3rd Annual Nano Renewable Energy Summit in Denver, CO, May 24 – 25, 2010

DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The NanoBusiness Alliance, the world’s leading nanotechnology trade association, and the Colorado Nanotechnology Alliance today announced that the 3rd annual Nano Renewable Energy Summit will open its doors next week at the University of Denver, CO, where the event will run from May 24 – 25, 2010. http://www.nanoenergysummit.org/

SolarBridge Technologies Secures $15 Million in Series B Funding

AUSTIN, Texas (April 26, 2010) – SolarBridge Technologies, the leading developer of module-integrated microinverter solutions that reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) in solar installations, announced that it has secured $15 million in series B funding. The company has raised more than $27 million to date.

Rho Ventures, a new investor in the company, led the financing round.  Battery Ventures, which led series A funding, also participated in series B.  The funds will enable SolarBridge to finalize testing and certification, deploy additional beta sites, and ramp up production.  They will also be used to expand its operations, sales and marketing teams. Read more

E-waste design competition at Illinois expanding to international event

By Sharita Forrest, Arts Editor | 217-244-1072; slforres@illinois.edu

Of the millions of cutting-edge electronic gadgets exchanged as gifts this holiday season, many soon will become expensive dust collectors as the pace of technological change renders cell phones, computers and other electronic components obsolete almost as quickly as eager consumers can unwrap and learn how to use them.

An estimated 2.5 million tons of electronic products are discarded each year, and devising economical and environmentally responsible methods for managing this e-waste is an issue of growing concern to environmentalists and world leaders. Read more

SmartSpark Energy Systems in $6.5M Dept. of Energy and Sandia Project

University of Illinois startup company SmartSpark Energy Systems won a contract to develop hardware designed to facilitate the mainstream adoption of solar energy in the United States.

The company will participate in the Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) program which is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy and Sandia National Laboratories. SmartSpark was awarded a stage one feasibility study contract of a possible three-year, three-phase project worth up to $6.25M. Read more

Miscanthus can meet U.S. biofuels goal using less land than corn or switchgrass

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In the largest field trial of its kind in the United States, researchers have determined that the giant perennial grass Miscanthus x giganteus outperforms current biofuels sources – by a lot. Using Miscanthus as a feedstock for ethanol production in the U.S. could significantly reduce the acreage dedicated to biofuels while meeting government biofuels production goals, the researchers report. Read more

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