The Churchill Club’s 2009 Tech Trends: Energy, Data And More Energy – TechCrunch

6. Power and efficiency management services will see a flowering of investment and innovation — Crowd Idea

The idea here is that energy going forward isn’t necessarily going to be about building new power plants, but instead will be about figuring out how better to distribute the power we’re already creating. The smart grid will be increasingly important and a number of companies are working on this.

Kyocera Brings Solar to Prius Rooftops – Greentech Media

Kyocera said it’s setting up a production line in Japan for this deal with Toyota. The multicrystalline solar cells inside each panel can convert 16.5 percent of the sunlight that hits them into electricity, the company said.

Bill to Benefit Nuclear, Clean-Power Utilities – Wall Street Journal

Warren Weiss, a venture capitalist at Foundation Capital in Menlo Park, Calif., says some of his firm’s cleantech companies have already seen “a tremendous uptick” in sales and buzz. At the consuming end of the grid, appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. is looking at provisions that would provide bonus payments to retailers selling products ranking in the top 10% in terms of energy efficiency.

SolarWinds breaks IPO drought – Cleantech Group

Austin, Texas-based SolarWinds (NYSE:SWI) held its initial public offering today of 12.1 million shares priced at $12.50 per share to raise $151.5 million, breaking a depressed IPO drought.

With Greens Technology, Sensors Help Save Water – The New York Times

The leader in the clubhouse so far is a system called UgMo, a network of wireless sensors that mine subsurface data and link to a software package developed by Advanced Sensor Technology of King of Prussia, Pa., the original manufacturers of the RZ system. The company announced its updated system in February and made it available in early April, installing it at golf meccas like Merion, Desert Mountain outside Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Card Sound Golf Club on Key Largo, Fla.