A few years ago, during the height of the green patent fast track craze, I wrote a post on cleantech companies generating PR about their patent applications being accepted into an accelerated examination program or being granted by such a program.

Though the excitement has died down and the (more…)

LED lighting remains the hottest area of green patent litigation, with several complaints filed in the last several weeks. Green patent complaints were recently filed in the areas of advanced batteries and solar powered lighting as well. (more…)

After spending $1 billion on renewable energy projects in the last few years, Google is no stranger to reducing their carbon footprint.

It’s common knowledge in the fuel industry that renewable energy sources are becoming more and more popular, thanks to their cost and energy efficiency. As more and more consumers choose to (more…)

In the last month several green patent complaints were filed in the fields of LEDs, advanced batteries and smart grid.

LEDs

Bayco Products, Inc. v. Philips Intellectual Property & Standards (more…)

Here’s a conversation I’m having with a friend about the mess at Fisker, i.e., the departure of the company’s founder.

Craig: That’s incredible about Fisker. What do you make of all this?

Friend: It reminds me of John DeLorean in the 1980s and the movie “Tucker” about Preston Tucker in the (more…)

With early stage capital for cleantech innovation becoming increasingly scarce, crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo and a new crop of clean/green ones are beginning to emerge as significant sources of funding for selected next-gen clean technologies.

Hurdles remain, particularly for investors seeking returns, but I’m more optimistic about these sites’ (more…)

No company has done greater damage to the image of the American solar industry than Solyndra. It was therefore a source of great delight to me last week as I drove along Interstate 880 through Fremont, CA for what I didn’t see. The signs on the old factory were gone. Those persistent thorns in the side of American solar, had finally vanished, closing (more…)

Previous posts (e.g., here and here) discussed the series of patent infringement suits brought by GreenShift and its New York subsidiary, GS Cleantech (GS), against a host of ethanol producers across the midwestern United States.

The litigation currently consists of 11 actions (more…)

A little over a year after 10 cleantech companies were awarded their “Best in Class” distinctions at the 2011 Global Cleantech Cluster Association Later Stage Awards, the firms have collectively secured $462.24 million in funding and project contracts, with additional funding undisclosed. Most recently, Best in Energy Efficiency winner Albeo (more…)

Israel’s agritech sector is experiencing very positive momentum, with three major shows of confidence in the past week: the sale of Algatechnologies to GrovePoint Capital for an estimated value of $50 Million, the sale of engineered seeds company Rosetta Green to Monsanto for $35 Million, and the announcement of (more…)