Cleantech Group LLC has collected information from high-profile clean technology vendors, which range from small startups to billion-dollar corporations, and put together a list of 10 of the most interesting developments to watch for in 2010.

Read the list at: http://cleantech.com/news/5447/top-10-cleantech-promises-2010

Second Wind’s wind resource assessment solutions are now used in over 40 countries worldwide, including Antarctica and the Sahara. Its’ products are particularly advantageous because they work under most weather conditions and locations; can be set up easily by one person and do not need to be attended; are safe and have minimal impact on the landscape; include built-in synchronized time and location stamping; and provide the same data as a tower bristling with sensors.

The campaign includes a new carbon footprint report available inside its “Mobile Control” product, along with a new whitepaper resource to help customers and prospects make the case for a green initiative and get one off the ground.

SageQuest found via a recent survey, that 57 percent of their customers either had a green initiative in place or were planning on implementing one. More business opportunities or requiring or preferring vendors to have green initiatives in place or are in the process of putting them in place officials said.

Read the full story at http://green.tmcnet.com/topics/green/articles/62152-sagequest-helps-fleets-go-green.htm

Read the details (and witty commentary here) http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/sixteen-ancient-technologies-reborn-5485/

The GREENnet switch-based technology reduces power consumptions by supplying the appropriate amount of electrical power to each hardwired switching port as required by the connected device, the port, or by the length of the connected Ethernet cable.

Learn more at http://www.trendnet.com/image/news/articles/processor_070309.pdf

With all the progress solar panels and wind turbines have made to date, tidal-generated energy sources, arguably the world’s most dependable, predictable and largest untapped renewable energy source, have appeared to take a back seat. With the $500 million in financing that Blue Energy Canada Inc received from New Zealand’s World Energy Research, Blue Energy Canada will be able to commercialize turbines capable of capturing energy from ocean currents.

“The Blue Energy ocean turbine acts as a highly efficient underwater vertical-axis windmill and has several remarkable advantages conferred upon it arising from the following basic science: Sea water is 832 times more dense than air, and it is a non-compressible medium, therefore an 8-knot tidal current provides the equivalent force of a 390 km/hr wind (approximately).”

For more information go to:
http://cleantech.com/news/4671/blue-energy-rolls-500m-tidal-power
or http://www.bluenergy.com/index.html

We all know that green energy is hot – but looking at GreenTechMedia’s Senior Analyst Eric Wesoff’s list of new solar startups (privately held companies with a focus on VC-funded or pre-VC startups) we are are left to wonder just how many of them will survive? While new ideas and ground breaking technology certainly abound the question becomes: Which of these companies can and will either make the critical jump to mass applications or break in to the large established companies that have resources and scope to promote newer energy options? Adoption, commercialization, distribution and differentiation are the next frontiers – may the best startup win!
See the list here:
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-master-list-of-early-stage-solar-startups-the-sequel/

In addition, the excess heat from the computer will be piped into the building’s heating. The 25 kilowatt system will account for just “a small fraction” of the building’s overall energy demand, but researchers said future applications are promising. According to IBM, Aquasar will reduce overall energy consumption by 40 percent and save up to 30 tons of carbon dioxide a year, which is about the equivalent of driving an average car around the world 10 times!

For more information, see: http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2009/06/23/ibm-supercomputer-reuses-heat-to-warm-buildings/

In April, QD Vision was amongst fourteen projects to receive solid-state lighting (SSL) funding opportunities from The National Energy Technology Laboratory, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Last week the company launched its first commercial product and was also awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract by the U.S. Army as part of its Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD). With the grant, QD Vision will develop micro-displays based on quantum dot-based light-emitting devices (QLEDs) for NVESD.

QD’s LED bulbs look slightly different than traditional “down lamps,” such as those in home track lighting, but fit standard fixtures using the same “screw-in” mechanism that has been around for decades. The products are expected to be generally available in the fourth quarter of this year.

Find out more at:
http://www.qdvision.com/index.html

One hot topic was the fact that GE and Whirlpool plan on adding communications modules in their appliances to give utilities the ability to turn them down during peak power demand times. According to GE Consumer & Industrial vice president Kevin Nolan in a May press release, “GE will help consumers significantly decrease power usage during peak demand periods, which will help the utilities reduce the need for more power generation and help consumers save on their energy bills.” This sounds great, but a major stumbling block remains –what communication standard will be used to get everyone talking in the same language? Will it be ZigBee, WiFi, cellular, a powerline signal, or something else entirely?

It sounds like it’s anyone’s guess. At ConnectivityWeek, GE’s David Najewicz noted that “Some of the early hardware we’re building has three radios in it.”

Obviously, the smart home appliance is on its way, and it’s going to be interesting to watch the different communications technologies jockey for position. With Whirlpool committing to smart appliances by the year 2015, and other manufacturers also jumping on board, a winning standard should emerge soon. We’ll keep watching!