I drafted this memo in early 2003 for a venture capitalist friend of mine, well before the bubble in cleantech. In light of the back and forth on the recent Solar City IPO, I thought it was worth revisiting. Some of the points were pretty prescient, calling out many of the challenges cleantech investors and [...]
We all know energy is global, and as much policy driven as technology driven. We have a quote, in energy, there are no disruptive technologies, just disruptive policies and economic shocks that make some technologies look disruptive after the fact. In reality, there is disruptive technology in energy, it just takes a long long time. [...]
by David Niebauer A recent decision by the California Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”) has reinvigorated and expanded the Self-Generation Incentive Program (“SGIP”) by greatly expanding the technologies that are eligible for the program and creating up-front rebates plus performance-based incentives for developers and manufacturers working to install these technologies. The impetus for the new expanded [...]
I’m pretty skeptical when it comes to polls about energy issues. Way too often, the questions are posed in such a way that they practically compel the respondent to answer in a certain way. Seriously: if someone asks you “would you like the energy you use to have less environmental impact?”, are you going to [...]
China leads the world with over 100 million riding e-scooters, e-bikes, and light-electric vehicles. By December 2015, China plans to have 500,000 electric vehicles that can travel slow streets to fast highways. Those EV will be supported with 220,000 charge points and 2,351 battery swap stations in the nation’s latest plans. China’s 12th Five Year [...]
Last week, President Obama unveiled his Administration’s “Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future”. Like most big-picture strategic summaries of complex subjects, a whole lot of content gets reduced to a few simple phrases that have become almost devoid of meaning. In this case, the Obama Energy Blueprint distills into three priorities: Develop and secure America’s energy supplies Provide customers [...]
By Lisa Jacobson After hundreds of Congressional hearings and over a dozen legislative proposals, the House of Representatives took historic and concrete action last month to advance federal climate change legislation. Through a largely collegial and efficient committee “mark-up” of the American Climate and Security Act of 2009 (ACES), a deal was reached that earned [...]
by Cristina Foung My favorite green product of the week: Green My Vino Facebook application from Village Green Energy What is it?Green My Vino let’s you bring your passion for clean energy and your Facebook profile together. In a nut shell, you get to send free online gifts of renewable energy to all your friends. [...]
by Frank Ling This Kirin’s For You! Even beer manufacturers are now getting on board the bio-ethanol train. In Japan, the Ministry of Agriculture has selected Mitsubishi Corporation and Kirin Brewery Co. to build a bioethanol production plant for a “fuel-grade bioethanol production project” in the Tokachi District of Hokkaido. In the latest article featured [...]
by Frank Ling My Sustainability is Greener Than Your Sustainability In his book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie says that people are motivated by a sense of importance. For many people that means gaining status. Now that green is entering the mainstream, it is also a status symbol among a growing [...]
by Frank Ling Power Bathroom For many years, the Japanese have recycled sink water for their toilets. Now an American company is taking it further. WaterSaver Technologies from Kentucky has developed the AQUS system, which Philip Proefrock at EcoGeek says: “…collects the water from a bathroom sink and filters and disinfects it before it gets [...]
by Nick Bruse We’ve been hearing a lot about whether or whether not there is a cleantech boom on at the moment. A new report by Topline Strategy Group weighs in with evidence that no boom is occuring in VC investments. An article on red herring’s website summarises the findings from the report, namely: Only [...]
