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… 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… 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… 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… Continue Reading

Branson’s Virgin Fuels backs Metrolight, to sell efficient lamps

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… Continue Reading