Monthly Archives: June 2009

Can the U.S. Government Be an Effective Cleantech VC?

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[social_buttons] As stimulus funding leads some industry insiders to think of Washington as “the new Wall Street” for green energy, some investment experts say they’re concerned about the government’s new role. “I worry about the government as a dealmaker in this space,” said Tom Bratkovitch, director of LP Capital Advisors, a consulting firm for private-equity investors, at a Thomson Reuters conference in Palo Alto, Calif., this week. “I just don’t know if the government is … Read More

Ultrasound Cleans Polluted Water, Makes Catfish Tastier

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One solution to the world’s water pollution problems could be something you can’t taste, touch, see, smell, or hear.  Especially hear.  Ultrasound, the range of frequencies beyond the limits of human hearing, is starting to emerge as an effective water treatment that is more sustainable than chemical dosing.  Researchers are discovering that ultrasound performs well on algae, and that’s only the beginning.  Ultrasound can remove a variety of pollutants in water, including those that affect … Read More

Roof Shingles Made from Recycled Plastic and Rubber

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enviroshake

Now, I’m no Bob Villa, but as a new homeowner who has to replace his roof, I have been looking into environmentally friendly alternatives to either asphalt or “premium” wood. And Enviroshake definitely falls into the first category. Made primarily of reclaimed materials, Enviroshake might just be the answer. … Read More

GE to Cleantech Startups: We Can Help

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Cleantech startups have stopped seeing GE as an adversary and have started realizing the company can help them make a difference, Kevin Skillern, a managing director at GE Energy Financial Services, said in a keynote speech at a Thomson Reuters conference called “Financing the Cleantech Vision” in Palo Alto on Wednesday. In spite of the recession, Skillern assured the audience that the long-term business opportunity for cleantech is still there, though it will require “a … Read More

Green Jobs: So Attractive, So Few, So Far

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The prospect of green jobs has proven very attractive to Californian job seekers. According to a survey released this week by the Vote Solar Initiative, a solar advocacy group, more than 5,400 people are participating in solar job training programs this year in the state. “It is clear that Californians of different economic and educational backgrounds are all looking to solar to provide much-needed career opportunities, and the state’s training institutions have stepped up to … Read More

Graphene Emerging as the Miracle Material of the New Millenium

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Move over, silicon: graphene is ready for its closeup.  Discovered just a few years ago, graphene is a sheet of graphite the thickness of just one atom.  It can be processed like silicon to make electronic devices, which makes it easier to manipulate than the current “it” material, carbon nanotubes.  Without the breakdown problems that beset silicon at the nanoscale, graphene is bringing the dream of a molecule-sized computer closer to reality. … Read More

How to Get a Cheap Solar Roof – for 80% Off

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Move — to Louisiana: According to SolarPowerRocks! The massive Louisiana solar state tax credit of 50% for solar roof installations, the most generous state subsidy for solar — Combined with the 30% Federal tax credit for solar that we all get now; (you knew about that, right?) so in Louisiana you can put a solar roof up, paying only 20% (almost free solar) of the cost: (30% + 50% = 80% off). The way this credit … Read More

Water and Energy – A Crisis and An Opportunity

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[social_buttons] This post was written by Paul O’Callaghan, founding CEO of the Clean Tech consultancy, O2 Environmental Inc. and lecturer on Sustainable Energy at the BC Institute of Technology. ‘Any plan to switch from gasoline to electricity or biofuels is a strategic decision to switch our dependence from foreign oil to domestic water’. So says Dr. Michael Webber of the University of Texas at Austin in an interview with Steven Lacey on the Inside Renewable Energy … Read More

China Heating Up Global Competition for Solar

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There’s no question that China is a force to be reckoned with in the solar industry. The country is the largest silicon-based solar-cell producer in the world, with Chinese and Taiwanese production accounting for 39 percent of global production last year, compared with 28 percent from Europe, according to a report the Worldwatch Institute released last week. But while China had long been considered a potential game-changer in solar, companies’ growth had previously been slowed … Read More