Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Vinod Khosla's Biofuel Investments

The VC Ratings blog has the most complete list of Mr. Khosla's renewable energy investments that I've seen. (HT: The Energy Blog) Two things to note, first the different industry or process groupings. Second, the solar component which ties into this note from Green Wombat.

Two followups to yesterday's post. It's been brought to my attention that Mr. Khosla may not be planting trees to offset his larger than average carbon footprint (you know what they say "big carbon footprint-big income statement), rather he may be buying European emissions credits. Well that opens a whole new set of problems with CO2 emitters moving to Morocco or China or India.

Mr. Khosla is already outsourcing R&D and plant, property and equipment costs to the American taxpayer, here's $76 million to Range Fuels.

At least they're being honest about it. From the New York Times (HT: American Populist)
"However, if they are to translate their formula for innovation successfully to the world of energy, they say, they need the government to be, in effect, an investment partner". The message to politicians is that "you have to create a playing field to make it possible for us to back these companies," said Nicholas Parker, chairman of the Cleantech Group, a research and trade organization representing venture investors in alternative energy.

I just don't remember these kinds of grants and subsidies being given to Sun Microsystems.