Additional funding this week goes to data center energy resource management, while a new $100M energy and materials fund kicks off.

Peugeot unveils production diesel-hybrid vehicle, while Shell and Cosan’s $12B biofuels joint venture moves a step closer.

Indian, Japanese cleantech companies receive large rounds from investors totaling $340M and Daqo New Energy refiles for its IPO on the NYSE six months after postponing it.

This week saw two major partnerships between large energy companies and smaller cellulosic biofuel producers.

A new government study shows that Americans are using less energy overall and making more use of renewable energy resources.

On 30th August begins the new TREE (Transfer Renewable Energy & Efficiency) series of seminars for employees of ministries and multipliers from 57 countries at the Renewables Academy, Berlin. The goal is to train relevant stakeholders on technical, economic and legal aspects of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, so as to provide an effective framework for market growth in the countries of origin. As part of the scholarship program there will be 11 seminars in different technology priorities, online courses and brochures provided with legal questions. Participants will learn which technology is suitable for which sites, how best the political environment can be shaped more efficiently, what funding mechanisms can be used, as well as aspects of project management. Seven more seminars will be held in South Africa, Mexico, Malaysia, the UAE and India on Solar Thermal Power Plants and Project Finance for Renewable Energies.

There were once high hopes for Jatropha as a feedstock for biofuels. But as concerns over the environmental impact of the crop grew, those hopes faded into the background.

Almost all of today's renewable energy projects rely on regulatory financial incentives in order to make investment returns sufficiently attractive. Some incentives, such as rebates and tax credits, have known monetary value and are therefore rather easily incorporated in financial pro formas. Other incentives, namely renewable energy certificates (commonly known as "RECs") used for compliance with renewable portfolio standards (RPS), are inherently variable and therefore require exogenous methods to determine their value. Because RECs can be unbundled from the underlying renewable power and sold to utilities with renewable energy obligations, they are commodities subject to a variety of market forces that impact their value.

Recent rules for proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce emissions from boilers could have the unfortunate effect of killing the sustainable and rapidly growing industry of biomass heat.

When it comes to federal financial incentives, proper planning is essential for renewable energy project owners and developers who seek to maximize available incentives, avoid pitfalls and realize a quicker return on investment.

We may be getting close to negotiations between the U.S., Israel and the Palestinians. While we wait for those talks to begin, we can at least partner on other, less politically volatile things, right?

As concerns about global climate change increase, many of the world's governments are mandating increasing utilization of biomass in their energy portfolio. Many utilities are following suit, constructing biomass power plants or co-firing biomass with coal to reduce their carbon footprint.

Among 22 deals we spotted in the past seven days, funding goes to grid-scale flow batteries, advanced wind turbine blades and LED lighting.

Plus a Colorado-based biofuels company, known for biobutanol, looks to bring in up to $150M in its IPO on the Nasdaq.

Carbon consulting and LED chip manufacturing pick up investments among a slow week of deals.

The French government launches a new €1.35 billion package to promote cleantech, while American Superconductor and Dow participate together in the largest VC deal of the week.