How relevant is the term cleantech today? Has it had its day in the sun?
It’s a heretical question for someone who’s spent much of the last 10 years of his career furthering the cleantech meme globally. A former Managing Director of an organization that gets much of the credit for coining the phrase to begin with, I’ve been a big proponent of the term, to the intentional subordination of others.
A little over a year after 10 cleantech companies were awarded their “Best in Class” distinctions at the 2011 Global Cleantech Cluster Association Later Stage Awards, the firms have collectively secured $462.24 million in funding and project contracts, with additional funding undisclosed. Most recently, Best in Energy Efficiency winner Albeo
What a week!
At the start of the year we forecasted that one of the big trends in 2012 would be the return of the private equity markets to the fuel cell and hydrogen industry. In fact, this trend has been far larger and is now having an impact on the entire cleantech sector.
Three-dimensional solar power is a legitimate technology, one that is being investigated and developed by serious scientists. Whether the company Solar3D is a legitimate participant in this innovative technology remains to be seen.
This week, Solar3D released a news release touting
Beacon Power is a Massachusetts company that makes flywheel-based energy storage systems.
Rockland Capital, a private equity firm, recently purchased Beacon Power, including a Stephentown, New York, flywheel plant project. The purpose of the project is to allow excess
It’s December again (how did that happen!?) and our annual time for reflection here at Kachan & Co. So as we close out 2011, let’s look towards what the new year may have in store for cleantech.
There are eggshells across the sector for 2012. Global economic uncertainty in particular is leaving
I was in a four-hour-long meeting this morning, learning about a new approach to energy storage. I can’t talk about the technology (which, frankly, I think is sketchy) but that’s not the point.
The point is this: I sat at a table with a bunch of smart
Business, or commercial law, is extremely vital throughout the clean technology industry. Law firms are an essential part of the process of addressing a wide variety of issues relevant to different sectors of clean technology companies. These issues may include energy regulatory, bank loans, project financing,
The United States fell behind China and Germany in clean energy investments in 2010, a result of the lack of a coherent national energy policy in the U.S., according to a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
China invested $54 billion in clean energy projects in 2010, Germany invested $41 billion, and the U.S. invested $34 billion,
US private equity firm Blackstone has decided to invest $300 million in one of the leading solar PV companies in India, Moser Baer (Private) Limited.
Moser Baer (NSE: MOSERBAER) has a diversified portfolio ranging from manufacturing of computer peripherals to fabrications of solar panels. While their
Israeli fuel cell start-up EnStorage Ltd. has raised $15 million in a Series B financing round.
U.S. private equity fund Warburg Pincus led the round, and was joined by all of EnStorage’s current investors, including Greylock Partners, Canaan Partners, Siemens TTB, and Wellington Partners, according to a report in “Globes“.
EnStorage was founded in 2007 by VP R&D Dr. Arnon Blum, Chief Scientific Officer Prof. Emanuel Peled of Tel Aviv University, Chairman Nachman Shelef, and former CEO Eran Yarkoni.