The New Year started out on a positive note with President-elect Obama calling for the U.S. to double the amount of its renewable energy in three years and plenty more green requests are rolling in. Even though the economy’s still kind of a bummer, VCs aren’t yet harshing the greentech investment buzz: The power monitoring company Sentilla raised $7.5 million, and solar technology firm SolFocus scored $47.5 million. The Quercus Trust has kept busy during the recession as well. If you’re in Vegas, check out the greentech on display at CES. HP has started to offer cash for trash – computer waste that is. Japan counts down to the launch of a satellite that will track global greenhouse gas emissions to help nations curb their output. As gas prices go down, though, will people remember how important renewable energy is for our planet? Especially when we use so much every year!
Obama Calls for Doubling Renewable Energy in Three Years
President-elect Barack Obama called for doubling the nation’s renewable energy production in three years in a Thursday speech asking Congress to support his economic stimulus plan. He also wants funding for energy efficiency improvements to federal buildings and millions of homes.
What the Green Industry Wants From Obama
The incoming president is getting a long list of ideas from greentech companies that expect him to provide money and policies quickly to help them survive the recession and more.
Sentilla Raises $7.5M to Compete in Data Center Power Fray
The company has software and sensors for monitoring the power in your data center and cranking it down. It’s a growing market, but one that’s getting crowded too.
SolFocus Scores $47.5M to Peddle Concentrating Solar Technology
The California startup aims to increase the total installations of its solar energy systems from 0.5 MW to 100 MW by 2010.
Quercus Trust Continues to Grow: 47 Found in Portfolio
David Gelbaum, the head of the Quercus Trust, is one busy guy. With 47 investments, he’s got more than almost anyone in green.
CES Plugs Green Technology
The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will feature power-saving laptop chargers, energy-efficient devices and a host of discussions on electronics recycling and green technology innovations.
HP Ups Ante in E-Waste With Cash Rebates to Consumers
Got some old PCs or printers sitting around? HP will give you cash for them. It’s the latest step in the growing market for e-waste.
Japan to Fire Off Carbon-Counting Satellite
The project is one of several international efforts to inventory greenhouse gas emissions at a time when the United States and other countries are considering economic policies to curb emissions.
Cheap Oil: We Won’t Get Fooled Again
We shouldn’t be fooled by the current dip in oil pricing, as the ultimate price has yet to be paid for our addictions at the pump, writes Alan Salzman, CEO and Managing Partner, VantagePoint Venture Partners.
A Cubic Mile of Oil
What will it take to wean the world off fossil fuels? Thousands of nuclear plants and millions of solar panels, says Ripudaman Malhotra from SRI, who is coming out with a new book.
The latest from Green Light:
A Record Year in Greentech Investing — $7.7B in 2008
We began tracking venture capital investment in Greentech in 2004 when the sector really didn’t have a name and represented only 1 percent of VC investment totals. Companies like Nanosolar and Miasolé…
It’s Not All Rainbows and Unicorns
While the prevailing campaign optimism was that the Obama administration would be able to address all of the country’s problems, the reality is that tough trade-offs will need to be made. Many of these trade-offs will, of course, upset supporters …