Recurrent, ProLogis team up for 4.8 MW of rooftop solar in Spain
Recurrent Energy, a rooftop solar power developer in the U.S., has branched globally, teaming with major warehouse builder ProLogis to turn thousands of square feet of roof in Madrid and Barcelona into a distributed 4.8 megawatt powerplant — large enough to electrify close to 4,000 homes — by the middle of 2010.
The most interesting part of the story may very well be the choice of Spain for the deal. Recurrent Energy is based in San… Continue Reading
California’s renewable energy tangled in power lines
A recent report from the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative says that the state will need to shell out $15.7 billion to install the transmission lines necessary to meet the government’s renewable energy mandates on time. On top of that, power lines have proved to be extremely unpopular with the public.
The new estimate is even higher than the $12 billion price tag the California Public Utilities Commission had predicted for transmission lines back in June. The… Continue Reading
SunRun takes $18M, advice from Accel to make solar consumer-friendly
SunRun, a company that sells rooftop-generated solar power to residential consumers for flat monthly fees (and a one-time startup cost), announced today that it raised $18 million in a second round of funding to market its services even more broadly.
Backed primarily by Accel Partners, SunRun is also implementing an aggressive web-based strategy to boost its profile and attract interest. It says Accel gave it helpful tips to grow traffic on its web site, now at… Continue Reading
Greystone and SolarCity partner to fund solar projects with tax credits
Greystone Renewable Energy Ventures has joined up with solar equipment provider SolarCity in a new tax equity fund that will be used to fund future solar projects. Basically, Greystone capitalizes on its expertise in tax regulations to funnel capital to cleantech companies that qualify for federal tax credit programs. It manages about $12 billion in assets.
SolarCity, the largest residential energy provider in the U.S. last year, is looking to finance $100 million worth of solar… Continue Reading
Thin film hits the rooftop as First Solar buys into SolarCity
First Solar, the undisputed top dog in the thin-film solar industry, has made a move that could prove revolutionary for the solar market. It has invested in SolarCity, a residential and commercial solar installer in San Francisco.
SolarCity will receive $25 million from First Solar, part of a total $30 million investment that the company is announcing today. But more importantly, the company is getting a contract from First Solar for 100 megawatts worth of thin-film… Continue Reading
Sungevity brings web 2.0 grit to the solar installation market
Set to be officially unveiled on Tuesday to coincide with Earth Day, Sungevity, a Berkeley, Calif., based solar installer, aims to make the experience of configuring and ordering solar panels as easy as the click of a mouse — quite literally. Enter your home address on its website, and Sungevity’s satellite-imaging software (from Microsoft’s Visual Earth) takes you to a zoomed-in map of your house. It then helps you calculate your roof’s dimensions (its pitch,… Continue Reading
Solar outlook stays bright even as economy dims
While the market for silicon solar panels appears to be growing at a healthy clip, several factors could either retard or speed its development. A worldwide silicon shortage, government investment credits, energy prices and the existing financing and installation models for solar panels are all in flux. But recent developments in all of those sectors suggest a positive outlook for the sector.
First up, Trina Solar’s recent decision to cancel its $1b silicon plant is widely… Continue Reading
Solar moving south? Rebate plan falters in San Francisco as southern California gains massive project
Updated
An ambitious plan to double the rebate amount for residential solar panel installation in San Francisco, to $6,000 from $3,000, looks a little less certain to pass today with a surprise resolution introduced by San Francisco supervisor Jake McGoldrick to freeze the $3 million necessary for the program.
The idea behind the subsidy, called the Solar Incentive Rebate Program, is to increase solar in San Francisco from five to 55 megawatts in about 10 years time,… Continue Reading
SolarCity, the arms dealer of solar installation, raises $21M more
Updated
SolarCity, the company we’ve dubbed the “Swiss arms dealer” of the solar installation industry, said it has raised $21 million in a third round of funding.
SolarCity, based in Foster City, Calif., has grabbed attention with its aggressive offer to residents in certain regions to provide cheap solar installation if the residents agree to sign up by certain dates. By getting large numbers of customers, SolarCity can reduce costs through economies of scale. It controls installation,… Continue Reading
SAP invests in price management co., Vendavo
Vendavo, a Palo Alto start-up offering price management software for large companies, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from software giant SAP’s venture arm, SAP Ventures.
The company has previously raised more than $56M from investors including DCM, InterWest Partners, Mesirow Financial, Sigma Partners and Split Rock Partners.
Here is the company’s announcement.
A snippet:
Vendavo’s price management solution spans the critical pricing business processes for global corporations, including price setting, price optimization, price administration, price negotiation… Continue Reading
Cisco leads $13.5M investment in RFID co., Reva
Reva Systems, a start-up that builds a system to manage information coming from small radio chips (radio frequency identification, or RFID, chips) has raised $13.5 million in a second round of funding from Cisco and SAP Ventures, according to Byte & Switch.
The round, which also included existing investors North Bridge Venture Partners and Charles River Ventures, brings the startup’s total funding to $20 million.
Musk leads $10M investment in SolarCity — to provide solar for all
Updated
SolarCity, a new Silicon Valley start-up wants to be the Swiss arms-dealer of the solar industry, and has just raised $10 million to do it.
It wants to provide solar installation for individuals and small companies — by acting as an honest, neutral broker, and giving them the best, most affordable technology available.
SolarCity, of Foster City, is the latest start-up backed by serial entrepreneur and former PayPal co-founder, Elon Musk. Musk, who recently led an investment… Continue Reading