Standard Solar raises $8.5M for solar systems
In a sign investors may be warming up again to the residential and commercial photovoltaics market now that Congress has finally approved the extension of renewable tax credits, Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Standard Solar has secured $8.5 million in second round funding from Truecast Capital and a… Continue Reading
Novozymes gets $12.3M for cellulosic ethanol enzymes
In many ways, commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production still seems a long way off. It’s still marked by high costs and low efficiencies. But these limitations haven’t dissuaded prominent investors from taking the plunge, with VCs like Khosla Ventures pouring over $400 million into startups like… Continue Reading
Redwood Systems gets $4M for commercial building LEDs
Redwood Systems, a Danville, Calif.-based firm that wants to help businesses conserve energy by converting to LED lighting, has raised $4 million in first round funding, according to PEHub.
While compact fluorescent lightbulbs (or CFLs, as they’re more commonly known) are a major improvement over incandescents,… Continue Reading
Distributed energy is the future of renewable energy production, says Ecovolve
Biochar: Remember that word. While it may not be part of most investors’ vocabulary, biochar, a form of charcoal produced when organic matter is burned in the absence of oxygen, can store carbon and increase soil fertility — making it a more ideal alternative to… Continue Reading
Wind Power Holdings snags $37M for wind turbines
As the rest of the economy tanks, the cleantech sector has remained buoyant, with investors continuing to dump cash into wind, solar and other renewable energies. Banking on a recent wave of enthusiasm for wind power, Barre, Vt.-based Northern Power Systems announced that its parent… Continue Reading
Ostara secures $10.5M for wastewater-to-fertilizer technology
Vancouver, Canada-based Ostara Nutrient Recovery Systems is the latest in a series of companies to make its business converting waste into useful products — in this case by removing nutrients, like phosophorus, from wastewater and recycling them into fertilizer. The water treatment firm has just… Continue Reading
Electric Power Research Institute gets $1.7M for wave power research
The Department of Energy (DoE) has been conspicuously doling out grants left and right to support several clean energy initiatives in recent months. The latest beneficiary, to the tune of $1.7 million, is the Palo Alto, Calif.-based Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), which will use… Continue Reading
Sencera nabs another $15.6M for solar cells
While the overall economy may be in a bad spot, investments in green funds and renewable energy startups are showing little sign of waning, with solar firms like SoloPower, Nanosolar and AVA Solar leading the way. Its financial prowess may not match that of its… Continue Reading
Pentadyne Power raises $22M for flywheel energy storage
Pentadyne Power, a Chatsworth, Calif.-based developer of flywheel energy storage systems, has just closed a $22 million financing round, led by return investors. The company didn’t disclose the identity of its backers though it has previously received support from Rustic Canyon Partners, Loudwater Investment Partners,… Continue Reading
Brammo raises $10M for electric motorcycles
It may not sound as impressive as Fisker Automotive’s whopping $65 million haul, but Brammo’s $10 million first round, led by Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, Best Buy Venture Capital (yes, you read that correctly) and others, is nothing to sneeze at. The Ashland, Ore.-based developer… Continue Reading
NanoH2O secures $15M for desalination
It’s a testament to how much traction the once dormant water sector has gained that desalination, not long ago considered a risky, prohibitively expensive technology, is getting second looks from some high-profile investors. NanoH2O, a Los Angeles, Calif.-based developer of reverse-osmosis membranes, is the latest… Continue Reading
BioPetroClean raises $5M for biological water purification
BioPetroClean, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based water purification company, has closed its second round of financing with $5 million from 21 Ventures, which invested $3.5 million in its first round. The money will help the company set up a sales network and fund a number of… Continue Reading
Atlantis Resources nearing deployment of first commercial tidal energy installation
While largely overshadowed last week by the leaking of Google’s patent application for a floating, wave-powered data center, a deal by Singapore-based tidal energy developer Atlantis Resources to acquire Current Resources means we could be moving closer to seeing the first commercial-scale turbine farm built… Continue Reading
Eco-Products gobbles up $2M for compostable food items
With organic, locally-produced food items in high demand, it was only a matter of time before an enterprising startup or two took the next logical step: greening the supply chain. Eco-Products, a Boulder, Colo.-based maker of compostable food service supplies, has put the wraps on… Continue Reading
Centria and Uni Solar carve a niche in the architectural photovoltaics market with EnergyPeak
Far from the glare of Silicon Valley’s hype-laden funding rounds, several companies have quietly been making inroads into the growing BIPV (building integrated photovoltaic) market by focusing on two core principles: simplicity and low installation costs. One of these, United Solar Ovonic, a developer of… Continue Reading
Nexterra raises C$3.8M for biomass gasification
Nexterra, a Vancouver, B.C.-based developer of low cost gasification systems, has wrapped up a C$3.8 million ($3.6 million) fourth round of funding, courtesy of Calgary, Alberta-based investor ARC Financial Corp. This raises ARC’s total investment in Nexterra to well over $19 million.
The company’s gasification technology… Continue Reading
Xunlight raises another $11M for thin-film solar modules
Xunlight is on a roll: Only a few weeks after disclosing that it had raised $4.97 million from Ohio’s Third Frontier Projects, the Toledo-based developer of flexible, low cost thin-film silicon modules has secured another $11 million in third round funding from a group of… Continue Reading
Europe’s largest onshore wind farm is coming to Romania
Taking a page from T. Boone Pickens, who made waves when he announced that he was building the world’s largest wind farm in Texas, Continental Wind Partners and CEZ Group have concluded a deal to create Europe’s largest onshore farm, with a total capacity of… Continue Reading
Makani Power takes in $5M for high-altitude wind energy
Stealth startup Makani Power, an Alameda, Calif.-based wind energy company, has secured $5 million in second round funding from returning investor Google.org. The 24-member firm, which is playing its plans very close to the vest, has only revealed that it is building huge wing-shaped kites… Continue Reading
Attero raises $6.3M for e-waste recycling
With the U.S. economy still in the doldrums, venture firms are increasingly looking abroad to capital-starved developing markets for new growth opportunities — with India and China quickly emerging as the main beneficiaries. Enter Attero, a Noida, India-based e-waste recycler, which has just snagged a… Continue Reading