Cleantech goes bigtech

What are the tech giants doing within the cleantech realm?

Intel
In 2008, Intel made its first two cleantech investments in China, investing in Trony Solar Holdings, a thin-film solar company, and NP Holdings, an energy storage firm. It also established its second China Technology Fund, estimated at $500 million, dedicated to Chinese technology startups including environmentally friendly technologies. In July 2009, Intel announced five new cleantech investments totaling $10 million and spanning two continents, including a reinvestment in Grid Net, provider of a network operating system and management control plane to enable the creation of a smart grid.

IBM
In May of 2009, IBM announced it will release $2 billion in funding to start up smart grid projects, through low-rate loans, deferred payments, and other forms of project financing. According to the Cleantech Group, IBM has announced it is now working on 50 smart grid projects throughout the world, including one in Australia, launched in March of 2009.

HP
In 2008, HP enetered into a licence agreement with solar startup company Xtreme Energetics (XE). XE will use HP’s light-bending transistor technology in the creation of new solar panels that are sleeker, more portable, and with a higher chemical stability than traditional silicon panels.

Dell
From 2004 to 2008, Dell increased its annual investment in green electricity from utility providers, including wind, solar and methane gas capture, by nearly 870 per cent, and its corporate headquarters is now completely powered by green energy. It is making additional investments in wind power in China and India and has introduced server, desktop, and laptop products with Energy Smart configurations, a program it established to complement ENERGY STAR and to help customers reach higher levels of energy efficiency.

Apple
Apple provides Product Environmental Reports detailing the complete environmental footprint of every new product and uses a comprehensive life cycle analysis to determine exactly where its greenhouse gas emissions come from. It also designs all its new products to meet the low-power requirements of the ENERGY STAR program and to be both long-lasting and recyclable.

Go to our Cleantech Index 2009 here.

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