The Cleantech Avenger

As the widest-known, hardest working superhero this side of Zap, it had always bothered me when other superhero slackers got their 15 minutes.

Take Spiderman (please!) and his hokey animated series. I still cringe when I see Hulk lunchboxes. And, then we had to endure this past torrid summer of Batman movie posters everywhere. Sheesh.

But no, my counselor has helped me work through these feelings. So it's with a gentler, more accepting-of-others predisposition that we pay homage today to stories brought to you this week by others.

Bat boosters
Speaking of that Bat Man, gasped as only Heath Ledger could, Iberdrola has offered to periodically shut down its 34.5-megawatt wind farm in Pennsylvania in an effort to help bats.

Iberdrola is working with the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative to study whether stopping wind turbines during low wind conditions could reduce bat deaths at U.S. wind farms.

The group says the shutdowns wouldn't have a major impact on energy generation because they would occur at night, when generation is lowest and bats are most at risk. It's one of the first programs aimed at minimizing the hazards of wind farms on bats, as many studies have concentrated on the interaction of birds and turbines.

A new meaning to the 'greenhouse effect'
Spain has lowered the temperature in rural areas by painting the roofs of greenhouses white during summer months, New Scientist reports. The benefits of white roofs were also cited earlier this year by California scientists. Some think the results could be duplicated in areas succeptible to climate change.

Farming feats
China Premier Wen Jiabao advocated transgenic engineering in crops in an interview with Science magazine this week, citing the gains in yield and reduction in pesticide use that China has experienced thanks to its initial work using transgenic engineering with cotton.

Reducing pesticide use has also been a goal of recent legislation in California that's expected to give a boost to makers of natural chemicals.

Mixed messages
One blogger is declaring an end to the cleantech boom after this week's news from Tesla Motors that the electric carmaker plans to lay off employees and delay the production of its sedan by six months.

And Sequoia Capital might be ringing an alarm about what the financial downturn means for its portfolio companies—which, we note, include A123Systems, Luxim and Advanced Power—but at least one venture capitalist says now could be the time for emerging tech companies to shine, reports The Deal.

Bad news in India
Venture capitalists in India are having a tough time closing funds, a trend that's happening all over the globe, says VCCircle. A notable exception is Mumbai-based Nexus India Capital, which said in August it closed a second early-stage fund of $220 million. The squeeze could make it even tougher to raise capital for Indian cleantech companies, which pulled in $11.1 million in equity in the third quarter this year.

Udderly efficient
The dairy industry is reporting that gains in the efficiency of milking cows translates to a lower carbon footprint by reducing the number of cows needed to meet demand, therby reducing methane production. Could this be bad news for methane biogas producers?

As always, if you have news for the Cleantech Avenger, gasp it, in all your Heath Ledger-ness, to your friendly Avenger here.

Until next time!