Today's Date:
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Company Spotlight
April 29, 2008
The Los Angeles-based company comes out of stealth mode with a solar-power system capable of concentrating sunlight beyond what normally would be the burning point. It plans to begin producing its concentrators, named Xtreme, in about a year.
April 25, 2008
The biofuel startup says it will locate its 40,000-gallon-per-year demonstration plant near Pittsburgh. The project will cost $25 million.
April 23, 2008
U.S.-based Amyris, whose biofuel technology comes from its development of anti-malarial drugs, teams up with Brazilian ethanol distributor Crystalsev in a joint venture to make biodiesel.
April 16, 2008
It's a blimp, it's a balloon, it's a…wind turbine? With an eye on a $12 million second round, Magenn Power hopes to prove its airship-based technology is more than just neat pictures on a Web site.
April 16, 2008
Nevada-based Mariah Power has developed a propeller-free turbine that turns wind -- which sets the clouds a-flyin' -- into energy.
April 16, 2008
Quiet Revolution has pilot installations, a newly opened factory, a sold-out order book and $2.3 million. It claims its turbines generate 20 to 40 percent more energy for their size, compared to conventional turbines. But will all that -- and regulatory support -- be enough to make a market?
April 16, 2008
With a 21-year history, Southwest Windpower has been around the block. But after some unexpected permitting and zoning setbacks, the company says sales are growing "exponentially" and it plans to turn a profit in the fourth quarter.
April 14, 2008
Recent reports show that cleantech investments in ethanol, wind and solar are slowing down, though heavy investment this week shows the sector is still going strong.
April 14, 2008
Analysts say the news doesn't mean the shortage is over yet, but could be a sign that companies are reassessing how much capacity they need. One calls the news "a breath of fresh air" in an atmosphere where many players are double- or triple-dipping into capital markets, while others say it underscores the difficulty of making silicon.
April 11, 2008
The cellulosic-ethanol startup is expected to announce the location of the 40,000-gallon-per-year plant, as well as its partners, later this month. It already is producing small amounts of ethanol at its offices in Warrenville, Ill.
April 07, 2008
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staff doesn't intend to recommend enforcement action against LDK Solar, the company said in its annual report.
April 04, 2008
The Chinese solar-wafer manufacturer could be short $200 million to $300 million of what it needs to build its silicon plants and expand its wafer production, CFO Jack Lai said at Photon's Photovoltaic Technology Show in Munich, Germany.
April 02, 2008
Electrorides prepares to debut its electric truck, and will offer an option to trick it out with an engine that uses vegetable oil or biodiesel.
April 02, 2008
SolarCity signs a deal with Morgan Stanley that will cut homeowners' upfront solar-installation costs to about $2,000 and charge them a fixed monthly fee -- not a rate -- for solar power. It's the latest in a series of new programs trying to use a commercial financial model to grow the residential solar market.
March 26, 2008
With $40 million in new funding and ready-made commercial partners, Elevance hopes to make oil-derived chemicals and products, including candles and cosmetics, from crops such as soy, canola and corn instead.
March 24, 2008
The algae startup says construction is well underway on the first phase of its first commercial plant. But an analyst says it's too soon to tell whether it will be economically worthwhile to make biofuels from slime.
March 21, 2008
Thin-film solar VPs Jeffrey Britt and Tim Teich discuss the challenges, the competition and why they're confident they'll succeed, in spite of thin film's troubled past.
March 19, 2008
Company releases preliminary earnings, indicating a $14.7 million loss three times as large as analysts expected; one analyst says expected gross profit is a sign that operations are still 'solid.'
March 18, 2008
Houston-based ethanol company plans to turn unprofitable corn-based ethanol plants into cellulosic-ethanol plants. But so far, cellulosic ethanol is still more expensive. And could cellulose prices rise as more companies start thinking the same way?
March 17, 2008
Range Fuels rakes in $100 million for cellulosic ethanol, Coskata gets $19.5 million for the same and Suntech acquires $100 million in shares of Nitol Solar.