The bulb as we know it is dying a flickering death. OK, so that’s a tad dramatic but states and even entire continents are considering plans to ban the incandescent bulb. Here’s yet another sign: General Electric (GE) said late yesterday it will restructure its lighting business toward energy-efficient lighting technology, which will speed [...]
When PG&E (PCG) and electric car startup Tesla said last month that they plan to research “smart charging” for electric plug-in vehicles — where the rate that a plug-in vehicle charges from the grid can be controlled remotely by a utility — we checked in with three experts on how important this technology could be. [...]
Roughly 22 percent of the electricity consumed in the U.S. goes toward lighting, according to the Department of Energy. With such a big market, companies big and small are working on developing and selling energy-efficient lighting. Durham, N.C.-based Cree (CREE), maker of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), sells its chips for use in a variety of applications, [...]
While a lot of cleantech regulatory innovation clearly needs to come from the highest levels of government, local authorities are proving to be catalysts for the industry as well.The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Clean Cities Program work with local governments to reduce petroleum consumption. A study (pdf) by another wing of [...]
Tampa Electric Ditches Clean Coal: The Florida utility says its going to drop plans to use so-called “clean coal” technology — InsideGreenTech.Solar Servers: Business 2.0 checks out green server-farm company AISO.net — affordable Internet services online — Business 2.0.Sustainable Silicon Valley: The coalition of tech giants, utilities, local governments and non-profits is trying to cut [...]
Braemar Energy Ventures, a New York-based venture capital firm devoted to investing in early-to-mid-stage energy startups, has closed a second fund with $250 million in capital commitments, according to PE Hub.Formed in 2002, nine of Braemar’s prior portfolio companies, including energy management firm EnerNOC (ENOC), have since gone public and an additional eight companies have [...]
Investing in cleantech — with subsectors that range from energy to IT to water — takes a good deal of focus. NGEN Partner’s Robert Koch knows it and he’s currently concentrating on solar startups and electric vehicle companies.Focus also breeds enthusiasm. When talking about the firm’s investment in three-wheel luxury eco vehicle startup [...]
In the world of cleantech, women can be few and far between. Nancy Floyd, founder and managing director of cleantech VC firm Nth Power, knows this firsthand. Since founding Nth Power in 1993, she has sat on more than 15 boards — and only one of her fellow directors was a woman. When we asked [...]
Solar in Japan, Model of Government Support: NPR has a radio piece on how Japan has helped create a market for solar through government support, and reports on a solar-filled Kobe neighborhood — NPR.EnerNOC Boosts So Cal Edison Deal: EnerNoc announced a contract to provide demand response services to Southern California Edison, adding to a [...]
Engineered Eggshell Fuel: Don’t feel like walking on eggshells? — how about driving on them. Ohio State University researchers have found a way to turn discarded chicken eggshells into hydrogen fuel. The process uses eggshells to “soak up” carbon dioxide from a reaction that produces the fuel – release.Hydrogen Storage: Speaking of hydrogen fuel, researchers [...]
