Featured Post: July 2, 2009 | Camille Ricketts
Future car: A magnet-powered hamster wheel?
Magnets very rarely come up in serious renewable energy discussions. But why? It doesn’t get more zero-emission than that! At least that’s the thought behind car designer Harsha Vardhan’s new Transporter TW: an electric vehicle propelled by magnetic fields.
The single-passenger car is technically electric… Read More
DOE taps DuPont for $9M solar research project
Science-oriented conglomerate DuPont has landed a $9 million partnership with the Department of Energy to conduct research into consumer-facing solar goods and components. The focus of the three-year program will be to market a protective film for plastic and glass thin-film photovoltaics, the company says…. Read More
German utility Yello Strom steals the smart grid spotlight — at least for today
The net is abuzz today with talk of Yello Strom, the German utility that reportedly takes smart grid technology and web integration to the max with its new Sparzahler meter — rivaling U.S. utilities that are just beginning to adopt green initiatives. But, on closer… Read More
Cleantech bounces back in Q2 with $1.2B
The big story a couple of months ago was that cleantech investing had fallen off a cliff in the first quarter — signaling what many feared would be a prolonged negative trend in the sector. But it looks like things have started to turn around,… Read More
California gets green light for strict greenhouse gas requirements
The White House today approved California’s move to institute tough greenhouse gas emissions regulations for automakers well ahead of similar federal legislation. The waiver, officially granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is said to be a first major step for the country to follow… Read More
Spain’s Fotowatio plans $500M solar foothold in the U.S.
Fotowatio, one of Spain’s largest solar developers is soon to be one of the United States’ as well. Its American subsidiary, Renewable Ventures, is close to closing a new fund to back solar projects to the tune of $100 million this year alone. In the… Read More
Flickr adds direct-to-Twitter publishing
What took them so long? Flickr now has a built-in feature that lets members tweet their photos. “You can upload directly to Flickr and Twitter simultaneously, or tweet a photo already on Flickr, using a special short Flic.kr URL,” says the company’s FAQ. It also… Read More
First manned solar plane unveiled in Switzerland
The first aircraft designed to run exclusively on solar power was introduced near Zurich, Switzerland after spending six years in stealthy development. Record-setting hot air ballooner Bertrand Piccard plans to take the plane, dubbed the Solar Impulse, on several test flights by the end of… Read More
Signet Solar applies for federal funds to fuel thin-film strategy
Signet Solar, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based maker of thin-film solar panels, has applied for federal loan guarantees in addition to capital-raising efforts to aggressively expand its operations in the United States in the next three years.
The company’s plan is to install four production lines… Read More
Government dumps funds on electric car biz, including $465M for Tesla
After months of limping along on media hype and limited funds, Ford, Nissan and Tesla Motors have finally had their big electric vehicle pay day — receiving $5.9 billion, $1.6 billion and $465 million in low-interest loans respectively from the U.S. Department of Energy to… Read More
Microsoft leaps into home energy management game with Hohm
As we’ve reported, the big boys are jumping into the smart grid space just in time for the stimulus funds to rain from the sky. Google introduced its home energy management system PowerMeter in February; Intel has been hard at work developing a platform for… Read More
Silver Spring signs deal to make Sacramento meters smart
Silver Spring Networks, one of the major players in the smart meter space, announced today that it signed a deal with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District to deploy a wireless network connecting smart meters for 600,000 homes and businesses in Sacramento County by March 2011…. Read More
Tesla’s Musk fires back at founder, lawsuit
Earlier this month, Tesla Motors founder Martin Eberhard filed suit against the company and its current chief executive Elon Musk for slander, mismanagement and delivering him a damaged roadster after he’d been promised the second model off the assembly line. Now Musk has responded to the charges… Read More
Cleantech may need to wait a bit longer for stimulus funds
Government-backed stimulus packages are expected to give a major boost to cleantech companies, supposedly starting in September. A total of $184.9 billion has been earmarked for green initiatives worldwide, and some 65.7 percent of that is going to energy verticals like solar and wind, says… Read More
Flywheel energy storage co. Pentadyne packs away $2M
Pentadyne Power, a Chatsworth, Calif.-based developer of flywheel energy storage systems, has just closed $2 million in debt financing from an undisclosed source. The company previously brought in $80 million from Rustic Canyon Ventures, DTE Energy Ventures, MVV Innovation Portfolio, Nth Power and Loudwater Investment… Read More
Angels give EcoDog wings for yet another home energy monitor
EcoDog, maker of a so-called “watchdog” device that lets consumers patrol their home energy use, is the latest in a series of startups rolling out simple household energy management systems — with Tendril and Trilliant perhaps the most well known. A little late to the… Read More
PG&E reveals true color of its business model: Not green!
PG&E, California’s largest electric utility, objected yesterday to two pieces of state legislation that would encourage consumers to invest in solar energy. Its opposition is just the latest in a stream of evidence indicating poorly-structured U.S energy grid policy.
California Assembly Bill 560 would increase… Read More
Demand response co. EnerNOC takes on carbon
EnerNOC has gained momentum as a major player in demand response — the system that allows utilities to balance power between homes and businesses based on who needs it most — and has now turned its attention to carbon management with the acquisition of eQuilibrium… Read More
Water rises at European cleantech events, VCs take note
European venture capital investments into clean technology companies are small potatoes compared the U.S., but they’re picking up.
More than 20 new funds invest in the European cleantech sector every month, according to a new study from VB Research. And this week, not one but… Read More
Mystery car could sweep the efficient-vehicle market
If you haven’t heard of the V-Vehicle Co. before, you’re in good company. The stealthy new car maker just unveiled plans to produce a fuel-efficient vehicle that could change the game for greener cars — before most of them even hit the market. The company… Read More