http://cleanenergysector.com Profiting from the Global Energy Transformation Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:00:16 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Toyota’s ongoing recall and the safety concerns embroiling an automaker that climbed to the top of the global car market through a reputation for reliability, may offer an opportunity for competitors to seize market share, at least in the near term. But Toyota’s troubles, which most recently have spread to the ... http://cleanenergysector.com/2010/02/toyota-troubles-lessons-in-how-not-to-handle-a-green-halo/ The famously private investor David Gelbaum, founder of The Quercus Trust, and who by his own estimates has between 40 and 50 cleantech investments, as a rule hasn’t done interviews for years. According to the last comprehensive story on him, published in the LA Times in 2004, the former math whiz, ... http://cleanenergysector.com/2010/02/10-questions-for-greentech-investor-david-gelbaum/ The times they are a-changin’ for Fisker Automotive. The Irvine, Calif.-based startup working on a plug-in hybrid luxury sports car and mid-range plug-in sedan called Project Nina tells VentureWire it expects to close its $528.7 million loan with the Department of Energy by the middle of next month. By the time ... http://cleanenergysector.com/2010/02/fisker-on-doe-loan-timeline-next-month-and-pulling-out-of-michigan/ Cash Money, Oil Money: The founders of Cash Money Records — Birdman and Ronald “Slim” Williams — have started an oil exploration company called Bronald Oil & Gas. — Business Insider Siemens Targets Fifth of Smart Grid Biz: “Germany’s Siemens sees the world market for intelligent electricity networks roughly doubling to more than ... http://cleanenergysector.com/2010/02/daily-sprout-23/ Former hedge-funder-turned-greentech investor and philanthropist David Gelbaum has taken on a new role, as CEO of Entech Solar. A developer of concentrating solar modules and a daylighting system that’s scheduled to launch early this year, Entech Solar got its official start in 2008. That’s when solar installer WorldWater & Solar Technology acquired a 25-year-old ... http://cleanenergysector.com/2010/02/quiet-quercus-trust-chief-gelbaum-signs-on-as-solar-ceo/ Whoa — big news on the solar thermal front today, as French power giant Areva says it’s agreed to buy solar thermal startup Ausra. Back in November there were several media reports that said Ausra was in talks to be acquired by one of three companies, and it looks like ... http://cleanenergysector.com/2010/02/areva-to-buy-solar-thermal-startup-ausra/ At a factory in Wuxi, China, workers lift solar panels onto conveyor belts, while others in white lab coats move between machines as they check on a process for etching and engraving silicon wafers to form solar cells. This scene in itself isn’t remarkable. But there is a new sort of ... http://cleanenergysector.com/2010/02/america%e2%80%99s-unfounded-fears-of-a-green-tech-race-with-china/ Update: Petra Solar, which develops pole-mounted solar systems for electric utilities, announced Monday that it has raised $40 million in funding led by Craton Equity Partners and Espírito Santo Ventures with participation from existing investors including OnPoint Technologies, a venture fund for the U.S. Army.  Petra Solar said it will use the ... http://cleanenergysector.com/2010/02/pole-solar-petra-solar-goes-big-with-40m-funding-round/ The end goal of AMEE is for everyone and every organization to know their complete energy use, or their “energy identity,” explained Gavin Starks, CEO of the web services platform that helps track and measure carbon consumption, at our Green:Net 2009 conference last year. To help reach that vision and ... http://cleanenergysector.com/2010/02/amee-raises-5-5m-for-carbon-accounting-engine/ The LEED green building rating system has seen unimpeded growth to this point. Will the impact of this growth, and the response of the U.S. Green Building Council, help or hurt the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program? There have been 44,671 LEED projects registered and 6,908 certifications awarded – ... http://cleanenergysector.com/2010/02/boom-time-for-leed-green-building-ratings/