Over the last four years VC investment in solar has gone from a modest trickle to a roaring flood. In 2005 VCs invested about $200 million in solar startups. When the dust settles at the end of 2008, they will have invested about $4.5 billion in about 150 new solar startups in the four years from 2005 to 2008.

We've compiled a list of these firms with funding info and a few words on each startup's technology.

In Part 1 we’ll cover:

• Silicon Wafer Technology (c-Si)
• Solar Installers and Solar Financing Firms
• Solar Balance of Plant (Inverters etc.)
• Solar System Monitoring, Manufacturing Tools and Software

In the coming installments we'll cover

• CPV
• Next Gen PV
• Thin-Film Solar
...