For those looking for that silver lining in the proverbial cloud, the recent heat wave that baked most of the nation helped spark considerable sizzle in venture capital focusing on green technology. Largely ignored for nearly a decade, in the past 12 months early-stage investment in alternative energy has increased almost 400%, according to Mercury News, citing data from VentureOne. “The heat wave really helps” the focus on clean technologies, said Andreas Stavropolous of Menlo Park, Calif.-based Draper Fisher Jurvetson, which in June launched a $280 million venture “affiliate” fund to give clean tech a boost. It’s not just the heat, however. The ongoing war in the Middle East, national security and dependence on foreign oil have all contributed to the growing interest in the alternative-energy technology, which includes new products such as mirrors that help concentrate solar panels and a process called gasification that removes carbon compounds from coal to produce methane gas fuel.
