VentureBeat

Hewlett-Packard, tapping into its IP back catalog, recently announced that it would license its thin film transparent transistor technology to Livermore, Calif.-based Xtreme Energetics (XE) to develop advanced concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) solar arrays for rooftops and utilities.

HP’s thin, flat transistors, which are made of cheap, plentiful zinc and tin, will create a tracking system that directly focuses sunlight on XE’s proprietary solar concentrators. These will allow XE’s concentrators to achieve double the conversion efficiency of conventional silicon solar panels. XE’s solar trackers could also be adapted for concentrated solar thermal applications, opening the door to other potentially lucrative deals.

The transparent electronics, in addition to preventing light from being blocked as with conventional systems, allows for a greater degree of aesthetic appeal by enabling the placement of artistic patterns on the arrays — which means they could eventually be incorporated into a variety of building materials and in facades.

Furthermore, the use of HP’s transistors avoids the need for mechanical tracking devices, which incur high maintenance costs and are one of the biggest obstacles to installing CPV systems — often casting shadows onto themselves. XE CEO Colin Williams told CNET that its final design would call for a multilayered solar panel with HP’s transparent transistor technology, a high-efficiency solar cell and a plastic internal reflection concentrator. In an industry where space and efficiency come at a premium, XE could grab a large slice of the rooftop solar market with its flat, compact systems. The ease of use and adaptability its transparent electronics offer means XE could break into other, more specialized markets — especially given their aesthetic value.

Though the company has yet to develop an actual prototype, it expects to have its first-generation array model for utilities available next year. Williams said his firm’s array would be able to convert up to 43 percent of sunlight into energy at a cost of $1.50 per watt once it reaches a 100 megawatt production capacity.

It is currently in the process of raising a $5 million first round of funding and plans on raising another $35 million round within the coming months. It will use these funds to continue its product development and to build national and international manufacturing, marketing and sales operations.

The field of high-profile CPV startups has grown by leaps and bounds over the past year. Silicon Valley Solar, which develops internal concentrator modules, Cool Earth Solar, which received funding a few months ago to develop plastic balloon concentrators, and Sunrgi, which has claimed 5 - 7 cents per kilowatt prices from its solar concentrator design, are just a few of the companies we’ve covered.

According to the San Francisco Business Times, HP is considering 150 licensing deals with applications in solar and energy efficiency. Other tech firms that have parlayed their expertise into energy efficiency technologies include IBM and Intel. IBM unveiled a new line of small, modular data centers and green financing software as part of its Project Big Green initiative this week while Intel, which showcased 70 research projects at its recent Research@Intel event, is developing energy efficient platforms and environmental sensing systems, among others

Verizon to buy Alltel, your cell phone bill to go up? — Verizon has concluded a deal to buy smaller wireless operator Alltel for $27 billion. Combined, the two will pass AT&T to become the largest operator in the US. Alltel has many users in the Midwest, and it has gotten relatively good marks for things like customer service, that market leaders like Verizon and AT&T are not known for. Analyst Craig Moffett of Sanford C. Bernstein is optimistic about such consolidation driving up prices for consumers. The New York Times quotes him as follows:

The consolidation of Alltel takes another step towards rationalizing and consolidating the U.S. Wireless industry, something that must be viewed as a positive. Fewer players will inevitably mean greater pricing stability (although only marginally so, since the smaller operators increasingly have been in the position of taking their cues from the Big Four anyway), and should lead to marketing efficiencies for all players as competition for retail distribution consolidates.

“Pricing stability,” of course, is a euphemism for less competition, but the deal is expected to pass regulators, and anyway, some consumer-rights groups aren’t worried. For mobile startups, this all means there’s one less wireless operator out there to try to work with. [AP photo via The Boston Globe.]

Valley VC Vinod Khosla to get backing from CalPERS for cleantech investments — The California pension fund is expected to put up to $640 million into Kholsa Ventures, Khosla’s self-titled and self-funded investment vehicle that has focused on cleantech investments. PEHub has details; see also our previous coverage of the Wall Street Journal’s criticism of Khosla’s biofuel investments, and his response.

Microsoft may buy information management software company Zoomix for $20 to $30 million — more here.

HP also getting into cleantech — The storied tech conglomerate has announced an agreement with Xtreme Energetics to develop a solar energy system designed to generate electricity “at twice the efficiency and half the cost of traditional solar panels,” it claims. HP is licensing its transparent transistor technology, which it developed in conjunction with Oregon State University, to Xtreme Energetics in exchange for royalty payments.

Business software company EMC to buy data storage firm Iomega — The move will set EMC off on a new strategy to create a consumer business in data storage, an area that Google and other consumer-facing Internet companies have also been getting into.

The Los Angeles Times launches a tech blog — This means more competition for VentureBeat, which we, of course, welcome. The blog’s staff includes the excellent Jessica Guynn, who was recently hired away from The San Francisco Chronicle.