Rentech Completes Purchase Of SilvaGas Biomass Firm – CleanTechBrief

Rentech plans to integrate SilvaGas’ technology, which converts a variety of biomass feedstocks into synthesis gas (syngas) with Rentech’s proprietary syngas conditioning and cleanup technology. As a result, Rentech will be able to offer integrated packages for renewable fuels and power production.

Control4 plugs into the smart grid with new $17.3M – VentureBeat

Control4, maker of a universal remote control capable of adjusting any home appliances or electronics — from the television to the thermostat — has brought in $17.3 million to get the ball rolling on several smart grid initiatives.

Mo’ Money for Solar: SolFocus Raises $30M – Earth2Tech

So here’s the latest tally from the company that builds solar power plants that concentrate the sun’s rays onto photovoltaic panels: It’s closed its Series C round at $77.6 million, having added on about $30 million since it first announced the round back in January. That brings the company’s total funds raised to over $170 million.

Breakthrough Reported on Low-Cost Alternative to Silicon Solar Cells – The New York Times

Hou and his colleagues report in this week’s Thin Solid Films the development of a low-cost processing method for solar cells made from copper, indium and diselenide. Those cells, they say, will have the potential to be produced on a large scale for a number of applications, including placement on backpacks or clothing.

Pickens’s pullback could signal shift in the wind – Reuters

Pickens, who spent about $58 million promoting his “Pickens Plan” on television and in newspapers last year, said both troubles in the credit market and access to transmission lines would push back his plans in wind.

“The capital markets have dealt us all a setback and I’m less aggressive with the Panhandle project than I have been,” Pickens said in a statement. “Transmission issues and the problem with the capital markets make that unfeasible at this point.”