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Silicon Valley solar pioneer considers a sale

November 14th, 2009 12:04am
by Richard Waters

One of Silicon Valley’s most ambitious “green” start-ups looks like it’s about to join the consolidation that’s sweeping through the solar industry.

Ausra, which was backed by more than $90m in equity from blue-blooded venture capital firms like Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures, is in talks with three potential acquirers, according to a person familiar with the situation. Possibilities range from a full buy-out of the firm to a majority investment, this person says.

Originally from Australia (hence the name), Ausra’s founders were lured to California two years ago by the flood of VC money that was pouring into solar at the time. Their company is founded on concentrated solar thermal (CST) technology, which uses mirrors to focus the sun’s rays in order to heat water and drive a turbine. Continue reading "Silicon Valley solar pioneer considers a sale"

November 14th, 2009 12:04am in Cleantech, Tech, Tech Finance | Permalink | Comment

Saving greentech

April 23rd, 2009 4:39am
by Richard Waters

For a symbol of the new, diminished expectations of the once swaggering US “greentech” industry, look no further than Ausra.

With blue-chip backers like Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins, Ausra was one of those Silicon Valley companies that thought on a grand scale. Using a variety of techniques that included low-cost ways of producing and installing vast arrays of mirrors, it dreamt of building and operating utility-scale solar thermal power plants.

As we reported early on in the financial crisis (and the company went on to confirm earlier this year), Ausra changed course and decided its future lay in selling its technology to established utilities rather than becoming a power producer itself. As the project finance markets seized up, only a company with the balance sheet of a utility could hope to fund such ambitious projects, though Ausra said its decision reflected over strategic priorities as well. Continue reading "Saving greentech"

April 23rd, 2009 4:39am in Cleantech | Permalink | Comment

Intel wants smarter stimulus tools

February 25th, 2009 11:55pm
by Chris Nuttall

Intel, the world’s biggest chip maker, is warning that companies taking advantage of government stimulus packages to build future infrastructure and transportation projects are relying on tools of the past that waste energy and cost more.

Speaking at the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco, Sean Maloney, Intel executive vice president, urged the adoption of 3D simulation software to improve design and implementation. Continue reading "Intel wants smarter stimulus tools"

February 25th, 2009 11:55pm in Cleantech, Hardware | Permalink | Comment

Freescale’s escalation of power

February 16th, 2009 12:01pm
by Chris Nuttall

Energy harvesting - drawing power from our surroundings - has seemed a tad futuristic, but a new advance by chipmaker Freescale being unveiled today promises practical applications within a year.

Freescale has found a way of tapping tiny amounts of voltage and amplifying them to usable levels. Continue reading "Freescale’s escalation of power"

February 16th, 2009 12:01pm in Cleantech, Hardware | Permalink | Comment

Solar and biofuel projects score early 09 investments

January 9th, 2009 10:48pm
by David Gelles

In what promises to be a dismal year for cleantech investment, there are two early bright spots.

Today SolFocus, a Silicon Valley company developing concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology, announced that it has raised $47m in series C financing. And earlier this week ZeaChem, a Colorado startup aiming to produce cellulosic ethanol, announced it raised $34m in series B financing.
Continue reading "Solar and biofuel projects score early 09 investments"

January 9th, 2009 10:48pm in Cleantech | Permalink | Comment

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David Gelles, Joseph Menn, Chris Nuttall and Richard Waters in the FT's San Francisco bureau upload their views - plus tech insights from writers in New York, London and Tokyo
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FT Techblog's comments

Comment by editor
Are impression stats from mobile ad networks such a good indicator of handset market share? As impression stats vary with a network’s business model, a different network – say Millennial Media – would tell a different story about handset market share. No one has really noticed the discrepancy though because AdMob is the only network that pushes handset data into the media month after month. The silly thing is that when you see what some of these networks can do in terms of targeting, you realize there must be much more useful stats about behaviour of mobile users for example or types of mobile advertising that work best – (unlike handset sales data, you can’t easily get that sort of thing from Gartner, IDC et al). Don’t you think that would make these monthly reports much more interesting? To get a flavour of what mobile ad networks know about mobile users, see what they offer in terms of targeting: http://www.mobithinking.com/mobile-ad-network-guide
Comment by Mario Gamboa-Cavazos
How long until you move to OS X?
Comment by timothy spear
I feel your pain. I did mine as a dual boot (from xp) which I guess might be a safer option? Took ages to sort the email though
Comment by Michael Kenward
This is similar to my own experience. Two attempts to "upgrade" have so far proved fruitless. Vista to Windows 7 on my new(ish) laptop never got to a stage where the things would work and get the latest updates. An XP to Windows 7 update has been a week in the making. The goal is to create a dual-boot configuration. Supposedly an easy job, I am still trying to get it to work. Even when Windows 7 t does manage to boot up, a minute or so into a session I get the dreaded "BSOD". Fortuntely, neither of these are my key PCs. And I created a complete backup of the laptop before diving in. I quickly went back to Vista on that. So much for the promise that moving to Windows 7 is easier than any earlier Windows upgrade.
Comment by ciaran.byrne
You appear remarkably sanguine about the whole saga. I would be incandescent with rage. Why the almost seraphic stoicism?

About the authors

Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.

Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 20 years and since 2004 has reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby.

David Gelles, a California native, has been hanging around and reporting on Silicon Valley for several years. He joined the FT's San Francisco bureau in 2008 and writes about social networking, clean tech and artificial intelligence.

Maija Palmer has been writing about technology for the FT since 1999 and is facinated by cybercrime, privacy and all the other issues of the information society. Based in London, she covers European tech companies and hopes that they won't all get acquired by American rivals.

Joseph Menn writes about tech security and privacy, digital media, and the computer industry from the San Francisco bureau. He spent a decade covering tech for the Los Angeles Times and therefore remembers the days when pre-revenue dot-coms handed out free bottles of champagne at their launch parties.

Robin Harding is the FT's technology correspondent in Tokyo, following the fortunes of Japan's videogame, semiconductor and consumer electronics companies. Before that, he was an FT editorial writer in London, having previously worked for various banks and asset managers.

Robin Kwong is the FT's Taipei correspondent and writes about the companies that manufacture the vast majority of the world's computers and gadgets. He is interested in the intricacies of the technology supply chain and how China is increasingly changing the tech landscape.

Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent. Based in London, he has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.

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Silicon Valley solar pioneer considers a sale