Coulomb Technologies, a leader in roadside charging stations and infrastructure, announced a $15 million third round of funding, which it will use to further develop its network of electric vehicle charging stations.

The company has inked partnerships with Leviton and Siemens, which will add their electric vehicle (EV) equipment to Coulomb’s ChargePoint network. Coulomb’s charging stations – already in use in New York, Detroit and Sydney — have wireless applications that allow drivers to track their car’s charging progress from their iPhone or computer.

Charging stations are gaining traction, with increasing consumer interest in EVs and the coming rollout of the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Coda sedan this year.

Coulomb has competition on its heels from other EV-charging service providers such as Better Place, which has also rolled out charging stations and infrastructure worldwide – and has a deal with the Hawaiian government to build switch stations, where consumers can swap out depleted car batteries for a fully charged one. Hawaii is a hot market for EVs thanks to the state’s commitment to renewable energy and short driving distances, which are less of a barrier for the small range – about 100 miles per charge – of most EVs set to hit the market this year.

Coulomb also has a deal with the Department of Energy to install 4,600 home and public charging stations across the U.S. The company has shipped more than 850 stations since 2009, and recently announced a line of chargers for home use.

The $15 million in funding comes from existing investors Rho Ventures, Voyager Capital, Siemens Venture Capital and Hartford Ventures. Coulomb also snagged new investors: Harbor Pacific Capital, LS Cable and LS Industrial Systems.

Tags: charging stations, electric vehicles

Companies: Better Place, Chevrolet, Coda, Coulomb Technologies, Department of Energy, Harbor Pacific Capital, Hartford Ventures, Leviton, LS Cable, LS Industrial Systems, Nissan, Rho Ventures, siemens, Siemens Venture Capital, Voyager Capital

Electric vehicles face a long road to progress when it comes to its lithium-ion batteries, IBM scientist Winfried Wilcke tells the New York Times. Advances in lithium-ion technology have been slow, says Wilcke, whose team is trying to develop a technology that would extend EVs’ range to 500 miles on a single charge (current EVs have a range of around 100 miles). He likens the long road ahead to “climbing Mount Everest.”

One oft-talked about issue with electric vehicles is the potential for climate – cold or hot temperature – to reduce the range of the lithium-ion batteries that power electric cars. Ford plans to address the issue by using a liquid cooling and heating system to regulate temperature on its 2012 Ford Focus EV, which the company claims works better than air cooling systems – which are used in the upcoming Nissan Leaf and led Tesla CEO Elon Musk to call the car’s battery system “primitive.”

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has announced a silicon wafer breakthrough that may lead to cheaper solar cells with higher efficiency rates. NREL said they developed a low-cost technique that etches tiny holes in silicon that make the silver-gray silicon darker and thus able to absorb more light. If the technology is brought to market, it could boost efficiency rates for solar modules, which currently range from 10 to 30 percent.

Pundits weigh in on Cisco’s smart grid spree. GigaOm says that Cisco’s partnership with Itron to create a smart grid IP-based platform means that the debate over whether or not smart grids will be Internet Protocol-based has been decided, declaring “The victor is IP.” Green Tech Media’s Rick Thompson says Cisco’s partnership with Itron and announced acquisition of Arch Rock means this is the dawn of “phase II of the smart grid AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) networking game,” and gives a run-down on emerging trends in smart grids. Bob Gohn, an analyst at Pike research, thinks that the Arch Rock-Cisco-Itron combination poses a competitive threat to Silver Spring and Trilliant.

Oerlikon Solar debuted new thin-film silicon solar production equipment that’s cheaper and more efficient than its predecessors, an achievement the company says rivals industry giant First Solar. It’s one of a handful of remaining companies trying to make a name in thin-film silicon technology. Its former rival, Applied Materials, axed their thin-film business in July — laying off 500 workers in the process — and Chinese solar company Suntech announced last month they would drop its thin-film silicon efforts and refocus on crystalline silicon technology.

Another solar player, SoloPower, announced today they received an important safety certification for its flexible CIGS solar module, moving them closer to the debut of their product line and commercial-scale manufacturing. Flexible CIGS modules are, as their name suggests, flexible – rolls can be applied to rooftops or incorporated into building materials. SoloPower plans to add 75 megawatts of production capacity, but is awaiting approval from the Department of Energy for a loan guarantee that would allow it to build an additional production facility.

Clarian Power offers a plug-in solar solution for $600-$800 per panel, a cheaper alternative to $20,000+ systems. Their patent-pending wind and solar plug-in products, with cute names “Sunfish” and “Jellyfish,” involve short and simple do-it-yourself installation, and could turn average consumers on to clean energy by offering an easier, more affordable way to bring it to their homes.

Tags: cigs, electric cars, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, Smart Grid, smart grids, solar energy, thin-film silicon

Companies: Applied Materials, Arch Rock, Cisco, Clarian Power, First Solar, ford, itron, Nissan, NREL, Oerlikon Solar, solopower, Suntech, Tesla

SoloPower announced today that it’s the first in the solar photovoltaic industry to receive a needed safety certification for its flexible CIGS solar module — panels that are easily adhered to roofs or building materials, and made of copper, indium, gallium and deselenide (hence, CIGS). The safety greenlight paves the way for the company to debut its product line and begin commercial-scale manufacturing.

The modules were made with SoloPower’s proprietary roll-to-roll electroplating process to make the low-cost cells. The certification came from Underwriters Laboratories (UL), an industry standard in safety, and is required by some markets.

The San Jose-based company is touting this achievement as a “watershed breakthrough” for the solar PV industry, though flexible CIGS competitor Ascent Solar spokesperson played down SoloPower’s achievement, telling Green Tech Media that “If you don’t have IEC — then UL is just a symbol,” referring to the European safety standard of IEC, which is an even more rigorous test that checks climate durability in addition to safety. The flexible, high-power modules will initially be introduced to customers in North America and Europe, and SoloPower plans to add 75 megawatts of production capacity at its plant.

As pv-tech.org noted earlier this year, UL certification for SoloPower will be a “starting gun” of sorts for the company to ramp up production, where it currently lags behind rivals such as MiaSolé.

The company’s next hurdle: to obtain a Department of Energy loan guarantee for the construction of an additional production facility, which would allow SoloPower to ink supply deals it has been anxious to pursue. It also recently settled a lawsuit with its founder and former CEO.

In a statement, SoloPower CEO Tim Harris said: “SoloPower’s core manufacturing process will enable rapid scale-up during our next phase of expansion … the company is in the process of adding a second manufacturing line that will significantly increase capacity to meet expected demand.”

SoloPower is backed by Firsthand Capital, Crosslink Capital and Convexa Capital Ventures.

Tags: flexible CIGS, solar energy, solar power, UL

Companies: Ascent Solar, Convexa Capital Ventures, CrossLink Capital, Firsthand Capital, solopower, UL, Underwriters Laboratories

People: Tim Harris

Smart grid company GridPoint is nearing a public stock offering, possibly beating Silver Spring  to the IPO punch, speculates the Washington Business Journal. The article notes that GridPoint has raised $220 million from venture capital and needs to show a payoff soon for its investors. The company has also done well in the marketplace, winning a $28.7 million contract with the Postal Service, making several acquisitions and hiring executives who have IPO experience.

PG&E smart meters vindicated, but the utilities company is criticized for poor customer service. An audit of Pacific Gas & Electric released yesterday reported there were no technical flaws with its smart meters, devices designed to track electrical usage more closely than conventional meters and connect to networked infrastructure. The finding ended an investigation triggered by nearly 1,400 complaints from irate customers who said the new meters were causing them to be overcharged. Though the meters got a pass, the report dinged PG&E for shoddy service, pointing to confusing billing structures and poor consumer education on the new meters.

And in related news, earlier this week, Texas utility company Oncor celebrated the dismissal of a class-action lawsuit by smart meter customers who also claimed the meters misread their energy usage. In both cases, investigators said the meters were installed before a wave of extreme temperatures caused energy consumption to spike in homes.

Facebook to Greenpeace: Our data center will “get greener over time.” After Greenpeace asked Facebook to reconsider its new data center in Oregon because it would use coal-powered energy, Facebook spokesman  Barry Schnitt said the climate in Oregon would “minimize our overall carbon footprint” since there wouldn’t be a need to operate chillers and the like. He also noted that the utility company, Pacific Power, plans to increase their renewable energy usage, meaning Facebook will get greener as Oregon does. Greenpeace has yet to issue a response.

Biofuels driving “land grab” in Africa. Reuters reports that foreign firms have acquired at least 19,300 square miles of arable land in 11 countries to farm biofuels crops such as sugar cane and palm oil. Critics have said the biofuels crops could take away land from communities who need it to grow food –setting up potential conflicts– and also bemoan potential rainforest destruction.

Agribusiness companies Monsanto and Bunge announced today they will invest $3 million in to commercialize agricultural and energy innovations. Both companies are partnering with Nidus Investment Partners, which seeks collaboration for companies and entrepreneurs. This partnership, which a handful of other companies may join, aims to bring laboratory technology to the market faster — items of interest include biofuels, carbon capture and other alternative energies.“The partners have the right of first offer at market price for these technologies, but we anticipate many will move into start-up opportunities and into the market,” said Vicki Gonzales, managing partner of Nidus.

Former GE exec joins Coda as CFO. Earlier this week, Mark Jamieson joined the team at Coda, which is making an all-electric sedan set to compete with the likes of spent at GE Industrial Systems, where he rose to CFO. The company also announced yesterday its plans to roll out the sedan in eco-friendly Hawaii by 2011. the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt. Jamieson brings 35 years of experience to the table, with 30 of them spent at GE.

Tags: biofuels, coal, electric vehicles, energy, smart meters

Companies: Bunge, Coda, Facebook, GE, Greenpeace, Gridpoint, Monsanto, Nidus Investment Partners, Oncor, PG&E, Silver Spring

Cisco delves deeper into the smart grid market by announcing today its plans to acquire Arch Rock, a privately held company that makes IP-based wireless technology company for smart grid applications. This comes on the heels of yesterday’s announcement of their strategic alliance with smart meter giant Itron. Read more about it on CNET News and GigaOm.

Chevy Volt automaker GM seeks to trademark the term “range anxiety.” The phrase references the fear that electric vehicles will run out of battery on long trips. The Volt, it should be noted, has a gas engine that can extend its range. A Tesla spokesperson shot back: “By all means, GM can have ‘range anxiety.’ To Roadster owners, the term is as irrelevant as ‘gas stop’ or ‘smog check.’ We are, however, looking into trademarking ‘Tesla grin.’”

Lux predicts winners and losers in coming solar industry shakeup. Price declines and stiff competition are forecasted for the solar market, Lux research says. The company issued a report labeling companies as either high potential, dominant, long shot and undistinguished. The analysis singled out Amonix, Enphase and Abound Solar as strong IPO contenders for the next year.

Electric vehicles could be cheaper in the future thanks to forecasted price drops in lithium-ion batteries. As automakers rush to produce electric cars, prices are falling thanks to an oversupply in the market and competition among battery makers. A forecasted price drop of 19 to 25 percent on batteries this year could point to lower price tags on future EVs.

Andy Leventhal is the new CEO of Recurve, a San Francisco-based company that makes software for contractors that outfit homes to be more energy-efficient. Leventhal is a 25-year software veteran, previously working for VeriSign and Red Hat. The company secured $8 million in series B financing in June, is planning a nationwide rollout of their software.

Infiniti unveiled a new hybrid version of its M sedan, the 2012 Infiniti M35h. The gas-electric car is the automaker’s first model to use the company’s own hybrid technology and will go on sale in spring of 2011. The all-electric Nissan Leaf will hit roads in December.

Tags: electric vehicles, Smart Grid, Solar, solar energy

Companies: Abound Solar, Amonix, Arch Rock, Chevrolet, Cisco, Enphase, GM, Infiniti, Lux, Nissan, Recurve, Tesla