From an article by Bruce V. Bigelow in the San Diego Union Tribune.
Funding by venture-capital firms in “clean tech” topped $2.6 billion through the first nine months of 2007, a number that exceeds the $1.78 billion invested in all of 2006. Of the total, more than $726 million was invested in companies in California, according to data released yesterday by Thomson Financial and the National Venture Capital Association. Silicon Valley accounted for more than 84 percent of the California funding and 49 of the deals, with Thomson Financial counting $11.5 million going to two clean-tech deals in the San Diego region. The data also showed a $3 million investment in Enviance, a Carlsbad company offering software as a service that helps customers better manage their compliance with environmental, health and safety regulations. The underlying trend, though, reflects a surge in venture-capital funding for new “clean and green” technologies that range from substitutes for petroleum-based fuels to new types of solar power, fuel cells and energy-saving software and computer chips. “San Diego is typically known more for its biotech companies,” Squiller said. “But San Diego also is a hotbed for clean-tech companies.” Investments by U.S. venture firms in clean-technology startups have been increasing rapidly, from $590 million in 63 deals in 2000 to $1.78 billion in 180 deals in 2006, according to the Thomson data. | 
