venture capital
Global investments in the cleantech sector dropped significantly in the first quarter of this year, down nearly 50 percent over the same period a year ago, according to The Cleantech Group and Deloitte. Preliminary results show that 82 firms across North America, Europe, China and India invested some $1 billion
electric cars
The future of electric vehicles in the UK depends not only on direct support, but on support for renewables in general, according to the Renewable Energy Association (REA). The REA said today that it welcomes the early comments on electric vehicles in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s budget, but said
All those CO2-absorbing hopes pinned on tiny algae have experienced yet another setback, as European researchers find that warmer ocean temperatures cause bacteria to devour increasing masses of algae, meaning less can sink to the sea bottom with its stored carbon. Scientists are already dealing with the disappointment from last
china
Remember all those grand new eco-cities that were supposed to spring up out of bare earth in China? Yeah … we forgot about them too. Fortunately, Christina Larson at Yale Environment 360 hasn’t, and she provides a fascinating followup of China’s best-laid green-city plans in “China’s Grand Plans
Lowly ambitions? Not at all, Jurdy finds …
cleantech
Cleantech news as it happens — check back for regular updates: * “Cyberspies” from Russia, China and other countries are believed to have hacked into the US electrical grid and left behind software that could interfere with the system, according to a report in today’s Wall Street Journal; * The World Business
carbon reduction commitment
With just a year to go before large organisations in the UK must begin reporting their carbon footprints under the government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), one British consultancy has found that some business sectors appear far more willing to disclose their emissions than others. According to CO2Benchmark.com, a
cleantech
Skipped a bit of reading over the past 24 hours? Not to worry: Greenbang has your daily roundup of cleantech news and developments: * Norwegian officials plan to invest $3.1 billion in government pension funds over the next five years to support clean technology development; * The Organisation for Economic Co-operation
Technology media company Red Herring has announced the winners of its Red Herring 100 Europe 2009 awards for most promising technology companies. The winners include: * Epuramat, a Luxembourg-based firm that provides innovative systems for the efficient treatment of wastewater; * Oslo-based Rubberduck Media Lab, which makes TV and video work on
small wind energy systems
Exports from the UK’s small-wind-energy sector showed strong growth last year, thanks to a combination of increased demand from overseas and a weakened British pound, according to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA). The BWEA’s figures, set for release at the International Small Wind Conference on 22 April,
weather modification
A new type of five-sided ice chain structure has the potential to be used to modify future weather patterns, according to researchers at the University of Liverpool. Working with scientists from University College London and the Fritz-Haber Institut in Berlin, the team observed the structure while condensing water on a
biofuels
Growing duckweed on hog farms could not only clean up animal waste but provide a biofuel energy stock with five to six times more starch per acre than corn, according to researchers at North Carolina State University. That means duckweed could become an ethanol source that’s “faster and cheaper
