Sakti3, Inc., a developer of next-generation lithium-ion batteries, announced the investment of $4.2M by General Motors Ventures and Itochu Technology Ventures to advance the firm’s manufacturing capabilities. The companies also plan to work together to speed commercialization of Sakti3 battery cells. The two, new strategic investors join previous investors Khosla Ventures and Beringea. “These investments […]

Underwriters Laboratories (UL), announced the opening of a testing and certification facility for photovoltaic (PV) equipment in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, Japan. In addition to offering performance and safety testing services for PV equipment in Japan, the facility will provide technical support to Japanese PV equipment manufacturers as they develop their businesses and enter overseas […]

A123 Systems announced the opening of what it says is the largest lithium ion automotive battery production facility in North America, based on available data. The new plant in Livonia, Michigan is expected to expand A123’s manufacturing capabilities by up to 600MW hours per year when fully operational, contributing to the company’s plan to expand […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Sandia National Laboratories is investing $8.5 million for four projects that have reached Stage III of the Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) program. These investments will be matched more than one-to-one by the SEGIS contractors to support more than $20 million in total projects. The selections […]

In the wake of a flurry of customer complaints, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) welcomed the release by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) of an independent, third-party evaluation of the utility’s SmartMeter™ program. The report, prepared by The Structure Group of Houston, Texas, states that PG&E’s new meters are recording customer electric usage […]

ADD Semiconductor, a powerline communication (PLC) IC company for smart grid applications, has received the official PRIME brand recognition as a technology provider, and it states that it is the first silicon vendor to do so. Equipment from ADD has successfully completed the certification process defined by the PRIME Alliance Certification Task Group, and its […]

Marvell announced the launch of the “Smart-Electronics Initiative,” a cross-industry collaborative campaign aimed at increasing awareness for the growing amount of energy consumed by everyday consumer electronics. The effort will also promote wider adoption of energy efficiency technologies, such as Power Factor Correction (PFC) and Light Emitting Diodes (LED). Dr. Sehat Sutardja, Chairman, President and […]

ULC Standards, a unit of Underwriters Laboratories has acquired TerraChoice, a green marketing consultancy and the managers of Canada’s EcoLogo program. While the acquisition was conducted by ULC Standards, the move serves to bring TerraChoice together with UL Environment (ULE) for a partnership that will expand and enhance both groups’ capacities and reach. “TerraChoice will […]

ENER1, Inc. announced that it has agreed to sell $55 million of senior unsecured notes, together with shares of common stock and warrants, to certain investment funds, led by funds managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. In addition, the company also announced the sale of $10 million in senior convertible notes to strategic partner […]

Hard to believe, but summer is almost officially over! Cooler weather is just around the corner, and it’s always best to be prepared. As Andrea mentioned on Tuesday, one of the best things you can do to get ready for cool weather is have a home energy assessment to find out where you are losing […]