Clean tech

The Environmental Innovation Center demonstrates the power of creativity and collaboration to address local needs. Its three tenants share a commitment to discovering economic and environmental solutions that benefit the community.

The past two years have seen a significant decline in the number of venture firms making new investments in the Energy Technology and Semiconductor sectors. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult for private companies raising capital in these sectors.Increasingly, corporate investors are playing a critical role in financing companies in these sectors, with 54% of energy tech and 24% of semiconductor private financing rounds in 2012 including one or more corporate investors1.As the funding for energy tech and semiconductor startups from traditional financing sources has weakened, Applied Ventures continues to be a strong supporter of new thinking that will drive these sectors.

India’s solar industry is finally taking off, but before it can make a meaningful contribution to the country’s growing power demands, many hurdles must still be overcome say experts and business leaders in the field.In order to remain competitive in the global solar market and compete with countries like China and others, Indian manufactures will need to scale up and quickly. The market is there and booming, but manufacturers need capacities of 300-1,000 MW to remain competitive.

A gathering of 2000+ twenty-somethings these days is usually a rave party or another edition of Occupy Wall Street. The gathering I attended last week in Portland, Oregon, however, was something much different, it was a convening of young people from universities around the country and abroad, all of whom are vitally interested in using business skills to tackle the world’s toughest problems.

Imagine a world where some of the biggest problems we have are solved through clean technology. What would happen if we engage young, creative minds in tackling issues of immediate importance to the global community?To inspire the next generation of innovators, Applied Materials is pleased to announce the Clean Tech Competition, a design contest for 13-18 year old youth living in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA and Xi’an, China.The 2011 inaugural challenge posed to students in two of the world’s most historic centers of innovation is “Solar Solutions to the Rescue.” Teams of entrants will design a solar-powered solution to a basic human need identified in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

Ten U.S. Senators recently visited Applied Materials' Solar Technology Center in Xi’an, China. The delegation’s mission was to learn more about renewable energy markets, manufacturing and projects in China as well as to observe U.S. investment in China.The delegation included Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Democratic Caucus Chairman Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)

California celebrated a major clean energy milestone yesterday as Governor Brown signed into law a bill that will significantly diversify the state’s energy portfolio. The enacted legislation, which was authored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, will increase the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 33% by 2020 (up from the pre-existing RPS of 20%). This new law is a giant leap forward and sends an encouraging message to the venture capital community that the state remains committed to developing a vibrant renewable energy and clean technology sector.

Some positive signals from Washington this week: President Obama has rolled out a new strategy to develop a cleaner and more diversified energy portfolio. In a speech at Georgetown University, President Obama called for reducing oil imports by at least one-third by 2025 – through improved fuel economy standards, energy efficiency and alternative forms of energy, such as solar, wind, biofuels and natural gas. The President also built on his State of the Union speech with renewed calls for cleaner electricity generation, and a goal of requiring that 80% of electricity come from cleaner sources by 2035. Applied Materials applauds President Obama for his continued commitment to fostering the nation’s clean technology industry – and strongly support a plan for a clean energy standard that fosters solar deployment. We agree that renewable energy and clean technology is the key to our country’s future competitiveness.

Nature recently published two seminal papers that have created huge interest in the scientific community. The first, entitled, ‘Human contribution to more-intense precipitation extremes’ and the second ‘Anthropogenic greenhouse gas contribution to flood risk in England and Wales in autumn 2000’ are available through subscription. Both add significantly to the growing body of evidence that support predictive models developed over the last few decades. An excellent summary and an interview of a scientist involved in the work is also available online.Just like technology in the marketplace today, no longer are we talking about 50 to 70 years from now before our activities change the world. For those who think this is all just ‘part of the natural cycle’, it may be time to wake up and take notice of how our reliance on fossil fuels are clearly adding that ‘additional trigger’ to climate change in terms we can see today.