Let there be light: eSolar switches on first U.S. solar thermal tower
The U.S. solar industry just took a great leap forward with eSolar’s announcement that its 5-megawatt Sierra SunTower is now fully operational. Located in Lancaster, Calif., the array uses 24,000 mirrors to concentrate sunlight on two 160-foot towers.
The facility is technically a solar thermal plant,… Continue Reading
eSolar nabs $30M licensing deal for Indian plants
eSolar has been focusing increasingly on building large-scale plants in the U.S., and shedding plans to do the same overseas. Just last week, it announced that it sold its rights to build 500 megawatts worth of solar-thermal plants to NRG Energy for $10 million in… Continue Reading
Evolution Robotics rolling toward an automated world
Banking on the idea that helper robots will be as ubiquitous in homes and offices as they are today in factories, Evolution Robotics has raised almost $14 million to continue developing both software and hardware for a variety of self-directed machines.
Evolution, an Idealab startup founded… Continue Reading
Online cooking marketplace Cooking.com stirs up $7.1M
Cooking.com, an online marketplace for all things having to do with cooking, has raised $7.1 million from a number of investors, including Starbucks executive Troy Alstead.
Other investors in the Pasadena, Calif. company, include Clearstone Venture Partners, Idealab, Azure Capital and Weldon Oven of San Francisco…. Continue Reading
Google, Oak Investment and Idealab back eSolar to the tune of $130M
In the rapid rise of solar thermal power, a small handful of companies have grabbed the lion’s share of attention and funding: Ausra, Brightsource and Solel are the three most oft-heard names. Another company, eSolar, can now add its name to that shortlist, with one… Continue Reading
TNS buys Web traffic analysis company Compete for $75M
Taylor Nelson Sofres, the world’s third largest market research company according to one measure, has acquired Compete, a company that tries to measure the traffic and types of people that visit certain web sites, for $75m (£37.8m).
TNS, based in London, apparently made the statement as… Continue Reading
Infinia, with $50M, becomes latest solar player to draw big investment
Although it’s over two decades old, Infinia is a relative newcomer to the solar market, having only been working on its solar thermal generator for a few years.
That may not prevent it from quickly becoming one of the largest players, though, with a new $50… Continue Reading
Cooking.com taps $7M loan for expansion
A survivor of the dotcom era, Cooking.com is primarily a shopping site with a recipe section and a few social features tacked on.
The Santa Monica, Calif.-company also offers white-label community sites for large food-related companies such as Starbucks and the Food Network. The full list… Continue Reading
Would you drive this car? Aptera unveils the Typ-1
While San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla Motors gets plenty of attention for its much-hyped Roadster, it’s only one of a group of California startups aiming to commercialize electric cars. Idealab-backed Aptera, which is based out of Carlsbad, officially unveiled its new Typ-1 design today, with a… Continue Reading
Roundup: Medio v. Google, Sprint jettisoning WiMax?, BugLabs & more
Here’s the latest action:
1. Medio’s roar turning to a squeal?
2. Sprint changing WiMax plans?
3. AOL rumored to be considering buying ad targeting network Quigo for $300 million
4. Bug Labs, for open-sourced electronic devices
5. Semantic search engine Hakia releases social networking tool
6. The amazing $200 Ubuntu… Continue Reading
Infinia gets $9.4M to push the Stirling engine for solar
Earlier this week, we wrote about setbacks at some Silicon Valley companies with new solar technology.
They’re built on real science and work in the labs, but they’re grappling with the real-world manufacturing stage.
Infinia, of Kennewick, Wash., is another example of this. It has just… Continue Reading
Electric car crazy — Aptera, Hybrid Technologies, PG&E show their latest
Updated
We’re entering electric car mania, now that global warming has become an increasing concern.
Things will get crazier still, now that California’s politicians are talking about slapping a $2,500 new tax on gas guzzlers, and giving consumers who buy fuel-efficient cars up to $2,500 in… Continue Reading
Citysearch snaps up Insider Pages in local search race
Citysearch, the division of IAC focuses on local reviews of restaurants and other services, has acquired the struggling local review start-up, Insider Pages.
The purchase (amount undisclosed) comes at a time of increasing competition in the race to deliver a compelling local search services. Citysearch’s parent,… Continue Reading