Last week’s news:  AEB, Sapphire, Powergenix, SolarReserve, etc.

In case you missed it, here was a cute little item in PE Week Wire on Friday:

Yesterday talked to a venture capitalist whose firm just raised a new fund (sorry, under embargo on the details). While explaining why Firm X doesn’t do cleantech investing, he said: “We decided that we prefer capital efficiency over capital intensity.”

Here’s what else you may have missed last week while frantically checking the stock market:

• Advanced Electron Beams took in $6mm in financing, including $4mm from GE.  Agman Partners provided the other $2mm.

• Algal biofuel startup Sapphire Energy is raising a Series B of “substantially more than $100mm,” and Cascade Investments (ie: Bill Gates) has joined the syndicate alongside Venrock, Arch Venture Partners and Wellcome Trust.  The linked WSJ column indicates that the latter three contributed roughly equal parts of the $100mm raised before Sapphire’s commitment.

• Nickel-zinc battery developer Powergenix has raised a $30mm Series D, led by Bessemer Venture Partners and including existing investors Advent International, Angeleno Group, Braemar Energy Ventures, Granite Ventures, OnPoint Technologies and Technology Partners.

• The Pressure Pipe Inspection Company has taken in an undisclosed amount of Series A financing, from Emerald Technology Ventures.

• SolarReserve, which is deploying molten salts at large solar power facilities for dispatchable solar power, took in a $140mm Series B.  Citi’s Sustainable Development Investments and Good Energies led the round, which also included participation by US Renewables Group, PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund, Nimes Capital and Credit Suisse’s Customized Fund Investment Group.

• Green Energy Options, a UK-based company developing devices to make energy consumption visible, has raised GBP 800k, from Thames Valley Investment Network, Bank of Scotland, and angel investors.

• BioPetroClean, a wastewater treatment company, has raised $5mm from 21 Ventures.

• NanoH2O raised a $15mm Series B led by Oak Investment Partners and Khosla Ventures.

• Another water deal (the fourth one last week—is the tide turning?) was Arvia Technology, which raised GBP 800k from MIT Partners, Alliance Fund Managers and angels.

Cleantech investors in the news:

• Google and GE are teaming up to promote smart grid initiatives.

• Wheb Ventures (UK) has raised GBP 57mm of a GBP 150mm targeted fund.

• Sustainable Technologies Fund (Sweden) has raised a EU 58mm fund.

• VentureWire reported that Highland Capital Partners may put “as much as” $30mm into cleantech.

Other news and notes:

The Cleantech Group is diving into policy issues, with the announcement of their partnership with the NVCA...  Maybe my sentiments last week about the cleantech sector being largely insulated from the current economic turbulence were a bit optimistic...  One hundred strong cleantech companies in Europe...  The venture scene in Boise (self-promotion alert, my firm is an investor in M2E)...  Finally, congrats to Tiger Optics (a former portfolio investment of mine) on being named one of Inc.‘s 5000 fastest growing U.S. companies.