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New humic approach to remediating contaminated soils and groundwater |
This company is targeting solutions to soil and groundwater contamination using humic substances, a new patented technology for decontamination of water and soil. The company claims humic substances are a more effective and cost-efficient solution when utilizing a Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) installed by injection (not by excavation) to facilitate subsurface interception, retention, and treatment of groundwater contaminants released by industrial and agricultural sources. |
PRB Environmental Group |
January, 2013 |
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Power & thermal management breakthrough for high power LED lighting |
This company has developed, patented and achieved what it calls a major technology breakthrough. Its LED lighting technologies target what management calls the key barriers that have held back the entry of LED lighting into high power lighting applications: power control and thermal management. The company's LED street light pilot test suggests it can reduce street light electrical energy consumption by up to 70%. Forty percent of municipalities’ electricity consumption is street lighting. |
Remco Solid State Lighting |
June, 2012 |
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New type of hydrogen-fired generator for power and other markets |
Fuel cells and internal combustion engines have been the only mechanisms designed to take advantage of
hydrogen's capabilities so far, but design limitations have made them expensive. What if a mechanical
motor/generator could be made powered by hydrogen as a clean fuel, required far less moving parts, was more reliable, and much cheaper to manufacture than existing competitors? This company has been working on such a device and appears to have a large, multi-use market, and is seeking more funding for R&D. |
HY-Energy Systems |
October, 2012 |
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Prerevenue technology and products for EVs and PHEVs battery systems |
Electric vehicles require advanced battery systems to provide reliable power. This startup is focused on developing scalable, flexible, standardized, smart battery modules for EVs. It intends to commercialize its technology to make EV battery systems safer, longer life and more reliable while reducing cost. It believes its product will shorten the time-to market of EV development, reducing vehicle operating cost and aggregating volume of modules to enable mass production. |
Delaware Power Systems |
March, 2012 |
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Hypoallergenic natural rubber extraction technology for $65B market |
This company has developed a clean process for the extraction of natural rubber from rubber bearing plants and designed an automatic and continuous rubber extractor. Instead of using chemicals, solvents or water, the extraction process is dry, which is environment-friendlier, more efficient and less cost-intensive compared to competing technologies, according to the company. In addition to selling extraction equipment, the company intends to itself produce natural rubber, hypoallergenic latex and inulin – a prebiotic food additive that can also be used in the production of ethanol. |
KOK Technologies |
October, 2012 |
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Renewable fuel additive for improving gas mileage within existing infrastructure |
Since MTBE has been phased out as a fuel oxygenate/octane booster, ethanol has been used to replace it. This company points out that adding ethanol to gasoline reduces the energy content of the fuel, and can damage engines not designed to burn ethanol. The company says it has patented processes for producing glycerol tert-butyl ether (GTBE), a drop-in replacement for MTBE which has none of the undesirable qualities of MTBE or ethanol, is a better octane booster, and is produced using waste glycerin as feedstock. |
CPS Biofuels |
December, 2012 |
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Automated stand-alone micro biodiesel refineries for decentralized fuel & power |
Within a fully automatic 10ft. containerized high-tech unit, this Germany-based company produces biodiesel and generates power from a variety of oil-bearing feedstock using catalyzed transesterification in several patent-pending production steps. The company claims the produced biodiesel meets EU quality standards, while efficiency of production is comparable to industrial size plant production. The product is intended to be suitable as stand-alone for remote areas as well as for industrial size operation when several modules are linked. |
Enerdice |
June, 2012 |
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LED system co. with BMS ambitions and brand name traction |
Commercial LED lighting today requires expensive drivers, heat sinks, and power supplies, in addition to the cost of the LEDs. This San Francisco-based company believes it obviates 75+% of those non-LED-related costs courtesy of a fundamentally new centralized power supply/("power router") design that could prove disruptive for commercial lighting and, ultimately, for building management systems (BMSes) because of advanced sensing and data capabilities enabled by the lighting. PG&E, Google, NASA and others have agreed to sponsor trials and support co-development efforts. |
Eutricity |
January, 2013 |
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Safe, easy-to-install green building insulation batt, $3B+ market |
This company uses agricultural waste to manufacture what it says is the only safe, easy-to-install insulation on the market, and plans to be in the black in the first year of production. Builders today have to satisfy demands for green buildings, but the only other green insulation batt is difficult to transport and store and costs 3x more than other batts to install. This new company, with recognition from the Cleantech Open and West Coast Green, says it has generated over $3M in verbal orders for its sheep’s wool-based insulation. |
Bellwether Materials |
December, 2012 |
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Wireless electrical grid sensor system for improved efficiency & theft reduction |
There are significant losses in the distribution of electrical energy due to antiquated infrastructure and non-commercial losses. This results in a income shortfall for utilities, which directly affects the consumer rate payer. On average, utilities experience $3M of recoverable loss per 100,000 homes, and in the U.S., $10B of recoverable revenue is lost every year. This start-up, focused on developing and commercializing distribution grid analysis tools, appears to have a solution to this problem, and has signed electrical utility companies to its beta customer program. |
Awesense Wireless |
August, 2012 |