Cleantech isn’t just about sparking innovation, but also about helping California’s economy grow.

It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that cleantech, in large part, is actually materials tech.  “Nanotechnology” has some vogue as a term, but fundamentally nanotech is materials technology, and materials technology is broader than nanotech (altering materials at a molecular or atomic scale). Materials are at the core of most of the required innovations to help solve [...]

A round up of cleantech stories that caught our eye this week, but we didn’t have a chance to cover.

On March 1 in Chicago, I attended the Clean Energy Challenge, a business plan competition among energy tech ventures from the Midwest, convened by the Clean Energy Trust. With $250,000 of prizes sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Challenge was the culmination of several weeks of screening and coaching of over 100 ventures from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, [...]

By Neal Dikeman A quote in a recent Wired article claiming cleantech is getting pounded epitomizes the zero sum mentality prevalent in the renewable energy and cleantech discussion. ‘Even solar’s biggest allies on Capitol Hill — people such as Edward J Markey, a top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee — fear the [...]

By Neal Dikeman A quote in a recent Wired article claiming cleantech is getting pounded epitomizes the zero sum mentality prevalent in the renewable energy and cleantech discussion. ‘Even solar’s biggest allies on Capitol Hill — people such as Edward J Markey, a top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee — fear the [...]

It’s December again (how did that happen!?) and our annual time for reflection here at Kachan & Co. So as we close out 2011, let’s look towards what the new year may have in store for cleantech. There are eggshells across the sector for 2012. Global economic uncertainty in particular is leaving some skeptical about [...]

This is the 4th year of the Cleantech Blog Power 10 Ranking of cleantech companies doing it right.  Before we make our selection, I’d love this year to read any recommendations you’d like to send.  Check out Volume III for 2010 for ideas, but don’t be dissuaded from sending suggestions. Eligibility for inclusion in the [...]

With the emergence of China as the globe’s cleantech powerhouse (see Why China has already overtaken the U.S. in cleantech), it’s become fashionable for cleantech companies with products to sell to target China seeking large purchase orders. What’s not been so popular is to go to China seeking investment capital. We and a handful of [...]

One of the hottest cleantech investment segments in recent years has been home energy management (HEM).  HEM technologies enable households to remotely and/or more wisely manage their energy use, enabling lower consumption for equivalent (or better) quality of life:  climate control, lighting, entertainment, cooking, etc. In the space of just a week or so, two of [...]