Smart Energy News

Boulder, Colo. — Fuel cell vehicles will be commercially launched in most regions of the world by 2014, and cumulative sales of fuel cell cars and trucks will surpass 2.8 million vehicles globally by 2020, according to a new report from Pike Research, a market research and consulting firm that focuses on clean technology markets.

With fleets of fuel cell vehicles in the hundreds now, and their increasing use as commercial vehicles, “it appears that light duty fuel cell vehicles will be commercialized by mid-decade,” the new Pike report says. read more »

Azusa, Calif. – CFX Battery, a developer of portable power battery systems, announced on Thursday that it has raised $14.2 million in its second round of venture capital, bringing the company’s total funding to $29.4 million.

Investors in the deal include CMEA Capital, Harris & Harris, Schlumberger and US Venture Partners. read more »

Atlanta – Navigation Capital Partners, an Atlanta-based private equity firm, announced that it has acquired Specialized Technical Services (STS), a provider of smart grid infrastructure upgrades and meter-related services to municipal, co-operative and investor-owned utilities.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. read more »

San Francisco — Adura Technologies, a developer provider of wireless lighting control and energy management systems, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $12 million in a venture capital deal, which included participation from NGEN Partners, an investment firm that focuses on clean technology sectors.

Based in San Francisco, Adura was founded in 2004 with research grants provided by the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research grant program. In 2008, the company raised $5 million in its first round of venture capital, from Claremont Creek Ventures and VantagePoint Venture Partners. read more »

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy has conditionally committed $1.4 billion in federal stimulation funds to support the construction of three utility-scale concentrated solar power plants by BrightSource Energy.

The new plants will generate approximately 400 megawatts (MW) of electricity, nearly doubling the existing generation capacity of this type of energy in the U.S., according to DOE. read more »