Photovoltaic Conference and Exhibition Preview 2009

2008 California Clean Tech Open Awards Gala

Cool Earth Solar attracts a Hot $21 Million in Series A Financing

In COOL EARTH SOLAR CLOSES $21 MILLION SERIES A FINANCING, Cool Earth Solar (CES, http://www.coolearthsolar.com) announced the initial closing of a $21 million Series A round of financing today on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2008. Cool Earth Solar stated additional closings of this round may occur over the next 60 days.

Cool Earth Solar has developed a proprietary Concentrated PhotoVoltaic (CPV) technology that the company claims will achieve radical reductions in the material cost and weight of CPV versus competing high concentration photovoltaic systems. Furthermore

Photovoltaic Conference and Exhibition Preview 2008

Significant photovoltaic conferences and events in 2008

In chronological order, here are the conferences I am interested in covering or following in 2008. The schedule is packed with three new conferences and events versus last year, and my focus remains technical conferences and business to business trade shows, not regional marketing or sales events. Location alignment results in two events each for San Francisco, San Diego, and Munich.

Concentrated Solar Power USAJanuary 28-29, 2008San Francisco, California USA

As I mentioned in Photovoltaics: 2007 Post Review and 2008 Trends to Watch – Part 2, Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) is the hottest solar power segment. Second in a series, the Event Overview is titled:

How to build

1-Solar: 2007 CCTO Renewables Award Winner Profile

1-Solar, Inc. (http://1-solar.com/) CEO Tranh Nguyen was able to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule meeting with Venture Capitalists (VCs), investors, and customers to discuss his 2007 California Clean Tech Open (CCTO) Renewables Award winning company.

First, Mr. Nguyen said the following about the 1-Solar inverter design:

The main reason for the small size, reduced weight, and long life of our 1-Solar inverter design is our patent-pending Push-Push™ inverter topology. This Push-Push topology converts DC (Direct Current) to AC (Alternating Current) in a single step compared to the two steps required in conventional High Frequency

2007 California Clean Tech Open Final Awards Event Gala

1-Solar wins Renewables PrizeGreenVolts, Inc. announces $10 Million Series A Funding

The Academy Awards of Clean Tech, aka the Awards Ceremony for the 2007 CALIFORNIA CLEAN TECH OPEN, took place last night on Monday, October 29, 2007, at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco, California USA.

In the Renewables Category, 1-Solar was the winner of the Renewables Prize (one of six CCTO Category prizes) and Tahoe Water Systems was the runner up.

1-Solar, Inc. claims to have halved the cost and doubled the life of DC to AC inverters for solar photovoltaic system applications. 1-Solar’s President Tranh Nguyen makes his acceptance

GreenVolts presents at Alternative Energy Innovations 2007

[Redwood City, California USA]

CCTO 2007 Alumni Award won by GreenVolts

GreenVolts, Inc. founder and CEO Bob Cart delivered a crisp company Utility Scale Solar presentation on Wednesday, October 24, 2007, at the Dow Jones VentureWire Alternative Energy Innovations 2007 conference in Redwood City, California.

In a succinct summary of the GreenVolts business model, Mr. Cart said:

We sell energy not solar panels.

GreenVolts and PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG) entered into a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the GV1 High Concentration PhotoVoltaic (HCPV) power plant as I reported in GreenVolts does it again with 2MW Solar Electric Plant deal

2007 California Clean Tech Open Finalists

In this year’s California Clean Tech Open (CCTO), 50 finalist teams were selected from a field of 120 entries. The finalists were announced via email after today’s (July 26, 2007) Green Building Innovators Symposium held at Google building 1500. This event was sponsored and hosted by Google.

Criteria used in the judging of entrants are explained at how the 2007 Finalists Have Been Selected.

By my counts, the category finalists were distributed as follows:

nine

GreenVolts scores Solar Project and Investment from Avista

Avista makes strategic investment in GreenVolts

Avista Corporation (NYSE:AVA) has chosen GreenVolts for a demonstration High Concentration PhotoVoltaics (HCPV) project. The official press release is Avista Chooses GreenVolts for Utility Scale Solar Trial. Although this news was tipped in the Business 2.0 Magazine article, Big Solar's day in the sun, the strategic investment by Avista in GreenVolts for an undisclosed amount is new.

This summer, GreenVolts will site their solar electric solution at Avista’s Clean Energy Test Site located in Rathdrum, Idaho per Solar test plant planned for Rathdrum and just across the border from Spokane, Washington. In order to validate… Read More >>

California Clean Tech Open 2007 Kick-off Event Wrap up

Closing Speakers headline the Event

Even though I took BART, I arrived late to the California Clean Tech Open 2007 launch event and missed the Welcome Introductions and opening speakers.

But first, there are six clean tech categories in the competition: Air, Water & Waste, Energy Efficiency, Green Building, Renewables, Smart Power, and Transportation. The California Clean Tech Open (CCTO) winner in each category will receive a "Start-Up In A Box" Prize Package worth $100,000: $50,000 in cash from the category prize sponsor and an additional $50,000 worth of sponsor donated office space… Read More >>