Techcrunch has published an analysis of VC funding in 2009. 4th quarter results look promising, with funding up 78% from the third quarter. We can hope that this trend will continue into 2010 and signals the return of venture capital investing. It is interesting to note that evne with the large amounts invested in Q4 [...]
We swore in a new president today, and with that, hopefully a new approach to energy and the environement. It’s fresh, and limited, but here is the official plans: (Link at the bottom.)
ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our addiction to [...]
By implication, that means less money for start-ups in the next few years. Companies are going to be forced to look for alternative capital sources. The big question will be, where? Consider what it cost to start a company like Facebook. Now consider what is involved in producing bio-fuels, or [...]
We are told that although solar has made considerable strides in its march towards this Mecca, we are not quite there yet. The magic number for modules, say they, is $1; at a buck a watt. At that point it will finally be cheaper to produce subsidy-free electricity from a module than buy it from [...]
Stories I found interesting, but didn’t get around to blogging about.
Recycling- Market for Recyclables in U.S. Dwindling Rapidly Via GreenBiz
Efficiency-Turning Wasted Heat into Dollars in China Via GreenBiz
“There is more opportunity in China than anywhere in the world,” Ballentine said of waste-heat recovery.
There have been lots and lots of projects announced, and I just haven’t kept up with them. This is a catchup post for anything worth reporting, but for things I don’t have anything specific to say about. Roughly grouped together.
Solar-1 Gigawatt Solar project for Jordon Via Treehugger850 MW Solar project for California Via Treehugger [...]
More Catch-up Posts – Deals announced Bio-fuels- Blackstone Cleantech Venture Partners Leads Coskata Series C Round of Financing
Chemrec Completes US $20M Funding Round for Biorefinery Technology
Typical pulp & paper mills produce thousands of tons a day of a liquid biomass called black liquor. Currently this by-product is burned in steam boilers with low energy [...]
Fascinating. I’m very leery of bio-engineering like this. How many well intended introductions have had disastrous long term consequences? (Nutria, Kudzu, etc, etc. ) But I can clearly see the economic and environmental benefits of creating trees that grow quickly, are disease resistant, and create high quality wood. Hmm.
“Vancouver-based CellFor [...]
There are many good reasons to doubt the future of corn ethanol. (Not necessarily ethanol, but corn ethanol.)
This Washington Post article puts it in perspective.
But because of how corn ethanol currently is made, only about 20 percent of each gallon is “new” energy. That is because it takes a lot of “old” fossil energy [...]
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