Earth2Tech Week In Review

Bloom Energy Week: Here’s my live coverage of the Bloom Energy unveiling, my thoughts on why Bloom Energy is and isn’t the Google of greentech, Bloom Energy By the Numbers, 10 Things to Know About Bloom Energy, and how Bloom Energy’s Carbon-Neutral Claim Relies on Scarce Biogas.

Report: Silver Spring Seeks Mid-2010 IPO, Valuation of $3B? Dow Jones Clean Technology Insight reported Friday that Silver Spring has picked a banker for an IPO scheduled for mid-2010, and is aiming at a market valuation of $3 billion.

Balance Energy Quietly Building a Web of Microgrids: Balance Energy — a San Diego-based offshoot of British military contractor BAE Systems — sees the bigger promise of microgrids in the private sector, not as islands of power unto themselves, but as trading partners, making and sharing electricity with each other and the grid at large.

Microsoft Hohm to Connect with Devices this Summer, One Day Offer Its Own? Microsoft has just released the software developer kit for Hohm to third party device makers and is expecting Hohm to connect with devices –- likely smart meters first — this summer. Microsoft “might” even one day develop its own Microsoft-branded energy hardware, but for now is focused on connecting with third party gadget makers.

The Future of Smart Grid Transmission: Superconducting High-Voltage Power Lines: To deliver the promised benefits of the smart grid –- stability, seamless interconnectivity, real-time information for customers and grid operators –- the country’s aging, isolated AC grids will have to be replaced by a robust new transmission network. And that future dream looks like it will be tightly connected to a technology called superconducting high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power lines, which are super-chilled to boost capacity and can carry gigawatts of electricity.