Stealthy startup Soladigm has landed $30 million to help build a factory to start churning out its self-tinting glass in 2012. It’s in a race with rival Sage Electrochromics, which just got $80 million for its factory.
In a move that could help smart window tech reach economies of scale, this morning French construction giant Saint-Gobain announced that it has made an $80 million strategic investment into Sage Electrochromics, a company that makes “electrochromic windows,” which can dynamically block light.
Green building materials startup Serious Materials is best known for selling its eco-drywall and energy efficient windows. But quietly over the past several months the company has jumped into the energy management software market with a software-as-a-service product that enables building owners to reduce energy consumption.
When Walmart decides to invest in emerging green technologies it offers considerable validation. That’s certainly the intention behind Walmart’s announcement that it will pay for solar electricity from installations that use thin film solar panels from MiaSole and First Solar (s FSLR) and are installed by SolarCity.
Intel has taken up a patriotic cause this year, paying special attention to promising U.S.-based companies. The company announced four software and chip companies that have collectively received over $30 million from its Intel Capital Invest in America Technology Fund, including an energy software maker.
Stealthy startup Daintree Networks wants to take a slightly different tack than its competitors — deliver ZigBee-based, interoperable lighting controls to market by partnering directly with the incumbents. Will the big boys be interested?
Sonic Solutions added a new feature to its RoxioNow digital video platform, allowing companies like Blockbuster and Best Buy to deliver videos to mobile devices. By teaming up with Widevine, RoxioNow will now be able to deliver videos to iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry devices.
Phones with video chat capability have been out in Europe for years, but getting the ability on two of the biggest smartphone platforms will expose the feature to millions who have no idea such video calls are possible. A new comprehensive report details this upcoming boom.
One of my favorite parts of last year’s Green:Net event was the launchpad section, where 10 companies that are using information technology to fight climate change launch themselves or new products. So I’m excited to announce this year’s 10 winners of the Green:Net2010 Launchpad.
Just nine metropolitan areas in the U.S. at the end of 2009 could boast the presence of more than 100 commercial and industrial buildings earning the Energy Star label for energy efficiency, according to the just-released list of the EPA’s top 25 cities for Energy Star buildings.
The list (included in full below) offers a general sense of which metro areas are really pushing for greener buildings. But the actual rank on the list shouldn’t be taken at face value, because the number of buildings in a city with superior energy efficiency doesn’t directly correlate with reductions in energy consumption. In this case, size matters.
Read More about 25 Cities That Have Gone Gaga for Green Building
