Blog
Sustainable Industries Daily Update
Forward
Print
Subscribe- In green shoots news, word on the street is that electric car manufacturer Tesla is planning an IPO sometime soon. Currently it's all hearsay and rumor, but still, if Tesla goes public--and does well--that's going to be a big, nay huge, moment for the electric car. Bigger than when battery-maker A123 Systems went public earlier this year and saw its shares jump 50 percent.
- If that IPO news is true, it's just one more bit of news pointing to the fact that it's a good time to be in ground-breaking clean tech. Santa Clara, Calif.-based MiaSolé is shipping and has installed its thin-film solar panels, according to the company. The news comes after a couple of years of difficult times for the young start up which reportedly has capacity to produce 60 megawatts (MW) of its panels (if you can say thin-film solar comes in "panels.") and plans to expand by another 60 MW, according to GreenTech Media.
- Green shoots are appearing everywhere. In Washington, Blue Marble Energy announced a $2-million grant to build a refinery. The grant, from the Washington Community Economic Revitalization Board, will be used to build a refinery in Lincoln County that will turn organic biomass from around Eastern Washington into as much as 858 metric tons of biochemicals and 700 metric tons of green ammonia per year. Blue Marble has been making waves in Washington and the algae world for a couple of years now.
- Oregon is a great place to look for a green job. The federal government seems to think it is also a great place to look at green jobs. Last week, the Dept. of Labor awarded Oregon $1.25 million to study green jobs in the state.
- San Mateo, Calif. will require all new buildings to be green buildings starting Jan. 1, 2010. The new ordinance (PDF) covers new commercial construction more than 3,000 square feet and new homes or homes undergoing a 50 percent remodel. The ordinance requires homes to meet GreenPoint Rated or LEED certification and commercial buildings to be LEED certified. Buildings reaching higher levels in either of the systems can take advantage of expedited permitting and inspection processes.
- A survey of 90 U.S. companies found that most were taking efforts to reduce energy use and carbon emissions. Many which didn't do well on the earlier versions of this three-year-old survey, greatly improved their standing, even in a recession.
- There's a lot of talk again in the sustainable agriculture world about whether genetically modified organisms have a place in sustainable ag (Keep an eye out for our January Trendwatch issue for our take on how big we think the conversation will become in 2010). One of the biggest points of debate has to with the ethics of selling seeds.
- Employment in Silicon Valley's tech sector is down, way down, this decade. Even the bright spot of clean tech isn't enough to turn the numbers around.
Comments
There are currently no comments.
Leave a comment