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In a speech Tuesday at Georgetown University, President Obama unveiled an ambitious new climate action plan to curb pollution and increase the amount of renewable energy installed in the US. Obama called to put an end to the “dumping of carbon pollution" with the first-ever federal regulations on heat-trapping gases emitted by new and existing power plants.

In a speech Tuesday at Georgetown University, President Obama unveiled an ambitious new climate action plan to curb pollution and increase the amount of renewable energy installed in the US. Obama called to put an end to the “dumping of carbon pollution" with the first-ever federal regulations on heat-trapping gases emitted by new and existing power plants.

The New York Times ran a profile of Solazyme, a biofuels company that uses algae as its main feedstock, and its interesting longterm strategy for profit. Solazyme was founded in 2003, and in its first decade has begun manufacturing and selling products as diverse as drop-in fuels for jet engines and skin care treatments. The New York Times points out that innovative advanced energy startups like Solazyme can need lots of capital to scale and prove their product. The New York Times points out that Solazyme's development of Algenist, its skincare line, will help to fund the company as it scales even larger:

The Business Journals // Jun 25, 2013Walmart has installed solar panels at ten locations across the state of Maryland, the company announced this week. The solar panels, which will generate 4.1 million kilowatt hours annually, will be able to provide 5-20 percent of the electricity for each location. Walmart is the largest private sector solar powerhouse in the country, and has installed more than 2.3 gigawatts of solar as of September 2012. 

CleanTechnica // Jun 24, 2013

The City of Houston announced an agreement to buy two years' worth of renewable energy from Reliant Energy, Inc, a Houston-based utility. The buy comes to $2 million and 140 megawatts of renewable power, which comprises about half of the city's electrical demand. The Houston Business Journal reports:

On Tuesday, June 18th the Advanced Energy Economy and MIT held the second event in a series of regional forums to discuss how new technologies and services can be adopted more rapidly in the electric power sector. The San Antonio based event brought together executives from OGE Energy, First Solar, Silver Spring Networks, Landis+Gyr, Green Energy Corp., C3 Energy, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and others to discuss innovative approaches to current energy challenges. Central to the discussion was how to integrate cleantech innovations such as smart grids and electric powered vehicles into the utility companies’ operations.

Session hosted by CPS Energy is second in a series that brings together utility execs, advanced energy CEOs, and state regulators to accelerate innovationHelping advanced energy companies understand the taxonomy of utility needs; Aligning business models and incentives so utility companies can embrace innovation that creates value for diverse stakeholders; andAssisting regulators in encouraging innovation in the electric power sector.

The Business Journals // Jun 19, 2013

A Danish pension fund invested $200 million in the Cape Wind offshore wind project, Cape Wind's president Jim Gordon announced. The PensionDenmark investment is the first "guaranteed financing commitment of a specific dollar amount" that's been announced, according the the Associated Press.