BrightView picks up $6M for improved solar manufacturing
BrightView, a solar tech firm that hopes to improve the production of photovoltaic solar cells, has raised $6 million in a first round of funding. (The company is not to be confused with BrightView Technologies, an optics company in North Carolina.)
Rather than manufacturing its own cells, BrightView plans to work with other companies to optimize its manufacturing and lower costs. Due to its proximity to Europe, the company plans to work there; one of its… Continue Reading
Israel Cleantech Ventures raises $75M fund
Passing by its target of $60 million, new Israeli venture firm Israel Cleantech Ventures has raised $75 million for its official first fund from backers including Robeco and Piper Jaffray.
Claiming to be Israel’s first cleantech-focused fund, the firm already has bets on some companies, and is planning on investments across most of the cleantech sectors. However, there are a few that are likely to receive more attention, due to the geographical location and political realities… Continue Reading
Pythagoras Solar, another solar PV maker, raises $10M
Pythagoras Solar is an Israel-based maker of solar photovoltaics that was started within Precede Technologies, an incubator that also has offices in Silicon Valley.
The company hasn’t released specific details on its technology, but says it is working on changing some of the “basic principles” behind PV technology by combining “software models, optic design, semiconductor processes, materials science, and mass manufacturing techniques to build highly durable, cost effective solar energy products.”
The $10 million funding is the… Continue Reading
CellEra raises $2M for affordable fuel cells
CellEra is an Israeli stealth-mode startup that is planning to bring affordable fuel cells to market, although it has given little detail on the specifics of its technology.
However, the company’s founders do have extensive experience in methanol fuel cell technology, which leads Earth2Tech to speculate that it is working in that field.
The $2 million funding from Israel Cleantech Ventures. A blog maintained by an intern at that firm states that the company is looking for… Continue Reading
Branson’s Virgin Fuels backs Metrolight, to sell efficient lamps
Metrolight, a company that produces technology for so-called HID lamps, used in expansive areas such as streets, factories and warehouses, has raised $9 million from Virgin Fuels and others.
Lighting absorbs about 26 percent of electricity generated in the U.S. Fluorescent lighting has gotten the most attention as a source of energy saving, because it is an alternative to residential lighting. HID, however, makes up 22 percent of all lighting, according to the U.S. Department of… Continue Reading