Tag: cleantech
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Finance Friday: 18 February 2011
Here are recent angel and venture finance transactions for science- and engineering-based companies, as reported by Xconomy and elsewhere. Biomedical/Life Sciences Rosetta Genomics Ltd. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MicroRNA-based molecular diagnostics. $6.0 million, equity. Versartis in Mountain View, California. Protein drugs for endocrine disorders. $21 million in Series B equity financing. Ivivi Health Sciences in San…
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Chemistry Prof. Commercializes Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology
A chemistry professor at Michigan State University in East Lansing developed a process for making inexpensive hydrogen fuel cells to generate cheap electrical power, and helped start a business to bring that technology to market. A company making portable device chargers has now licensed the technology and unveiled its product this week. James Dye has…
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Fuel Cell Developer Relocates Near Nanotech Researcher
Bing Energy Inc., a manufacturer of components for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, is moving its headquarters from California to Florida to work with a university researcher in nanotechnology. The company had already licensed the research of Jim Zheng, an engineering professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee, whose work involves nanosensors, energy storage, and…
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World Bank Contract Awarded for Off-Grid LED Tests
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York received a World Bank contract to perform laboratory testing of LED-based, off-grid lighting products. The LED-based lights are developed for Lighting Africa, a joint initiative between the World Bank and International Finance Corporation. Over the next 18 months, the LRC will lab…
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Three U.S. Corporations Start Energy Technology Fund
Three American energy corporations –- General Electric Co. (GE), NRG Energy Inc., and ConocoPhillips -– have begun a joint venture that aims to fund emerging energy technology companies. The companies have committed $300 million to the collaboration, called Energy Technology Ventures, with plans to support some 30 venture- and growth-stage companies over the next four…
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Genetic Researchers Identify Enzymes for Biofuels
Researchers have used large-scale DNA sequencing to characterize the genes and genomes of plant-digesting microbes isolated from the rumen — pre-stomach — of a cow, and identify the most promising enzymes for breaking down cellulose in the biofuel switchgrass. The team from the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute, several universities and national labs, and…
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German Institute, BASF to Collaborate on Batteries
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Karlsruhe, Germany and the chemical company BASF in Ludwigshafen will develop advanced battery materials at a new KIT lab. The new lab, called BELLA — for Batteries and Electrochemistry Laboratory — is expected to accelerate the implementation of research results in products for high-energy battery systems. KIT and BASF…
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Cleantech, Electronics Venture Funding Jump in 2010
Venture capital investments recorded a solid increase in 2010 over 2009, the first annual jump since 2007. Industries based on science and engineering were among the gainers, particularly clean technology and electronics. The statistics were contained in the MoneyTree Report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), based on data from Thomson Reuters.…
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Formula Devised to Better Place Wind Farm Turbines
Engineers in the U.S. and Belgium have developed a formula to help wind farm planners arrange the most effective placement of wind energy turbines. Charles Meneveau of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and Johan Meyers at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium presented their findings at a recent meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division…
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Enviro. Engineer Recalibrates Solar Panel Placement
An environmental engineer at University of California San Diego (UCSD) has researched the optimum placement of fixed solar panels in the U.S., and for some installations, it may mean making adjustments. UCSD environmental engineering professor Jan Kleissl computed the optimum tilt and azimuth angles for photovoltaic solar panels in the continental U.S., with his findings…