The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Technology Review — (Green Energy Reporter will be on the MIT campus this weekend for the university’s annual energy conference) — visited the Brazilian lab of U.S. biofuel startup Amyris. We’ve posted a link to the video below the fold. Read More »
Chip maker Intel and group of venture capital firms are planning to invest $3.5 billion over the next two years to support “U.S. technology” a broad term that also includes cleantech. Read More »
In a cash-constrained world, this week’s acquisition of solar developer Ausra by Areva (the French government-backed maker of nuclear reactors) makes sense. We could see similar deals as small clean energy companies with big ideas and small balance sheets turn to large companies with stronger balance sheets.
Over the past decade, Areva, led by CEO Anne Lauvergeon, evolved from a secretive, tightly controlled government agency to a corporate-like entity. Areva’s alternative energy unit already manufactures wind turbines and is also involved in biomass generation, but the Ausra acquisition marks the company’s first solar investment. Read More »
Areva, one of the world’s largest maker of nuclear reactors, has acquired Mountain View, Calif., -based solar-thermal equipment maker Ausra, which had been on the auction block, talking to potential buyers at least sine November.
Paris-based Areva and Ausra did not disclose financial or other terms of the deal. Read More »
6: Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft
Bill Gates founded one of the world’s most successful software companies. Today, he’s also one of the world’s most ambitious philanthropist. Given that unique background, Gates’ actions carry weight. In an interview last week Gates mentioned that he had invested some money with Vinod Khosla’s Khosla Ventures. As we’ve noted that Khosla’s fund is not your “mom and pop” cleantech fund, as it tends to go after cutting edge outfits backed by promising, out-of-the box ideas. One of its investments is in LS9, the developer of enzyme-based diesel fuel.
A few days after talking about his Khosla investment, Gates announced that he would spend $4.5 million to fund geoengineering projects. You don’t get more cutting edge than that — geoengineering seeks to deliberately change climate pattern on a global scale to mitigate the impact of climate change. Read More »
