Breakthrough Awards – Caltech’s “Brilliant Idea”
By Jon R. Weiner, Director of Media Relations, California Institute of Technology
On Oct. 4, Popular Mechanics revealed its annual “Breakthrough Awards” winners. The magazine has been doing this for a few years and uses the opportunity to highlight innovative research, products, and people.
A theme this year seemed to be sustainable energy, as evidenced by several award winners. We’re proud to claim one of this year’s winners, an interdisciplinary team from Caltech.
Popular Mechanics titled the win, “The Brilliant Idea: A solar cell that requires only a fraction of the silicon used in standard PV.”
Led by Caltech applied physicist Harry Atwater, chemist Nate Lewis, and postdoc Michael Kelzenberg, the team has found a way to grow silicon microwires on a clear polymer.
This is a photomicrograph of a silicon microwire array embedded within a transparent, flexible polymer film (Credit: Atwater Lab/Caltech)
Cross-section of silicon microwire array (Credit: Popular Mechanics)
As noted in a news release earlier this year, the innovation has led to “a new type of flexible solar cell that enhances the absorption of sunlight and efficiently converts its photons into electrons. The solar cell does all this using only a fraction of the expensive semiconductor materials required by conventional solar cells.”
Credit: Popular Mechanics
The Caltech team wasn’t alone in this year’s “Breakthrough Awards,” though. The magazine highlighted three other sustainable products including the Chevy Volt, the Nissan Leaf, as well as a soccer ball that generates electricity while it’s being used.
Truly game-changing technology!
Made in LA: Tig/m’s Self Powered Hybrid Electric Streetcars
As part of an ongoing effort to connect with local cleantech firms and highlight their good works, this blog will have an occasional series of stories about the great cleantech companies in Los Angeles. That series starts…. NOW!
Tig/m is one of the nation’s leading producers of self powered hybrid electric streetcars. Rather than rely on a continuous electricity supply from overhead catenary wires, Tig/m’s streetcars have an onboard battery packs that charge overnight, supplemented with an onboard clean fuel generator. The result is lower cost, faster deployment, and fewer visual obstructions compared to traditional overhead cable or underground power systems.
Tig/M Design
You might recognize Tig/m’s heritage style streetcar design from the original Farmer’s Market and Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. The company is currently in production on heritage streetcars for projects in master planned communities Baja California and Texas. These projects will provide a sustainable transit option for residents and visitors to move throughout the community without relying on a private car.
The company is also developing a modern, low floor, articulated streetcar suitable for urban applications. This high capacity design maximizes mobility by carrying more riders per vehicle and offering a low floor for faster boardings.
The Tig/M secret sauce is in the on board hybrid propulsion system, which uses a battery pack to drive the streetcar. An onboard generator can power the vehicle’s air conditioning system and auxiliary power loads, and it serves to recharge the drive batteries if necessary. An active battery management system ensures the optimal function of the batteries and extends battery life.
Streetcar under construction
Based in LA’s Chatsworth Neighborhood, Tig/m currently employs a staff of 15 for design, engineering, and production of streetcar systems and vehicles. The heritage vehicles are crafted by hand to the highest standards, modeled on actual vintage streetcars and featuring hardwood paneling and custom brass fittings.
We’re proud to have Tig/m in Los Angeles, and we look forward to supporting the firm’s growth as it develops its modern streetcar design. Keep an eye on this growing company, and next time you jump on board a streetcar, forget about the wires and look for the plaque that says “Made in LA.”
Alex Fay
Mayor’s Office of Economic and Business Policy
Spotlight on Bentley Prince Carpet’s Sustainability Efforts
By Carol E. Schatz, President and CEO, Central City Association of Los Angeles
The Central City Association (CCA) would like to recognize Executive Member Bentley Prince Street for its industry-leading sustainability efforts. Their products and programs are particularly designed to reduce their carbon footprint and dependency on fossil fuels, and they are thus aligned with our efforts in working with CleanTech Los Angeles.
Clean Carpets
Bentley Prince Street is the largest commercial carpet manufacturer in California, but what really sets it at the top of its industry is its commitment to sustainability. Its Mission Zero promise seeks to eliminate any negative impact the company may have on the environment by the year 2020. The following results have already been accomplished since 1994:
- Reduced water use per unit by 43%
- Reduced energy use per unit by 31%
- Reduced waste sent to landfill by 95%
- Reduced net absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 45%
- Reduced NOx emissions by 53%
Every product Bentley Prince Street manufactures and markets contains recycled content, and through its ReEntry reclamation program, it finds the best solution for any reclaimed carpet, whether it’s recycled, upcycled, downcycled, or repurposed. Check out their video here!
The company also uses one of the first privately-funded photo voltaic solar arrays in the industry to provide a portion of electrical energy for manufacturing processes. 100% of their electrical energy requirements are made renewable through the purchase of Green-e certified renewable energy certificates derived from wind and biomass projects and electricity generated by the solar array.
In its efforts toward sustainability, Bentley Prince Street strives to eliminate waste and harmful emissions, use only renewable energy, create closed loop processes to use renewable or recyclable raw materials that also bring back products at the end of their useful lives, and use resources to minimize the movement of people and material.
Fun Fact:
On January 20, 2009, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden were sworn into office standing on Bentley Prince Street’s Kings Road carpet, which uses 100% recycled yarn content. During the ceremony, the striking red and blue carpet cascaded down the U.S. Capitol’s steps as a symbol of the enduring entrepreneurial spirit of the country.
All eyes on the carpet
CCA salutes Bentley Prince Street’s commitment to sustainable commerce and its innovations to integrate style and function with environmental practices.
CleanTech LA Social Media Panel – The Day After
Yesterday, Tuesday September 21st, a group of six sustainability professionals (ahem, “geeks”) gathered at the Deaton Auditorium in Downtown Los Angeles to discuss how social media can affect the growing field of clean technology. As part of Social Media Week, this event is one of many across Los Angeles to focus on the burgeoning social and professional uses of Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, YouFace, etc…
Panel and Social Media Week information
The panelists included Stan Holt and Nikhil Jain, President/COO and Founder/CEO of OnGreen; Deep Patel, Founder/CEO of GoGreenSolar.com; Vincent Williams, Director of New Media for PGA Green; Erik Steeb, the LA Chair for Cleantech Open; and Chathri Munasinghe, Director of New Media at Opportunity Green.
(From Left) Deep Patel, Nikhil Jain, Chathri Munasinghe, Erik Steeb, Vincent Williams, and moderator Stan Holt
The discussion began with some impressive facts outlined by Stan Holt, the moderator for the panel. Did you know that a whopping 98% of Generation Y has joined a social network? Or that 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations about a product/services, versus only 14% who trust an advertisement? Fascinatingly, if Facebook were its own country, it would be the world’s 4th largest (by population)! (Stats via Erik Qualman, “Socialnomics”) Yet where is the representation of effective social media campaigns in the green economy?
What followed this introduction was an engaging and informative hour long discussion ranging from how companies can brand their hashtags (#thankstovincentwilliams) to how GoGreenSolar.com was able to tap into Price is Right (see video below!).
Along the way, the panelists threw out a bevy of important, and possibly underutilized, social media resources. A brief summary is found below:
- twellow – The Twitter Yellow Pages. Search by key term like “clean tech” “business” “green”. Great place to find people in your sector or common interests
- wefollow – People can add THREE tags of the top three things they represent. ie “music” “los angeles” “drummer”. Great place to find people in your sector or common interests
- klout – Klout Score is the measurement of your overall online influence. The scores range from 0 to 100 with higher scores representing a wider and stronger sphere of influence.
- bit.ly – Shorten links and also provides stats on how many people clicked your link and when and from what channels.
- twtvite – Create twitter invites for your local meetup
- Hootsuite – Scheduling Tweets, FB, Linkedin and Ping.FM updates. Assign team members the ability to post to social sites without giving master passwords or admin access on each site directly.
- Onlywire – Syndicates your articles across the web to 30+ platforms. Gets your content on Google in minutes. Great for creating tons of backlinks.
- Ping.fm - Syndicates your social media posts to micro blogging platforms across the web. Ping is geared toward propagating updates rather than articles.
- Ustream - Free live streaming platform. They offer streaming software on the android, iphone, mac and pc platforms.
- OAuth – API with LI, TW and FB for your sites
- Google Toolbar – Provides easy access to networks such as LI, FB and Twitter
- Social Oomph – Lets you add multiple social networking accounts and schedule tweets
- AddThis – Put this button on your sites so users can share quickly on their favorite social networks
- Quantcast – Measure your audience demographics
Arguably one of the most valuable sections of the panel was the Q&A with the audience. Did you miss the panel? Do you have questions for the panelists? Use their twitter handles (linked to each name above!) to find out more information! Also, don’t miss each of the panelists’ upcoming green events…we’ve included handy 140-character messages below that you can tweet out about each:
- Don’t miss @oppgreen, 9/22 – 9/24 right here in LA! Register here –> http://ow.ly/2Isrt Use promo code “COM_P50_CTLA” for 50% off!
- @OnGreenit demo day fast approaching! On 9/28, network with #cleanenergy professionals –> http://ow.ly/2IstV RSVP to JDam[at]OnGreen.com
- 10/12 – 10/14 is @SolarPwrIntl in LA! Friends of #CTLA can use promo code “PTNMBRSPI10” to get 15% off registration –> http://ow.ly/2Isyc
- Oct 8 is the CA Regional Judging & Awards Ceremony for @CleanTechOpen, don’t miss exciting new #cleantech companies! http://ow.ly/2IsDi
- Mark your calendars! @PGA_Green Seminar “Saving Green by Being Green” is Sat, November 13, 2010! Check http://ow.ly/2IsHt for more info!
Hope this information was as useful to you as it was for us! We’ll see you around the ‘net…
CleanTech LA Hot Sheet – September 10, 2010
The big leagues join the green movement, and IBM wants to use your laptop to help solve the global water crisis. And don’t forget to check out all the upcoming events!
Upcoming Events
Understanding CA’s New Building Code
On September 14, a Green Technology Seminer will provide an overview of the new mandatory standards, voluntary tier structure, compliance checklists and code publication dates.
Don't miss it!
PortTech Expo
On September 15 pitch your company to PortTechLA for investment or demonstration opportunities. Mayor Villaraigosa will be there!
Click for more information
CleanTech LA Social Media Panel
Have you ever tweeted about solar panels? Do all of your facebook interests have the words “clean energy” involved? Are you a member of OnGreen? If so, you definitely need to check out the September 21 Cleantech Social Media Panel! (Best of all…it’s free!)
Don't miss it!
CleanTech OC 2010 Expo
Use the CleanTech LA promotion code “CTLA” to receive 10% off when you register for this September 27 conference.
Click to register
Funding Announcements
Department of Energy Extends Renewable Energy Loan Guarantee Solicitation
Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy is extending the application deadline for the July 2009 energy efficiency, renewable energy and advanced transmission and distribution technologies solicitation. Read More.
Department of Energy Paves Way for Additional Clean Energy Projects and Jobs Through Manufacturing Solicitation
Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced a new loan guarantee solicitation for renewable energy manufacturing projects. The solicitation will seek applications for projects that manufacture commercial technology renewable energy systems, such as an energy storage system, and components, such as wind turbine systems, blades or solar photovoltaic components. Read More.
Los Angeles and California in Clean Tech News
Port of Long Beach Retrofitting Old Tugboats
After debuting the world’s first hybrid tugboat in 2009, the Port of Long Beach is partnering again with Foss Maritime Company to retrofit an existing tugboat with hybrid technology. Read More.
Billionaire Koch brothers back suspension of California climate law
A company owned by oil billionaires Charles and David Koch has contributed $1 million to Proposition 23, a November ballot initiative to suspend California’s groundbreaking 2006 global-warming law. Read More.
Green revolution comes to urban neighborhoods
Low-income can also be environmentally friendly, with a little help. Read More.
CRA/LA Receives $448,000 for Transportation Studies
The Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) received $448,000 from the state for transportation planning studies within Downtown Los Angeles near the Clean Tech Corridor and in Panorama City in the San Fernando Valley. Read More.
Clean Tech Policy News
DOE Announces Nearly $30 Million in Competitive Awards for State Energy Efficiency Projects
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the investment of $28.5 million to 12 states and territories to support energy efficiency projects that will lower energy bills for American families and businesses, boost job growth, and increase investment in companies that deliver energy-saving technologies. Read More.
Does the RES stand a chance?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) dropped a hint last week that he may still try to get a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) into the Senate energy bill. Read More.
Research and Technology News
Probes Find Energy Meters Accurate, Service Lacking
A four-month investigation spurred by a surge in energy-bill complaints found new smart meters installed in Northern California by PG&E Corp. are accurately measuring energy use. Read More.
Do smart meters boost energy bills? Not so, study concludes
P&E’s smart meters are performing accurately, according to an independent study released Thursday, after a rickety rollout that has led to thousands of consumer complaints. Read More.
Big league sports join the green team, score with solar
Talk about sporting greens: On Wednesday, all of the United States’ professional sports leagues said they would distribute a guide on how to switch to renewable energy and urge their teams to solarize their stadiums. Read More.
IBM lets you use your laptop to solve the global water crisis
Want to help solve the global water crisis? Step away from your laptop and let it join millions of other computers being used by scientists who will tap idle processing power to develop water filtering technology, clean up polluted waterways, and find treatments for water-related diseases. Read More.
Financial News
Top Ten Solar Venture Capital Investors
The normal metrics for grading VCs don’t apply to today’s solar investors, at least not in any meaningful way. Read More.
Doerr, Pickens, Reid, et al. at UNLV Energy Summit
Americans spend more on potato chips than on clean energy R&D each year. Read More.
Cleantech Social Media Panel
Have you ever tweeted about solar panels? Do all of your facebook interests have the words “clean energy” involved? Are you a member of OnGreen? If so, you definitely need to check out the upcoming Cleantech Social Media Panel! (Best of all…it’s free!)
Don't miss it!
Social Media Week is a multi-city global conference connecting people, content, and conversations around emerging trends in social and mobile media. This year, from September 20-24, Los Angeles will be one of five focal cities (joining Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Milan).
Click here for the full event line-up (photo courtesy SMW)
CleanTechLA’s September 21st event will focus on how social media can help budding entrepreneurs and established businesses get out their message. For an industry that is extremely capital intenstive, a variety of social media outlets can provide much needed free publicity. Panelists will discuss the link between funding and outreach, and also how various clean and green endeavors can create worthwhile partnerships. With representatives from cleantech startups, production companies, talent agencies, competitions and conferences, this is sure to be a stacked event. Please click here to register!
You can also click here!
Panelist information is listed below. Their full biographies are also online. Do you have questions that you’d like to submit to the moderator? Tweet them to @CleanTechLA and we’ll make sure your voice is heard. We look forward to seeing you at the event!
Stan Holt – COO/President of OnGreen (moderator)
Vincent Williams – PGA Green
Nikhil Jain – Founder & CEO of OnGreen
Chathri Munasinghe – Director of New Media at Opportunity Green
Erik Steeb – LA Chair, Cleantech Open
Deep Patel – Founder & CEO of GoGreen Solar
CleanTech Manufacturing Center RFP
On Friday September 3, the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) released its Request for Proposals (RFP) for development of their 20-acre CleanTech Manufacturing Center site.
Aerial view of site
The site, positioned as the southern anchor of the Los Angeles Cleantech Corridor, will be open for purchase or long term ground lease. The winning bid will also be responsible for the development of a state-of-the-art industrial complex “engaged in the sustainable manufacturing, assembly, and/or development of clean technologies and products.” Any proposal will need to be characterized by “quality employment opportunities, sustainability, and innovation in manufacturing.” The target start date for construction is 2013.
CRA/LA site rendering
CRA/LA on-street rendering
Important dates for the RFP are listed below:
October 1, 2010 – Pre-Submittal Meeting & Site Tour
November 1, 2010 – Written Questions Due
December 3, 2010 – RFP Due Date
CleanTech LA Hot Sheet – September 4, 2010
Did you know you could buy a green champagne bottle? Or that you could learn about CA’s new building code on 9/14? Read on for more news stories:
Upcoming Events
Understanding CA’s New Building Code
On September 14th, a Green Technology Seminer will provide an overview of the new mandatory standards, voluntary tier structure, compliance checklists and code publication dates.
Don't miss it!
PortTech Expo
On September 15 pitch your company to PortTechLA for investment or demonstration opportunities. Mayor Villaraigosa will be there!
Click for more information
CleanTech OC 2010 Expo
Use the CleanTech LA promotion code “CTLA” to receive 10% off when you register for this September 27 conference.
Click to register
Opportunity Green 2010
Use the CleanTech LA promotion code “COM_P50_CTLA” to receive 50% off when you register for this September 22-24 conference.
Click for more information
Los Angeles and California in Clean Tech News
L.A. mayor, Latino activist take on oil companies over Proposition 23
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday rebuked Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp., which operate refineries in Wilmington, for bankrolling a measure that would effectively scuttle the state’s efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Source
Port of L.A.’s “clean truck’ program prevails in court
A federal judge has given the nation’s busiest port complex authority to require shipping trucks to reduce air pollution. U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder ruled Thursday that the Port of Los Angeles’ Clean Trucks Program can require trucks coming in and out of the port to meet diesel emissions standards. Source
Solar Panel Manufacturing Operation Opens in Chatsworth
Long time researcher and developer of low-cost‚ high-efficiency solar power technologies, Dr. Vijay K. Kapur has big plans for his Chatsworth based company.International Solar Electric Technology, Inc., which he founded in 1985, has been perfecting a technology for developing solar panels using a patented “Ink-Based” process, where special ink is printed on glass, or stainless steel foil, and processed to create hair- thin film photovoltaic cells. The panels can be rigid or flexible. Now Kapur said the company is ready to take that technology from the laboratory to a large commercial platform. Source
Clean Tech Policy News
Next-Generation Feed-in Tariff for California?
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a proposed decision to launch a new renewable incentive program designed to drive mid-sized renewable energy development. This next-generation feed-in tariff program will require investor-owned California utilities to purchase electricity from renewable energy systems between 1 and 20 MW in size. Source
Cars to Get Grades for Fuel Economy
Cars coming out in the 2012 model year are going to get graded. The Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency unfurled the new window stickers that will grace cars in the near future to better inform prospective customers about their fuel consumption. In a nutshell, the cars get grades. Electric cars will generally get an A+ while plug-in hybrids will get A’s. Source
Research and Technology News
Wind Turbine Projects Run Into Resistance
The United States military has found a new menace hiding here in the vast emptiness of the Mojave Desert in California: wind turbines. Moving turbine blades can be indistinguishable from airplanes on many radar systems, and they can even cause blackout zones in which planes disappear from radar entirely. Source
Waste Management going for ‘black gold’
The trash and recycling services company Waste Management is expanding into the organic gardening business. The new line of products will include organic garden compost, which is often referred to by gardeners as black gold because the nutrient-rich material enhances plant growth when added to soil. Source
A Greener Champagne Bottle
France’s Champagne industry is trying to cut the carbon dioxide it emits transporting billions of tiny bubbles around the world.Source
Financial News
Recovery Act Propels 3 GW of Solar Projects to Front in California
In a last-minute race to the finish-line, the CEC has approved a staggering 2,800 MW (or 3 GW) of solar projects this month in California. Among them are Tessera Solar’s 709 MW Imperial Valley Solar project in Imperial County (scaled down from 750 MW, by BLM request) and NextEra Energy’s 250 MW Beacon Solar Energy Project, the first large-scale solar-thermal power projects permitted in California in two decades. Source
China Energy Recovery Presents to Investors at Rodman & Renshaw Conference in New York City
China Energy Recovery Inc. (Pink Sheets: CGYV) (“CER”), an international leader in the design, fabrication, installation and servicing of waste heat recovery systems, announced today that it will present to investors at the Rodman & Renshaw Annual Global Investment Conference in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 10:00 am EDT. Source
The Greening of the Los Angeles Economy
By Kevin Lenhart, Greening of the LA Economy Project Volunteer, LAEDC
As the old adage goes, “What gets measured gets managed.”
The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) is no stranger to this principle, having retained or attracted nearly 1,200 businesses to Los Angeles County since 1996. Such activity has generated a roughly $8 billion dollar direct impact on the regional economy.
LAEDC Logo
To fully capitalize on the opportunities presented by the burgeoning clean tech sector, the LAEDC has undertaken an in-depth study of what it means to “green” the Los Angeles economy. To best address our urgent environmental goals we must first understand both where we currently stand with respect to sustainability, and where we must go. “Sustainability” should be thought of in an economic as well as ecological sense. Given our tandem economic and environmental goals, we require a solution that not only halts pollution and improves our environment’s health, but also creates jobs and grows our economy in an environmentally friendly way.
Simply put, environmental health cannot be separated from corresponding economic health. Such symbiosis is possible, but before these dual purposes can be achieved, a strategy is required.
Enter the LAEDC’s Greening of the Los Angeles Economy (Greening) report. This study, now nearing completion, examines the challenges, opportunities and threats associated with efforts to make the county’s economy more efficient, less polluting, and more sustainable. The study addresses four key questions:
- What is driving the greening of the L.A. economy?
- How will efforts to green the economy affect the existing industries and businesses that power the L.A. economy?
- What new opportunities will greening create?
- What can we do to make sure a greener L.A. is a stronger L.A.?
First, understanding the drivers behind greening is critical. These include compliance with state, local and national policies; cost-saving efforts; investment opportunities; and a general desire to “do the right thing.” The most effective policies to encourage greening and the attraction of green jobs will need to be aligned with these motives.
Second, the region’s greatest potential contribution to reducing global pollution levels will be to demonstrate that greening is compatible with a thriving economy. Others should be encouraged to follow our lead. Doing so will mean attracting new green jobs while simultaneously greening (without crippling) existing industries. Accordingly, the Greening report focuses on existing businesses in 23 industry clusters that are major employers and/or draw new money into the regional economy.
Third, attracting new green jobs through the development of a clean tech sector is the focus of CleanTech LA, which faces significant competition from emerging and established economic centers around the world. LAEDC’s study examines nine sectors where greening will drive demand. The emphasis here is on the size of the market, potential competition, whether L.A. has a particular comparative advantage, and the opportunities for generating employment.
Finally, the study describes generalized and industry-specific best practices that firms have implemented and what can help L.A. firms make a smooth transition to greening their operations. The study provides recommendation for government officials and policy makers that should help ensure that greening is compatible with a healthy, growing economy.
Outside of the effort surrounding this report, the LAEDC is taking additional steps to usher in a new green era for the Los Angeles economy. LAEDC assembled a Green Task Force, whose goal is to develop a “road map” for building a robust, export-orientated clean tech sector in Los Angeles County. The task force will focus its attention on improving five specific facets of Los Angeles’ green economy
- Green building and resource efficiency
- Electricity and energy generation and transmission
- Recycling and waste management
- Alternative transportation and transport fuels
- Water management and conservation.
And after a year of careful strategizing and deliberation, the County of Los Angeles released its first-ever consensus Strategic Plan for Economic Development, which includes clean technology development as one of its 52 strategies to help reignite the sputtering Los Angeles economy. Endorsed by a consortium of private, public and educational sector stakeholders, federal and state elected officials, and five of the county’s regional Councils of Governments representing 82 of the county’s 88 cities, the Strategic Plan’s green components embrace our economic and environmental goals.
The strategies to achieve these goals include expanding of Los Angeles’ clean tech workforce through our robust university system and the development of a “21st Century Infrastructure” to help us meet the county’s and state’s clean energy goals. This clean tech infrastructure will include expanded solar power capabilities, which are being pushed in the FiT LA Solar program developed by fellow CleanTech LA partners LABC and UCLA.
With such extensive overtures to clean tech in the works, Los Angeles County is already attracting significant clean tech investment – including the large Chinese conglomerate, BYD’s April announcement that it has selected Los Angeles as its base for its North American headquarters. If we continue to support the transition to a greener economy, CleanTech LA’s goal of making the Los Angeles region a global clean tech hub may be met sooner than we think.
CleanTech LA Hot Sheet – August 27, 2010
We’ve got three exciting cleantech events coming up, and news from around the nation. Did you know scientists are working on how we can harness the electricity from lightning? Or that Canada just unveiled an electric vehicle whose body is made out of hemp? Read on!
Mayor’s CleanTech LA Hotsheet: Friday, August 30, 2010
Upcoming Events
PortTech Expo
On September 15 pitch your company to PortTechLA for investment or demonstration opportunities. Mayor Villaraigosa will be there!
Click for more information
CleanTech OC 2010 Expo
Use the CleanTech LA promotion code “CTLA” to receive 10% off when you register for this September 27 conference.
Click to register
Opportunity Green 2010
Use the CleanTech LA promotion code “COM_P50_CTLA” to receive 50% off when you register for this September 22-24 conference.
Click for more information
Funding Announcements
Weatherization plan covers solar, efficiency tech
The federally funded weatherization program has been expanded to cover comprehensive home energy retrofits, rather than only traditional energy audits. The Department of Energy announced an additional $120 million in funding. Full text found here
Department of Energy Extends Renewable Energy Loan Guarantee Solicitation
Secretary Steven Chu announced today that the Department of Energy is extending the application deadline for the July 2009 energy efficiency, renewable energy and advanced transmission and distribution technologies solicitation. Full text found here
Department of Energy Paves Way for Additional Clean Energy Projects and Jobs Through Manufacturing Solicitation
The Department of Energy announced a new loan guarantee solicitation seeking applications for projects that manufacture commercial technology renewable energy systems. This includes energy storage systems and components, such as wind turbine systems, blades or solar photovoltaic components. Full text found here
Los Angeles and California in Clean Tech News
Miasole Signs Deal to Ship 7.5 MW of CIGS to Germany
MiaSole, a California based company which makes copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar modules, has signed a contract to deliver 7.5 megawatts of panels to Germany. The panels will be placed on roofs and in the ground at utility-scale solar parks in that country. Full text found here
California Approves First New U.S. Thermal Solar Plant
California regulators on Wednesday approved a license for the nation’s first large-scale solar thermal power plant in two decades. The 250-megawatt Beacon Solar Energy Project comes as several other big solar farms are set to receive approval from the California Energy Commission in the next month. Full text found here
Clean Tech Policy News
DWP Progress on Once-Through Cooling Issue
The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce applauds the progress that LA Department of Water and Power General Manager Austin Beutner and his staff have made along with the senior staff of the State Water Resources Control Board to save money for Los Angeles rate payers. Full text found here
Research and Technology News
Scientists work to harness lightning for electricity
A group of chemists from the University of Campinas in Brazil presented research claiming they’ve figured out how electricity is formed and released in the atmosphere. The team said it believes a device could be developed for extracting electrical charges from the atmosphere and using it for electricity. Full text found here
GE to test energy efficiency of smart homes
General Electric will provide digital energy technology for a research project to test how energy-efficient homes can be with smart-grid products for consumers. The $5 million Department of Energy program will equip homeowners with GE’s home electricity management system. Full text found here
Motive Unveils the Kestrel Canada’s First Electric Vehicle Design Made from Hemp
The car, called the Kestrel, will debut during the September EV 2010 Conference and Trade Show in Vancouver. It is an electric 4 passenger compact vehicle, made from impact resistant bio composite material. The bio composite material is made from Hemp mats. Full text found here
Financial News
Calif. cleantech VC deals increase gap over Mass.
In 2008, California saw four times as many cleantech VC deals as Massachusetts (134 to 36). The share going to California grew in 2009 and has expanded further in the first half of this year, when California saw more than five times as many deals as the Bay State (92 to 18). Full text found here
Bill Gates: Spike in clean energy R&D needed
In anenergy discussion, Gates adds color to his main point on US energy R&D. Many significant energy tech advances are needed to halt the buildup of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels. Full text found here
