The Abrams Clean Tech Report

 

Carbon Sciences in National Geographic

August 24th, 2011

More here.

About Carbon Sciences, Inc.

Carbon Sciences has developed a proprietary technology to make gasoline and other fuels from natural gas. We believe our technology will enable nations of the world to reduce their dependence on petroleum by cost-effectively using natural gas to produce cleaner and greener liquid fuels for immediate use in the existing transportation infrastructure. Although found in abundant supply at affordable prices in the U.S. and throughout the world, natural gas cannot be used directly in cars, trucks, trains and planes without a massive overhaul of the existing transportation infrastructure. Innovating at the forefront of chemical engineering, Carbon Sciences is developing a highly scalable, clean-tech process to transform natural gas into liquid transportation fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. The key to this cost-effective process is a proprietary methane dry reforming catalyst that consumes carbon dioxide.

To learn more about Carbon Sciences’ breakthrough technology, please visit www.carbonsciences.com.

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ClearEdge Power Raises 73.5 Million In Series E

August 23rd, 2011

More here.

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NREL Industry Growth Forum Application Deadline Extended

August 19th, 2011

FYI… The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is pleased to invite emerging clean energy startups from across the globe to apply to present their business opportunities at the 24th Industry Growth Forum. Deadline to apply to present has been extended to August 24, 2011. Apply by visiting www.industrygrowthforum.org.

Why Apply?
The NREL Industry Growth Forum provides many opportunities to accelerate your company’s growth. As a startup presenter at the Industry Growth Forum, you will have opportunities to:

Become one of the 30 startups selected to pitch to the cleantech industry’s leading venture capital and corporate investors.
Compete to win the 2011 NREL Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Best Venture Award, including cash-prizes and commercialization services from NREL.
Sign up for dedicated 10-minute one-on-one meetings with 50 leading clean energy venture capitalists, corporate investors, strategic partners, and government agencies.
Expand your network through hundreds of the world’s leading clean energy investors, executives, and technologists.

What if I am not selected as a presenting startup?
Exposure to over 120 North American investors during the selection process.
Valuable and direct feedback from the selection process.
One reduced priced registration ($300) to attend the Forum.
The opportunity to see and learn from the investment pitches of other clean energy companies.
Sign up for dedicated 10-minute one-on-one meetings with 50 leading clean energy venture capitalists, corporate investors, strategic partners, and government agencies.
The opportunity to expand your network and mingle with investors, energy executives, NREL scientists, and other leading clean energy entrepreneurs from across the globe.

About the Forum
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Industry Growth Forum is the United State’s premier event for emerging clean energy and energy efficiency technology startups to gain exposure to and feedback from venture capitalists, corporate investors, government agencies, and strategic partners. Since 2003, presenting startups have cumulatively raised nearly $4 billion in growth financing.

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Philips Wins The DOE’s Prestigious L Prize

August 3rd, 2011

August 3, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded Philips Electronics the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L Prize) in recognition of being the first company to successfully develop an LED replacement for the common 60-watt incandescent light bulb. Submitted in 2009, the Philips LED bulb was the first and only product to successfully complete 18 months of rigorous field, lab and product testing, meeting or exceeding the high standards established by DOE for quality.

In 2007 the US Department of Energy (DOE) established a competition, the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L Prize), challenging the lighting industry to develop replacement technologies for two of the most widely used and inefficient products: 60 Watt incandescent light bulb and PAR 38 halogen light bulb. The DOE recognized that energy efficient alternatives needed to be made readily available and become the new standard for Americans.

The L Prize will enable Philips to invest in the manufacturing and marketing of the lamp here in the US, creating clean energy jobs. In addition, the company will invest in research and development of LED lamps, looking for ways to optimize production and reduce costs. This will help increase adoption of energy-saving LED lighting by overcoming one of the major barriers to LED adoption – price.

Key Light Bulb Facts:

· Every year it is estimated that more than 425 million 60 Watt incandescent light bulbs are sold in the United States alone, representing approximately 50% of the domestic incandescent light bulb market.

· The traditional incandescent that has been the market staple for more than a century, uses 10% of its energy output for light and wastes the other 90% as heat.

· According to the DOE, an LED replacement for the Edison bulb could save 34 terawatt-hours of electricity in one year, enough to power the lights of nearly 18 million U.S. households.

· It would also avoid 5.6 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually.

· The 60-Watt LED Equivalent Light Bulb has a lifetime of more than 25,000 hours, which is 25X greater than a typical incandescent bulb.

Established through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the L Prize challenged the industry to meet its very demanding requirements – ensuring that performance, quality, lifetime, cost and availability meet expectations for widespread adoption and mass manufacturing. However, Philips already developed and brought to market 60 and 75-watt LED equivalents for the common household bulb as a direct result of the L Prize technology, giving consumers options that can meet Energy Star guidelines and save money today.

B-roll and soundbites available via digital download:

http://www.forummedia.us/philipslprize

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Cleantech Open Announces Semifinalists In 2011 Business Competition

July 17th, 2011

From CTO’s press release –

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.: The Cleantech Open (www.cleantechopen.org) announced that 163 semifinalist teams have been selected from across the United States to participate in the 2011 edition of world’s biggest cleantech business competition. The semifinalists were selected from a talented pool of more than 285 cleantech entrepreneurs from across the country that submitted entries in the seven regional competitions run by the Cleantech Open this year.

“Our Cleantech Open judges are a pleasure to work with. They are some of the top cleantech investors and early-stage CEOs from across the country,” said Adam Rentschler, national judging co-chair. “This year, with another strong crop of cleantech entrepreneurs applying to participate in the Cleantech Open, our judging decisions were as difficult as ever. As we move through the programming this summer and fall, our teams will continue to benefit from the expertise of, and exposure, to our high-caliber volunteer judges.”

Regional semifinalists compete for the national cleantech title

The Cleantech Open semifinalists will now compete regionally for prizes that include cash and in-kind services. After an additional round of regional judging to be held in October, finalists will be selected to advance and represent their region, competing at the national level for a grand prize of up to $250,000 in cash and in-kind services, and an overall prize chest of nearly $1 million. National judging of regional finalists will take place November 10-13, 2011 at the Global Cleantech Forum in San Jose, California, with national winners to be announced at the Gala event.

Entrepreneurs undergo an intense summer of expert mentoring and training

Over the next few months, each semifinalist team will receive coaching from the Cleantech Open’s network of talented business mentors, one-on-one consulting with specialists, an intensive business boot camp at the Cleantech Open National Academy, and numerous local supporting events, training sessions, and materials. This highly focused mentoring and support from hundreds of volunteer experts helps each team develop a comprehensive business plan and investor pitch that will be presented to professional investors and experts during the next round of judging.

The semifinalists for the 2011 Cleantech Open business competition, by region, are:

CALIFORNIA REGION

Air, Water & Waste category

BioMine (Palo Alto, CA)

Errcive (Mountain View, CA)

Fresh Picked (La Jolla, CA)

Kiverde (San Francisco, CA)

LifeSea (El Cerrito, CA)

mOasis (Mountain View, CA)

Naturell (Santa Clara, CA)

Pulp Friction (Greenbrae, CA)

SoilSmart (El Dorado Hills, CA)

The Green Garmento (Los Angeles, CA)

Utilities Independence Solutions (Campbell, CA)

Energy Efficiency category

CalSolAgua (Berkeley, CA)

Coolite (Felton, CA)

Dhaani Systems (Cupertino, CA)

EcoPros (Thousand Oaks, CA)

ERE Energy (Palmdale, CA)

Go Green Solutions (Pasadena, CA)

Lightrite Company (Menlo Park, CA)

Load IQ (Reno, NV)

NuLEDs (Carlsbad, CA)

The Garner Group (Las Vegas, NV)

Thor Charger Company (Newport Beach, CA)

Transparia (San Jose, CA)

Verdigris Technologies (Sunnyvale, CA)

Green Building category

Amberix (Redwood City, CA)

Clausius Technologies (Incline Village, NV)

Eliosolar (Beverly Hills, CA)

EnFocus Engineering (Sunnyvale, CA)

precigeo (San Rafael, CA)

SunPlanter (Brighton, MA)

Renewable Energy category

5th Generation Energy (Del Mar, CA)

b2u Solar (Palo Alto, CA)

California Energy & Power (Glendora, CA)

Helios Energy Management (Sunnyvale, CA)

LuCal Chemicals (Sacramento, CA)

Open Neighborhoods (Culver City, CA)

SolarTankWorks (Corral De Tierra, CA)

Solera (Sacramento, CA)

Sustainable Electric (Tarzana, CA)

Thundercloud (Los Gatos, CA)

Smart Power/Smart Grid category

Agudo Networks (Milpitas, CA)

ECO Catalytics (Davis, CA)

Grid REVolution (San Jose, CA)

Growing Energy Labs (San Francisco, CA)

Hyphase Energy (Park City, UT)

PowerPatent (San Jose, CA)

Smart Grid Billing (Folsom, CA)

Transportation category

CarStations (Catheys Valley, CA)

Electric Takeoff (San Carlos, CA)

Gridtest Systems (Calabasas, CA)

JustShareIt (Brisbane, CA)

Santa Monica Electric Vehicles (Santa Monica, CA)

Sylvatex Biofuels (San Francisco, CA)

TEAM L TUG (Los Angeles, CA)

Transboard Motorsports (Sunnyvale, CA)

Zero – E / Blue Dolphin Design and Engineering (Madera, CA)

NORTH-CENTRAL REGION

Air, Water & Waste category

AquaMost (Madison, WI)

Dakota EcoGlass (New England, ND)

Senderos Recovery Technologies (Streetsboro, OH)

Energy Efficiency category

Dason Technology (Chicago, IL)

Green Building category

FORTECO (Hartland, WI)

Supreme Energy Products (Lakeville, MN)

Whole Trees Structures (Stoddard, WI)

Renewable Energy category

Atmosphere Recovery (Eden Prairie, MN)

C56 Technologies (Middleton, WI)

Effimax Solar (Champaign, IL)

Freiezo (Saint Peters, MO)

INVELOX (Chaska, MN)

NextGen Solar (Chicago, IL)

Smart Power/Smart Grid category

Rapid Electric Vehicle Battery Charging (Homewood, IL)

Transportation category

cleantrack (Plymouth, MN)

Direct Drive Energy (Lowden, IA)

ENRG Power Systems (Grand Rapids, MI)

Grail Engine Technologies (Chapman, KS)

RoutePerfect (Minneapolis, MN)

Thermal Conservation Technologies (Skokie, IL)

MID-ATLANTIC REGION

Air, Water & Waste category

SecureWaters (Soddy-Daisy, TN)

Green Building category

Brite (Solar Raleigh, NC)

Renewable Energy category

Agri-Tech (Columbia, SC)

Bing Energy (Tallahassee, FL)

Xylofuel (Columbia, MD)

Transportation category

CPS Biofuels (Virginia Beach, VA)

CVTi (Raleigh, NC)

NORTHEAST REGION

Air, Water & Waste category

AgroSci (Chestnut Hill, MA)

Encendia Biochar (New Haven, CT)

PK Clean (New York, NY)

Sanergy (Cambridge, MA)

Energy Efficiency category

Arctic Sand (Cambridge, MA)

Blue Sphere (Potsdam, NY)

CoolChip Technologies (Somerville, MA)

Days Energy Systems (Pennington, NJ)

eCurv (Cambridge, MA)

Hinge Networks (Waltham, MA)

OsComp Systems (Cambridge, MA)

PolyChroma (Somerville, MA)

Smart Glass Control (Stony Brook, NY)

ThinkLite (Allston, MA)

Renewable Energy category

Altaeros Energies (Boston, MA)

blue2green (Derry, NH)

BlueBoxBio (Cambridge, MA)

Calyx Bioprocess Technology (State College, PA)

Concentrators (Woodbury, CT)

Electric Pipeline Corporation (Melrose, MA)

Greentech Solutions – Teleos Solar (Boston, MA)

GWE (Greenwich, CT)

Hydrothea Technologies (Cordova, AK)

Keystone Tower Systems (Jamaica Plain, MA)

Resolute Marine Energy (Boston, MA)

Safe Hydrogen (Marlborough, MA)

Solar Canopy (Providence, RI)

SolSolution (Boston, MA)

SunDrum Solar (Hudson, MA)

Ubiquitous Energy (Cambridge, MA)

Smart Power/Smart Grid category

ByteLight (Boston, MA)

Qado Energy (Waltham, MA)

Transportation category

Altranex Energy (Bedford, MA)

Made in the Commonwealth (Boston, MA)

Mavizen (Cambridge, MA)

Righteous Wheels (Burlington, VT)

PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION

Air, Water & Waste category

Vorsana (Portland, OR)

WISErg Corporation (Redmond, WA)

Energy Efficiency category

GreenSimian (Seattle, WA)

Indow Windows (Portland, OR)

MountainLogic (Issaquah, WA)

Green Building category

IDEAbuilder (San Francisco, CA)

Innovative Invironments (Eugene, OR)

General category

GreenPrint (Portland, OR)

Renewable Energy category

e~TECH (Wilsonville, OR)

HM3 Energy (Gresham, OR)

SkyMill Energy (Friday Harbor, WA)

Three Dimensional Timberlands (Ophir, OR)

Versalence (Camas, WA)

Smart Power/Smart Grid category

Clarian Power (Seattle, WA)

GridMobility (Kirkland, WA)

Transportation category

Conscious Commuter (Portland, OR)

MotoVolta (Kent, WA)

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION

Air, Water & Waste category

AGREBON (Louisville, CO)

Balkrete Custom Aggregates (Centennial, CO)

Eco Products Group (Santa Fe, NM)

Pragmatic Energy (Tempe, AZ)

SES2011 (Provo, UT)

TMG (Centennial, CO)

Veritek Coal Processing (Littleton, CO)

Energy Efficiency category

Efficiency Power (El Paso, TX)

PerpetualGreen (Draper, UT)

RGI (Denver, CO)

Green Building category

GeoTree Technologies (Broomfield, CO)

Renewable Energy category

USolar (Park City, UT)

Smart Power/Smart Grid category

NextStep Electric (Longmont, CO)

Transportation category

ATK Motorcycles (Centerville, UT)

Eco Aluminum Pallets (Scottsdale, AZ)

NoirCroxx Biolubricants (Bigfork, MT)

SOUTH-CENTRAL REGION

Air, Water & Waste category

cycleWood Solutions (Fayetteville, AR)

Energy Efficiency category

GR Cooling (Austin, TX)

GS Development (Louisville, KY)

NanoThermo (Austin, TX)

Smart Office Energy Solutions (Houston, TX)

Green Building category

EarthCo Megablock (Ranger, TX)

GreenCoat (Austin, TX)

Renewable Energy category

InnerGeo (Corpus Christi, TX)

Transportation category

Silicon Solar Solutions (Fayetteville, AR)

Community Cars (Austin, TX)

Energy Xtreme (Austin, TX)

Cleantech Open Sponsors

The Cleantech Open is made possible by the generous support provided by our Global Partner, Chevron; Global Foundation Partner, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; National Education Partner, University of Phoenix; and National Sponsors, Autodesk and Wells Fargo. Regional competitions are additionally sponsored by the following corporate partners: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati (multi-region), Deloitte (multi-region), Jones Lang Lasalle (multi-region), CTSI, CalCEF, Commercial Energy, Faegre & Benson, Google, Grundfos, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, Mintz Levin, Patton Boggs, PG&E, and Reed Smith.

About The Cleantech Open

The Cleantech Open runs the world’s largest cleantech business competition. Its mission is to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental and economic challenges. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the Cleantech Open provides the infrastructure, expertise and strategic relationships that turn clever ideas into successful global cleantech companies. Since 2006, through its one-of-a-kind annual business competition and mentorship program, the Cleantech Open has enabled hundreds of clean-technology startups to bring their breakthrough ideas to fruition, helped alumni contestants raise over $300M, and created an estimated 2,500 green-collar jobs. Fueled by a global network of more than 1,000 volunteers and sponsors, the Cleantech Open unites the public and private sectors in a shared vision for making America’s cleantech sector a thriving economic engine. For more information, visit www.cleantechopen.org, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

###

Media contact: Tim Cox, national PR chair, 650-369-7784, tim@zingpr.com

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Transphorm

July 12th, 2011

Interesting company…
http://www.transphormusa.com/index.html

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Ecomagination Challenge Announces New Winners, $63M Round of Investments in Clean Tech

June 23rd, 2011

GE’s Ecomagination Challenge Winners have been selected. More here, too.

GE and its venture capital partners also announced today that they’ll be investing $63 million in 10 other innovative home energy tech companies from San Francisco to the U.K., bringing the total number of ecomagination-related investments for GE and its partners to 22. $63 million isn’t exactly chump change, so this is great news.

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Geothermal Market Heating Up

June 17th, 2011

More here.

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ALTe CEO John Thomas Named One of the Most Influential People in the Electric Automobile Industry

June 16th, 2011

From my inbox earlier this week…:

John Thomas, Founder and CEO of ALTe Powertrain Technologies, developer of the first range-extended plug-in hybrid electric vehicle powertrain for trucks, vans and buses, has been named to the Automotive News Electrifying 100. This first-time listing compiles the 100 most influential people leading the automotive industry toward a more electric-powered future.

ALTe has recently announced the creation of an Advisory Board including some of the biggest corporate fleets in the country, as well as a long-term supply agreement for electric motors with Remy.

ALTe developed a plug-in Range Extended Electric Powertrain which is used to repower light commercial vehicles up to 26,000 GVW. The system will retrofit into existing fleet vehicles as well as in “glider” applications of new vehicles to dramatically increase their fuel economy and lower emissions. Designed to replace a base V-8 internal combustion engine powertrain, the system’s patented technology improves fuel economy from 80% to 200%.

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Re. Demonstration of Semi-Solid Lithium Ion Battery Architecture by MIT Researchers

June 13th, 2011

Interesting… More here.

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“The Future of Water” – Thought Leaders Gather for Virtual Conference Addressing Global Water Challenges – TOMORROW

June 6th, 2011

Tomorrow morning, June 7, at 11 a.m. ET and available to anyone – at no cost – Dow Chemical Company hosts at http://futurewecreate.com a virtual conference entitled “The Future of Water”.

In a nutshell, Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) is doing this to bring attention to the global water crisis. Dow should know: their technology treats more than 9 billion gallons of water a day. And their Water & Process Solutions business is working to reducing the cost of desalination and water reuse 35% between 2005 and 2015 through advancements in separation technologies. More on Dow’s water-related activities here.

According to recent estimates approximately two-thirds of the world’s population will suffer from water shortages by 2025. That’s two-thirds, folks.

So, to provide insight into how chemistry, along with other fields, sectors, and stakeholders, can meet the challenge of supplying the world with clean and sustainable water, Dow announced on May 24 that it would bring together thought leaders actively working on global water issues in a virtual conference.

If you look at the speaker roster, you can see that it consists of water industry practitioners, non-profit leaders, media, professors, authors and investors — a group stemming from all walks of life. In other words, you’ll get a ‘big picture’ perspective as well as more of a ‘in the trenches’ perspective from the event. Featured speakers include Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen Fund; Jeff Seabright, Vice President for Environment and Water Resources at The Coca Cola Company; Lisa Nash, CEO of Blue Planet Network; and William Reilly, Chairman of Global Water Challenge. You’ll hear perspectives and insights on global water supply and management, global scarcity, aging infrastructure, the water-energy nexus and the human dynamics behind meeting the global water challenge.

Again, the virtual conference will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, June 7, at 11 a.m. ET and is available to anyone – at no cost – at http://futurewecreate.com.

The Future of Water is the second virtual conference in The Future We Create series. The first virtual conference, The Future of Women in Chemistry and Science, was held on March 1, in alignment with Women’s History Month. Additional The Future We Create virtual conferences will take place in 2011 and beyond as part of Dow’s commitment to help encourage interest in chemistry among young people and to generate enthusiasm for the creative future of the science during the International Year of Chemistry (IYC).

If I forgot to mention it – yours truly is one of the speakers, so please help pass the word on about this event and if you have some time – watch it. I can think of at least three other people who deserve more than I do to participate in this event. Since they aren’t, I’ll do my best to make them proud.

If you’d like to learn more prior to the event, I recommend eyeballing Cleantech Group analyst Mia Javier’s presentation she recently put forth as a great starting point. More here.

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Marrone Bio Innovations, Astia Portfolio Company, Closes Series C

June 2nd, 2011

I’m posting this announcement which I received through Astia’s Jen Shelby this morning — and for those of you who don’t know much about Astia’s network – check it out…http://www.astia.org.

Marrone Bio Innovations announced on June 1, 2011 the closing of a $25.4 million private round of financing with three new investors and re-investment of existing investors. New investors investing in this Series C preferred financing are Syngenta Ventures, Mitsui Global Investment, and a family investment trust. Existing investors include Stuart Mill Venture Partners, Contrarian Group, Saffron Hill Ventures, One Earth Capital, Clean Pacific Ventures, and Calvert Social Ventures, in addition to several individuals. Contrarian Group’s CFO, Tim Fogarty has joined the Board. The financing is being used for expanding global sales of Regalia® Biofungicide, launch of Zequanox™ and other pipeline products upon EPA approval and for development of new nematicides, herbicides, and fungicides from the discovery screen.

Pam Marrone has been a member of the Astia Portfolio since 2006, and was the recipient in 2008 of Astia’s Innovator Award. Pam is a serial entrepreneur and founder of two previous companies. Congratulations to Pam and her team.

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Connectivity Week Upcoming (Next Week) – & Light Fair Wraps Up w/Most Innovative Products & Other Special Awards

May 20th, 2011

In Santa Clara, folks, so easy to get to for those in the area.
About the conference – more here.

Light Fair was this week, too, for those of you interested, and you can see who won the most innovative product awards (and other special awards) here.

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U.N. Proposes ‘Climate Services’ To Help Developing Nations Deal With Onslaught Of Extreme Weather

May 13th, 2011

The shape of things to come…seems like with the flooding the south is seeing, we’re going to need it here, too…more here.

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Clean Tech Venture Investment Ticks Up (Cleantech Group LLC)

May 13th, 2011

Per Cleantech Group’s numbers, Cleantech venture investment was up by 52 percent compared to the previous quarter ($1.69 billion) and was also 31 percent higher than the same period a year ago ($2.28 billion). The company notes “215 clean technology M&A transactions in1Q11. The largest deal, and the largest cleantech acquisition we have ever recorded, was DuPont’s $6.3B acquisition of Denmark’s Danisco, a leading industrial biotechnology company. DuPont says the acquisition will help it address the growing demand for food and clean energy.”

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A Must Read — An Essay by Jeremy Grantham

May 10th, 2011

Am passing this along because this is very well written and definitely worth the read.

— As per Richard Steubi – “…an extraordinary essay published by GMO called “Time to Wake Up: Days of Abundant Resources and Falling Prices Are Over Forever” written recently by Jeremy Grantham, the legendary investment strategist.”

Click on the link within the article by Richard enclosed, read, and pass it on.

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International Geothermal Business Coalition Formed

May 4th, 2011

From my inbox today.

Washington, DC (May 4, 2011) – The members of several leading national geothermal trade and business associations have joined together to establish an international geothermal business coalition in conjunction with the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) 2011 Geothermal Energy Technology and International Development Forum.

The new International Geothermal Business Coalition (http://www.internationalgeo.org), founded by the European Geothermal Energy Council, the US Geothermal Energy Association, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association, the Australian Geothermal Energy Association, and the Chilean Geothermal Energy Association, will represent the leading companies involved in developing geothermal resources to meet energy needs across the world. The groups issued a joint declaration which is available at: http://geo-energy.org/pdf/InternationalGeothermalDeclarationandAnnouncement_FINAL.pdf.

“Supporting a range of government policies that can provide support for the development of geothermal resources is our priority,” said Philippe Dumas of the European Geothermal Energy Council. “We will call upon each country to assess the potential of geothermal and develop effective long-term incentives and policy supports for this growing renewable industry.”

Geothermal power presently supplies the world with 10,715 Megawatts of electricity in 24 countries on six continents. The potential to use geothermal resources is much greater. With the technology available today and under development for the future, geothermal resources could supply more than 300,000 Megawatts of power, while producing far fewer carbon emissions than from legacy sources.

“Geothermal energy can provide competitively priced, renewable, round-the-clock energy to the markets our organizations represent and beyond that. At the same time geothermal energy can be a part of the solution to growing concerns about securing sustainable, cost-effective energy sources,” said Alexander Richter, Director of the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association. “We are therefore looking very much forward working together as part of this international geothermal business coalition, to promote the vast potential of geothermal energy worldwide, but also the tremendous market opportunity for companies participating in the growth of the industry.”

The new geothermal coalition will work to expand efforts to utilize these valuable geothermal resources in every nation. With the vast potential that geothermal has to create clean, renewable baseload energy and bring jobs to the nations that embrace it, the coalition leaders will work to ensure that geothermal resources are not ignored in national and international energy plans.

“International and multi-national organizations will also be vital to supporting geothermal resource assessment, technology development, and the development of global policies and financial incentives to expand the use of geothermal resources,” said Fernando Allendes, President of the Chilean Geothermal Energy Association, ACHEGEO.

The GEA International Forum, where this new coalition was announced, brought over two hundred industry leaders, foreign diplomats, financiers and government officials together to participate in discussions on the geothermal market today, projects under development in the U.S. and internationally, and the outlook for the future of the geothermal market.

“This gathering has again shown the importance of the growing global geothermal market and how supportive government policies are key to fueling its growth,” said Karl Gawell, GEA Executive Director and Chairman of the Department of Commerce Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee. “As we see people across the globe clamoring for safe, clean, and renewable power, the geothermal industry can help meet those demands if government policies recognize the potential of geothermal energy.”

“Given its unique and wide ranging benefits including its baseload capability, relative low cost to other generation technologies and that it doesn’t produce waste materials that need to be dealt with by future generations, it is vital that governments provide funding and support to develop their geothermal industries equal to, if not greater than, that provided to other technologies,” said Susan Jeanes, Chief Executive of the Australian Geothermal Energy Association.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Energy and industry partners also participated in the GEA International Forum – including Gold Level Sponsor Atlas Copco and conference sponsors Enel Green Power, Pratt and Whitney, GeothermEx, and the Institute of Earth Science and Engineering.

The International Geothermal Business Coalition (IGBC) is developing a website at: www.internationalgeo.org.

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DOE’s America’s Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge Program

April 14th, 2011

What a fantastic opportunity!! Article with additional information and links are below. Go for it!!

From Jesse Berst via SmartGridNews.com –

Quick Take: For a mere $1,000, you can license any of 15,000 federal patents on energy technology. What’s more, if you make enough progress towards commercializing the technology, DOE Secretary Stephen Chu will feature your startup at the 2012 Energy Innovation Summit.

Startups typically don’t have the deep pockets to pay the going rate to license the innovative technologies developed by DOE’s national laboratories, or the expertise to successfully wind their way through the licensing process. But in an effort to bring more groundbreaking technologies to market the Energy Department will offer its 15,000 unlicensed patents and patent applications at dramatically reduced costs – and with a lot less paperwork.

From May 2 to December 15, 2011, DOE’s “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator” challenge program will give successful applicants the chance to take advantage of $1,000 upfront licensing fees, which can mean savings of from $10,000 to $50,000 off the average upfront cost. DOE also will simplify the licensing process, which should result in more savings in expense and time. And as part of the deal, the agency is making it easier for companies to take advantage of the national labs for collaborative research and development. To take advantage of those opportunities in the past, companies had to make upfront payments to cover the cost of the first 90 days of research work – but DOE is cutting that requirement to 60 days.

To date, only about 10% of federal patents have been licensed for commercialization.

“America’s entrepreneurs and innovators are the best in the world,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “Today, we’re challenging them to create new businesses based on discoveries made by our world-leading national laboratories. Because we’ve cut the upfront fees and reduced the paperwork, we’ll make it easier for startup companies to succeed and create the new jobs our economy needs.”

Some of the available lab-developed innovations include solar energy storage (and its transportation and conversion, appliance controllers, semiconductor materials and fuel emissions reductions. Interested companies can shop the available technologies at DOE’s Energy Innovation Portal.

Those companies that demonstrate progress in commercializing the technology also will have the opportunity to be showcased at the 2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit.

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In Case You Missed It…Clean Energy Trends 2011 Special Anniversary Edition…

April 6th, 2011

Perpetually behind on this end…but better late than never………

For those of you who missed it before – Clean Edge issued its annual Clean Energy Trends report to track key developments in clean-energy markets last month. The annual report is issued with the support of Autodesk, Cascadia Capital, Deloitte, and Hobbs & Towne, E2, Mintz Levin, and Stoel Rives. The report can be downloaded free of charge at www.cleanedge.com.

The report looks at the last 10 years of clean-energy activity in the U.S. and abroad and includes growth projections for the major clean-energy sectors (solar PV, wind, and biofuels), as well as global clean-tech investment data and emerging trends.

The report’s key findings include:

- In 2010, combined global revenue for solar photovoltaics (PV), wind power, and biofuels surged 35.2 percent over the prior year, growing from $139.1 billion to $188.1 billion.
- Over the past decade solar PV and wind have experienced annual average growth rates of 40 percent and 30 percent respectively.
- Biofuels reached $56.4 billion in 2010 and are projected to grow to $112.8 billion by 2020. In 2010, the biofuels market consisted of more than 27.2 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel production worldwide.
- Wind power is projected to expand from $60.5 billion in 2010 to $122.9 billion in 2020. For the first time since Clean Edge began tracking the wind power sector, the global wind market witnessed a slight year-over-year decline in market size.
- Solar photovoltaics are projected to grow from a $71.2 billion industry in 2010 to $113.6 billion by 2020. New installations reached more than 15.6 GW worldwide in 2010, a more than doubling from 7.1 GW in 2009.
- U.S.-based venture capital investments in clean tech increased 46 percent from $3.5 billion in 2009 to $5.1 billion in 2010, according to data provided by the Cleantech Group. Clean-tech’s percentage of total U.S. venture capital investments continued to rise, accounting for a record 23.2 percent of total U.S. venture activity in 2010.

In addition to highlighting the past 10 years in clean tech, including opportunities and challenges, the report outlines five key trends that will impact the markets in the coming years:

Incandescent Phase-Out Lights the Way for Low-Cost LEDs
Natural Gas Advances as a Powerful Partner for Wind and Solar Energy
Cleaner Aviation Fuels are Poised for Takeoff
Low-Cost Green Building Brings Relief – and Sustainability – Around the World
Innovation Provides Alternatives to Rare Earths

You can download the full report here…

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Greentech Media Highlights Near-Record Quarter for VC Investments in Green Tech

April 5th, 2011

Of the ten biggest deals of the quarter mentioned by Eric Wesoff in this article for Greentech Media, it looks like a number of these companies received monies in Series C and beyond. No surprise…I just think this is great news for clean tech. While Washington can’t seem to get the right hand speaking with the left, investors in clean tech are really putting their money to work, and it will pay off.

Read Eric’s article here.

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