A new source of support for natural gas vehicle tech: ARPA-E
The Department of Energy’s high-risk, early stage program — ARPA-E — has announced a new project that will give $30 million in grants to companies, university labs and startups building the...
View ArticleDOE funds 19 next-gen battery projects with $43M
Primus Power’s flow battery The Department of Energy’s program that gives grants to early-stage energy projects — called ARPA-E — has allocated another $43 million for 19 battery projects, including...
View ArticleAn electric motor that’s ditched the rare earth materials
Political battles over rare earth materials — which are crucial for many energy components, like lighting, batteries and motors — have spawned efforts to create technologies free of these materials. A...
View ArticleIntroducing an ultra low cost, long lasting battery made of water and blue dye
What if you could create a battery using water as the electrolyte (one of the key building blocks of batteries)? Its materials could be as cheap and plentiful as, well, water. That was the question...
View Article7 projects looking to use big data to cut the cost of solar power
The Department of Energy is putting a collective $9 million into 7 projects being developed at universities and government labs that will us big data to lower the cost of solar in various ways. The...
View ArticleWhat you need to know about shopping for solar panels
Following a record breaking year for rooftop solar panels in the U.S. in 2012, you can expect a flood of information overload on how to go about getting solar panels installed on your rooftop. Choosing...
View ArticleFlash analysis: the Fisker debacle and its implications on investing,...
Electric car startup Fisker Automotive, along with its plug-in sports car, is turning out to be one of the worst venture capital bets of all time. We asked GigaOM readers a variety of questions about...
View ArticlePhotos: The future of energy tech at ARPA-E
All hail the Tron crossing guard.The third annual ARPA-E conference — created to highlight research and startups that have received mostly small grants from the Department of Energy — kicked off just...
View ArticleBattery innovation is alive and well in the U.S.
Battery giants in Japan and Korea have long dominated the world’s battery technology, and still do when it comes to small format batteries for laptops and consumer electronics. But at the Department of...
View ArticleSugarSync: “most useful sync tool ever?”
It’s a whirlwind day here. Immediately after I write up my impressions of Dropbox, I get a note from the Sharpcast folks inviting me to try SugarSync. Don’t people realize it’s March Madness time?...
View ArticleFAQ: Why Does Cleantech Need Loan Guarantees?
Yeah, I know, loan guarantees aren’t the most scintillating topic around, but stay with me. They’re a big deal when it comes to financing big clean energy projects and not really that difficult to...
View ArticleWeb 2.0 Security: Are You Worried?
We’ve looked at DivShare, an online file sharing and storage service, several times, and generally liked it. Yesterday, though, an ominous notice showed up on their blog: Late last night we were...
View ArticleDOE Revamps Carbon Storage with $1.3B
When the U.S. Department of Energy pulled the plug on the FutureGen project, the clean coal industry was left adrift, aimless in the cleantech sea. The DOE said FutureGen’s ballooning cost required...
View ArticleMascoma Snags $49.5M in Public Funds for Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
Cellulosic ethanol startup Mascoma announced today that it has raised $49.5 million to build its first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Mascoma Snags $49.5M in Public...
View ArticleLockheed Set to Tap Ocean Thermal Energy With DOE Funds
The world’s oceans are an energetic place, and military-industrial giant Lockheed Martin said today it has been granted $1.2 million by the Department of Energy to demonstrate that ocean thermal energy...
View ArticleHow Risky Is Tesla's Bet on a DOE Loan Guarantee?
Electric car startup Tesla Motors claims that all it needs to begin construction on a manufacturing plant in San Jose, Calif., is a $200 million loan guarantee from the federal government. CEO Elon...
View ArticleDaily Sprout
New Mission for Iceland’s Geothermal Industry: Engineers in Iceland, where geothermal power provides 30 percent of the nation’s electricity, have learned how to keep a geothermal plant running smoothly...
View ArticleHitting Potholes on the Hydrogen Highway
If you’re holding out for a new fuel cell car to drive onto the hydrogen highway, you may have to wait a while. The Department of Energy in a new report says fuel cell costs are still too high and...
View ArticleCan Federal Funds Prop Up the U.S. Wind Biz?
The U.S. wind power industry has huge potential, both onshore and off, but it’s clearly looking for a hand from the government to get through these tough times. First there’s the billions in tax...
View ArticleThe End is Near: How to Prep for Life After the Greentech Stimulus
While it might seem like the spigot of stimulus money has just opened up — with new funding solicitations and announcements coming out every week and companies spending significant time and money in an...
View ArticlePlaying Translator Between Solar & Utilities
Intermittent solar power systems could cause lots of grid instability, unless utilities can communicate with them in some kind of common language using a set of common commands. Here's a list of those...
View ArticleChu Weighs in on China-U.S. Green Competition at Google
Energy Secretary Steven Chu stopped by Google headquarters on Friday to talk about green technology. He would like China to invest in America’s green future, not own it. To challenge China’s growing...
View ArticleFeds Blow $50M Into Offshore Wind Research
Offshore wind power will get a $50.5 million research boost and dedicated "Wind Energy Area" in the mid-Atlantic region under a new federal plan. Google and co-investors in a $5 billion offshore wind...
View ArticleGlobal Greentech Stimulus Half Spent, Now What?
When it comes to green stimulus, the world is halfway done — and China and Japan lead in the race, according to a Tuesday report. But the United States is catching up, though not without some hiccups...
View ArticleDOE Loan Chief: We Remain Committed to Nuclear
The DOE's Loan Program will seek guidance from relevant nuclear agencies on lessons learned from the Japanese nuclear incident, but at this point remains committed to nuclear power, said Jonathan...
View ArticleFisker Has Raised Over $1B, Car Coming in the Summer
In a combination of loans, grants and equity, Fisker has raised over $1 billion, and plans to launch its first electric car the Karma to dealerships for demonstrations in May or June and then to...
View ArticleGreen:Net 2011 Live Coverage
Today, at our third-annual Green:Net event, we're looking at digital energy: how technology can reduce energy consumption and help the environment. The livestream begins at 8:25 PT, and we'll update...
View ArticleDOE Loan Chief: Budget Changes Are Favorable to the Program
There was some concern that the Department of Energy's loan program would fall victim to budget cuts. But at GigaOM's Green:Net conference Thursday, DOE Loan Chief Jonathan Silver said that despite...
View ArticleFlush With Cash: Fisker Adds Yet Another $100M
Electric car maker Fisker Automotive has already raised over $1 billion in equity, loans and grants. And yet, the company, which will be launching its first inaugural electric car this summer, has...
View ArticleSilicon wafer startup wins latest DOE solar loan guarantee
The Department of Energy has awarded so many loan guarantees to solar companies this week, it's getting difficult to keep track. The latest, announced Friday, is a $150 million loan guarantee to 1366...
View ArticleFisker starts hiring to make its second electric car
While electric car maker Fisker Automotive is in the process of launching its first electric car, the Karma, to dealerships and customers this summer, the auto startup says it is also starting to hire...
View ArticleKiOR prices IPO at low end at $15 per share
Biofuel startup KiOR has priced its IPO at $15 per share, below its estimated price per share of between $19 to $21. KiOR prices IPO at low end at $15 per share originally published by Gigaom, ©...
View ArticleFeds offer $105M loan guarantee for “Project Liberty” biofuel plant
Poet's so-called "Project Liberty" biofuel plant, which will use corn waste instead of edible corn, is getting some support from the U.S. government. On Thursday, the Department of Energy announced it...
View ArticleAptera raises $2.25M in debt, restructuring
Three-wheeled electric-car startup Aptera has already delayed the launch of its car and has discussed restructuring and moving its manufacturing out of California. But it looks like the company is not...
View ArticleDuPont buys solar ink maker Innovalight
DuPont announced on Monday that it has bought Innovalight, a Silicon Valley startup that makes silicon ink that solar-cell makers can use to improve the amount of electricity that the cells can squeeze...
View ArticleSurvey: Weigh in on the impact of Solyndra’s bankruptcy
This week Solyndra announced plans to file for bankruptcy and said it will lay off 1,100 employees. How will the event impact the larger cleantech industry, greentech startup funding and the solar...
View ArticleHow the military and solar industry can work together
As energy use by the U.S. military grows -- the Department of Defense (DoD) uses 300,000 barrels of oil every day — the conversation about how the military can consume cleaner power continues to grow,...
View ArticleDOE’s new No. 2 on Solyndra: It’s about cheap Chinese financing
The DOE's new No. 2, Richard Kauffman, started his job on the Tuesday after the Solyndra announcement. He sees Solyndra as an example of cheap Chinese financing, which is behind the decline in Chinese...
View Article5 bets the DOE made that are better than Solyndra
It's been over a month since the Solyndra news came out, but it's still dominating. Because it just won't go away, here's my top five list of projects that the DOE also backed with loan guarantees and...
View ArticleFisker won’t ramp up production of Karma until Q2 2012
Electric vehicle startup Fisker Automotive has dramatically scaled back production plans of its first car, the Karma, in the fourth quarter of 2011, and it won't ramp up to full production until the...
View ArticleBankrupt flywheel maker Beacon to sell plant to pay back DOE
Beacon Power, the flywheel maker that filed for bankruptcy last month after winning a $43 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy, announced on Saturday that it plans to sell its 20 MW...
View ArticleSilver Lake Kraftwerk raising $1.25B energy fund
Private equity firm Silver Lake's first foray into energy and cleantech investing is gonna be a big one. According to a filing, Silver Lake Kraftwerk is raising a $1.25 billion fund and has closed a...
View ArticleBattery maker Ener1 looks to restructure in bankruptcy court
Some good news and bad news for the beleaguered battery maker Ener1. On Thursday, the company announced it's filing for Chapter 11 in New York, but has done so under a pre-arranged restructuring plan...
View ArticleFisker suspends work on Project Nina, lays off workers
Electric vehicle maker Fisker Automotive announced on Monday that it has halted work on its second electric car called Project Nina at its factory in Delaware, has laid off 26 workers, and is...
View ArticleWhat you need to know about the 2013 energy budget
The White House sent its proposed budget for 2013 to Congress on Monday, and the plan calls for boosting funding for clean power and energy efficiency, seeks to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and...
View ArticleAnalyst: Pretty certain Fisker’s DOE loan is gone
How likely is it that electric car company Fisker Automotive will be able to draw down on the remaining $339 million of its Department of Energy loan? According to one analyst, not likely. Analyst:...
View ArticleBattery startup Aquion Energy gears up for production
Grid battery startup Aquion Energy announced on Tuesday that it plans to build a factory in Pennsylvania and begin production of its sodium batteries starting in 2013. Battery startup Aquion Energy...
View ArticleA push for cheaper, safer natural gas cars
President Obama wants more natural gas development, and with it he wants to see more natural gas powered cars on American streets. He announced Thursday a $30 million R&D fund to develop...
View ArticleBattery breakthrough could bring electric cars to all
A startup called Envia Systems that's been working on lithium ion battery technology says it's developed a key breakthrough that could one day lead to an electric car that has a 300-mile range and...
View ArticlePost To Your Blog Directly From Google Docs
When you’re a web worker, time is money. Here at Web Worker Daily, we’re all about helping you efficiently use your time. In order to have some of the Word Processor features in my blog editor, I...
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