
Using silicon for converting power for electronics, gadgets and computing has reached its limit -- or so says the CEO of startup Transphorm, Umesh Mishra. On Tuesday the company, which is backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Google Ventures, launched a 600-volt transistor.…
Read MoreGreen:Net 2011: Announcing Our 10 Big Ideas Winners
Presenting our 10 Big Ideas winners, which are some of the most innovative in the digital energy space, and have novel "Big Ideas" for how to use information technology to fight climate change. The winners will present at Green:Net 2011 on April 21 in San Francisco.…
Read MoreEnphase Launches Solar IT Offensive
Enphase Energy has made a name for itself as a trailblazer of the microinverter market. But keeping that lead won't be easy, and the company is launching a series of new products that are smaller and lighter and more tailored for different customer types.…
Read MoreGoogle Backs Biofuels, via CoolPlanetBiofuels
Google Ventures has made its first biofuels investment. On Thursday afternoon, the venture arm of the search giant announced that it has invested in a startup called CoolPlanetBiofuels, which makes what the company calls "negative carbon fuels." Bill Maris of Google Ventures explains.…
Read MoreTransphorm Launches First Product: Power Diode
Transphorm, the startup that emerged from stealth with plans for building energy-efficient power conversion modules and with $38 million in backing from investors Kleiner Perkins and Google Ventures, has unveiled its first product: power diodes made of gallium nitride that can be embedded in power converters.…
Read More10 Companies to Watch for out of ARPA-E
Early-stage, high-risk, and potentially game-changing -- those are a few things all the companies that have been funded by the Department of Energy's ARPA-E program have in common. I'm at the ARPA-E Summit this week and here are 10 companies to watch for.…
Read MoreTransphorm: the New Data Center Waste Power Slayer
An invention that can run data centers more efficiently and cut electric use is no doubt dear to Google's heart. So it’s not surprising that Google Ventures became a lead investor in a startup called Transphorm, which made its public debut Wednesday.…
Read MoreTransphorm Unveils Efficient Power Module, $38M From Kleiner, Google Ventures
Here comes the biggest cleantech startup launch since Bloom Energy: Transphorm has emerged from stealth at Google Ventures's headquarters, touting an energy efficient power conversion module and an enviable $38 million in venture capital from Kleiner Perkins, Google Ventures, Foundation Capital, and Lux Capital.…
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