Tag: energy
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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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USDA Funding Research on Climate Change, Agr Production
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded three grants to study the effects of climate change on agriculture and forest production. NIFA Director Roger Beachy made the announcement today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. A research team led by Dr. Tim Martin,…
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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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U.K. Universities to Forecast Reactor Lifetimes
Materials scientists and engineers from six universities in the U.K. are taking part in a joint project to forecast the life expectancy of the country’s nuclear power reactors. The research team comes from the University of Leeds, with colleagues from the universities of Manchester, Nottingham, Salford, Sussex, and Huddersfield. The project runs for three years,…
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Transgenic Switchgrass Improves Biofuel Yield
Plant engineering by The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Oklahoma and fermentation research by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee have led to new lines of native perennial prairie grass that can make the production of cellulosic ethanol more economical. The researchers published their findings this week in in the Proceedings of the National…
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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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Long-Term Impacts of Biofuels on Land Analyzed
A team of university, government, and national laboratory researchers ran simulations to gauge the impact of biofuel feedstocks on agricultural land. The findings are published in the January/February 2011 issue of Agronomy Journal (free full-text access for 30 days following publication). The study, funded by the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service, simulated experiments lasting from 79…
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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…