I covered the messy breakdown of the Carousel/Destiny USA project in Syracuse earlier this week.  In short, the Destiny USA project was selected as a green "demonstration" project under the 2004 Green Bonds program.  $255 million in tax exempt bonds were issued on behalf of the project, the revenue of which was supposed to be used to implement the (more…)

Chile has some of the best conditions available for the growing cleantech industry. There are many opportunities for companies within the sectors of waste management and renewable energy. A lot of the focus of cleantech in Chile is on renewable energy forms, including biomass, solar energy, wind, and hydro power. There is also a growing involvement in (more…)

You might think by this headline that I’m about to rant about the news regarding energy efficiency policy that was circulating last week. President Obama outlined a plan called the Better Buildings Initiative to incentivize energy efficiency in commercial buildings during his visit to Penn State. Actually, I want to explain why multifamily energy management struggles with this (more…)

Searching the internet is an essential part of daily life, but are you aware of how much energy you’re using every time you surf?

We are experiencing the peak of the information age, and thanks to wireless internet technologies, it’s happening in a less resource intensive way. Instead of printed books we have eBooks, and (more…)

Energy is required for any economy to function. From the industrial revolution, the total energy used by the world has only increased in magnitude. However, the good news is that while a hundred years ago we were getting our energy from sources like coal, today’s energy sources are not only less polluting but also more efficient. As a (more…)

Spanish newspaper El Mundo published yesterday the results of the 4,016 inspections made by the Spanish Energy Commission (CNE). The investigations show that three out of four solar photovoltaic (PV) parks didn’t comply with the Spanish (more…)

I think we’re all a bit curious about the ultimate disposition of the energy industry – both here in the US and around the globe. In the States, 49% of our electricity comes from coal, and the penetration of renewables is under 2%. Worldwide, about 80% of energy for all purposes comes from burning hydrocarbons. So if that’s where we are, where are we going? (more…)

Invest in a solar, biofuels, or LED lighting company, and nobody will question the company’s cleantech pedigree. Invest in a manufacturer of network switch upgrades for telephone companies, then call it “cleantech” and you’ll see a lot of raised eyebrows. I know, because we did just that.

We are investors in Aztek Networks, a (more…)

As head of a new energy office at the Pentagon, Sharon Burke is charged with finding ways for the U.S. armed forces to cut its dangerous reliance on oil. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, she talks about what new technologies are being tested and why the military considers energy use a key strategic issue in the field. (more…)

We keep hearing that China is going to become a really big deal in world energy markets. But it wasn’t until I read this statement by Jane Henley, CEO of the World Green Building Council, that I grasped the scope of its coming influence:
“China is projected to build the equivalent of 10 New York Cities over the next decade.” (more…)