Renewables Biz Watch — C02 Capture Partnership, Biofuels Pact, Solar BioRefinery Dream

New Sky Energy says it has signed a research agreement with the School of Mines to build a fully operating, scalable model of its CO2 capture technology. In other news, Abound Solar inked an agreement (of understanding) with a Canadian vendor to recycle its scrap material; and Sundrop Fuels is seeking major funding to build the world’s first solar-powered biorefinery.

PV Business Updates

Boulder-based Lighthouse Solar has joined SolarRun and SolarCity in essentially offering Colorado homeowners in the Xcel Energy service territory a “no money down” deal to install a PV system. And Juwi Solar, also in Boulder, has sold its Blue Wing solar project in Texas to an arm of Duke Energy.

REpower USA Corp

The DOE Loan Guarantee Program: Too Little Too Late?

The hitch, as always, is in how the government has implemented this program. Indeed, since the first round of loan guarantee solicitations in 2006, only one project has been awarded a loan guarantee. DOE’s cumbersome and slow application process has created huge backlogs of project proposals.

A Look at the Upcoming Recovery Act New Energy Grants

Beginning this month, the energy office is posting a wide variety of grant opportunities designed to increase the energy efficiency of homes, schools and other buildings as well as increase the supply of energy from renewable resources and clean-burning natural gas.

State May Boost Renewable Energy Standard
to 30% by 2020

According to spokesman Mark Stutz, Xcel Energy could endorse the 30 percent standard if its customers could continue to be protected from big price increases. What’s more, it says reaching the 30-percent mandate is clearly a possibility.

Clean Tech Open Post Script — How the Competition Prepared Startups for the Real World

Start with the business plan. In the Cleantech Open, entrepreneurs had a hard time understanding how to structure the financing - whether the money is debt or equity, how much of the company is being sold - and how to put together the presentation.