Saudi Arabia uses your gas dollars to fund solar energy
Later this year, Saudi Arabia is expected to approve very ambitious plans for a massive array of renewable energy projects. The first installations should be completed next year.
Scientists turn seaweed into fuel with E. coli
January 19, 2012 3:34 PM
Sarah Mitroff
The next time you get an order of miso soup, take a look at the seaweed lurking in your bowl. That same type of seaweed could some day power your car.
Scientists from Bio Architecture Lab, Inc (BAL) and the …
GMZ Energy turns heat into electricity, secures $14M in funding
December 21, 2011 2:41 PM
Sarah Mitroff
Energy company GMZ Energy has received $14 million in its third round of funding, the company announced Wednesday. Mitsui Venture led the series C round, which included I2BF Global Ventures, Energy Technology Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and BP …
Clean Power Finance connects investors, solar providers and gets $75M from Google
September 27, 2011 10:38 AM
Matthew Lynley
Search giant Google today announced it has made another large investment in a residential solar provider, this time dropping $75 million into Clean Power Finance, an online service that connects solar panel installers with investors.
Clean Power Finance connects solar …
Despite falling solar prices, experts say U.S. remains “rare bright spot”
September 20, 2011 11:22 AM
Matthew Lynley
Solar panel prices have fallen more than 40 percent this year to $1.30 per watt, well below the high of $3.50 per watt they hit in 2008. But that shouldn’t scare clean technology investors interested in U.S.-based solar providers, where …
John Doerr: Cleantech will suffer unless U.S. can “put partisan bulls–t behind us”
September 14, 2011 10:53 AM
Matthew Lynley
A wave of anti-science sentiment in the U.S. government — through the lens of ignoring global warming and a reliance on fossil fuels — could hamper innovation in the clean technology space, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner John Doerr …
Plunging solar panel prices claim first victim: Solyndra files for bankruptcy
September 1, 2011 8:53 AM
Matthew Lynley
A glut of photovoltaic solar panels on the market has caused solar cell manufacturer Solyndra to go under. The company filed for bankruptcy and laid off 1,100 workers this morning.
The company makes cylindrical solar rooftop systems and is a …
Record Hill Wind snags $102M wind power loan guarantee
August 15, 2011 11:22 AM
Matthew Lynley
The U.S. Department of Energy today awarded a $102 million conditional loan guarantee to Record Hill Wind to build a 50.6-megawatt wind power farm in Maine.
Record Hill Wind will also build an eight-mile transmission line between the farm and …
Sodium-ion cell maker Aquion Energy raises $20M
July 22, 2011 10:00 AM
Matthew Lynley
Aquion Energy, a maker of sodium-ion batteries that can store large amounts of electricity, has raised $20 million of a roughly $30 million round that includes Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Foundation Capital as investors, according to a regulatory …
U.S. DOE: Wind power production fell in 2010
July 15, 2011 10:39 AM
Matthew Lynley
Only around a quarter of the new electricity capacity introduced in 2010 came from wind power, down from 42 percent in 2009, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The average cost of installing new wind power …
Oil still bringing in cash as Glori Energy snags funding from GE, NRG Energy
July 5, 2011 11:58 AM
Matthew Lynley
Glori Energy, which specializes in extracting additional oil from existing oil wells, announced today that it has secured funding from Energy Technology Ventures. The terms of the funding were not disclosed.
Typical wells extract oil by flooding the well with …
SolarCity raises $14M of $42M round for home solar panels
July 1, 2011 11:37 AM
Matthew Lynley
Home solar-panel leasing company SolarCity has raised $14.8 million of a planned $42 million funding round, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SolarCity leases residential solar panels for a 15-year period, handling all the maintenance during …
Flexible solar panel maker SoloPower raises $15M of $44M round
June 29, 2011 10:02 AM
Matthew Lynley
Flexible solar panel manufacturer SoloPower has raised $15 million of a targeted $43.8 million fifth round of funding, according to a new filing with the securities and exchange commission.
SoloPower manufactures photovoltaic cells, which capture sunlight and convert it to …
Google report suggests huge payout for clean technology expansion
June 28, 2011 5:33 PM
Matthew Lynley
Aggressive spending and expansion in clean technology would generate 1.1 million new jobs by 2030 and reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 13 percent, according to a new report by Google. If the U.S. employs more federal mandates and provides …
France commits €1B to nuclear power
June 28, 2011 10:08 AM
Matthew Lynley
French President Nicolas Sarkozy (pictured right) announced today that the country will pledge €1 billion ($1.4 billion USD) to nuclear power research and development.
France will also commit €1.3 billion to renewable energy projects. Sarkozy said that the moratorium on …
Solar installer Astrum Solar snags funding from Baltimore utility
June 27, 2011 1:02 PM
Matthew Lynley
Constellation Energy, a holding company for Baltimore Gas & Electric, said it’s investing an undisclosed sum in Astrum Solar, which will provide solar panels for around 1 million of the utility’s customers.
Astrum, one of the largest residential solar panel …
U.S. DOE commits $1.4B partial loan guarantee to rooftop solar panel project
June 23, 2011 10:15 AM
Matthew Lynley
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Wednesday that it will offer a $1.4 billion partial loan guarantee to Prologis and NRG Energy to install rooftop solar panels on company warehouses.
The AMP Project will install around 733 megawatts worth of …
Condoleezza Rice joins the board of biofuel maker KiOR
June 22, 2011 9:46 AM
Matthew Lynley
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced on Wednesday that she will join the board of directors of biofuels producer KiOR beginning July 2011.
Rice has some experience dealing with petroleum companies and biofuel companies, having served on the board …
Alta Wind Energy Center gets an extra $102M from Google
June 22, 2011 9:31 AM
Matthew Lynley
Google is still bullish on wind energy. The company said today that it’s invested an additional $102 million in the Alta Wind Energy Center, bringing its total investment in the wind power farm to $157 million.
Google previously invested in …
U.S. DOE commits $136M loan guarantee to New Hampshire wind farm
June 21, 2011 11:41 AM
Matthew Lynley
The U.S. Department of Energy said Tuesday it has granted a $136 million conditional loan guarantee to Granite Reliable Power for a 99-megawatt wind farm project in New Hampshire.
The wind farm will be located in northern New Hampshire, a …
CleanPath opens $800M fund for solar projects
June 21, 2011 10:07 AM
Matthew Lynley
Renewable energy investment firm CleanPath announced today that it has raise an $800 million fund that will be used to invest in large-scale solar projects.
The projects will range from ones that will generate 5 megawatts worth of power to …
Will solar power overtake fossil fuels in 10 years?
June 16, 2011 10:44 AM
Matthew Lynley
The amount of energy produced by photovoltaic panels could overtake that produced by fossil fuels like coal and natural gas in 10 years, according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
The amount of solar energy hitting the …
Google drops another $55M on Calif. wind farm
Google has invested $55 million in a wind energy farm in southern California that will generate up to 1,550 megawatts of power — bringing the search giant’s total investments in clean energy up to $400 million.
The farm is located …
SolarReserve snags $737M loan guarantee for solar power tower
Solar power energy startup SolarReserve is now the second major solar power company to secure a high-profile investment and move forward on a large solar power plant.
The company uses a huge array of mirrors to focus heat on a …
Are solar panel manufacturing component prices falling fast enough?
The price of polysilicon, a key component in manufacturing solar panels that capture sunlight and convert it to electricity, fell 5.1 percent to $74.4 per kilogram from $78.19 last month. Still, the decline is smaller than expected and the current …
Connecticut axes wind power plans thanks to 'not in my backyard'
Connecticut regulators struck down plans to install the state’s first wind power farm that would produce 3.2 megawatts of power after a group of residents complained that the turbines would bring down property values.
This is a familiar argument for …
First Solar nears U.S. DOE loan guarantees, but is it enough?
First Solar is getting closer to securing loan guarantees for three solar panel plants that would add 1,300 megawatts of power worth of clean energy to the United States — a critical step in shoring up the potentially threatened American …
UN: renewable resources can outpace global energy demand by 2020
Wind, solar and four other forms of renewable resources have the potential to outstrip energy demand by 2020 and replace fossil fuels as a power source, according to a new report by the United Nations.
The report is called the …
New Calif. law mandates more electricity from renewable sources
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new law today requiring power companies to generate 33 percent of all electricity from renewable energy sources like wind and solar power by 2020.
The new law is a major incentive for clean technology …
GE to build cheaper thin-film solar panel plant in U.S.
General Electric has finished acquiring thin-film solar panel maker PrimeStar Solar and will build a 400-megawatt thin-film solar panel manufacturing plant in the U.S., the company announced today.
The new plant will manufacture thin-filmed solar power panels — photovoltaic cells …
On the GreenBeat: BP says renewable energy growth to beat oil, more of California's solar panels come from China
Here’s the latest action we’re following on the GreenBeat today:
BP predicts renewable energy growth to outpace oil — The company’s Energy Outlook 2030 sees renewables, nuclear and hydropower growing steadily in the next two decades, outpacing the growth of …
Update: Ice Energy raises a cool $24 million
Shortly after announcing a $4.5 million infusion of cash from TIAA-CREF and Good Energies, energy storage company Ice Energy announced today that it has closed a total $24 million in third-round funding.
The company makes a unique product in the …
On the GreenBeat: Fuel economy labels get makeover, fabric batteries charge up
Here’s the cleantech news we’re following today:
Fuel economy labels on cars are getting an overhaul in 2012. One proposed sticker would rate cars’ gas mileage on a scale of A+ to D. (What, no F?) The proposed stickers would …
How Marin County gets 75 percent of its power from renewables
In June, California voters shot down Proposition 16, a measure backed by Pacific Gas & Electric that would have made it much harder for local governments to form their own utilities. Now one Northern California municipal utility is demonstrating why …
Power up to the $200M grid
Sponsored Post
One of the hottest topics in energy independence is power grid technology, which enables consumers to save energy and money by powering homes and buildings in a smart and more efficient way. In fact, grid technologies have the potential to …
Energy Dept. teams with Masdar Initiative to advance cleantech breakthroughs
The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that it has signed an agreement with Masdar, the Abu Dhabi organization overseeing a far-reaching strategy for developing and deploying renewable energy and other sustainable technologies. The two organizations say they will work …
