Three cleantech companies were included in Red Herring’s 2008 list of the 100 best startups in North America.
Silver Spring Networks is developing open-standards, real-time networking for utility companies to improve efficiency, reliability and customer service. The company says open standards are the key to allowing multiple vendors to compete, while allowing integration of advanced metering technologies on scale.
Solar City is a Silicon Valley-based designer and installer of photovoltaic solar systems for residential, commercial and government properties.
Virent Energy Systems was founded in 2002 to pursue a process for producing hydrogen from sugar. Since then, the process, called Aqueous Phase Reforming (AFR), has been developed to produce renewable liquid fuels and fuel gases. The company has received investments from Honda and Cargill, among others, and is collaborating with Royal Dutch Shell.