New data from Lux Research is indicating that despite substantial action in the smart home space over the last number of years and approximately $550 million in financing in the last decade, the business case for smart homes isn’t quite there yet.

This is a Members-only article. To purchase a Membership, click HERE.

Lithium ion battery makers may soon have a new supply of a high quality cobalt variant after London ON-based Fortune Minerals announced a sample from its NICO project – an integrated mine and refinery in the Northwest Territories and Saskatoon SK – surpassed chemical specifications for several large lithium ion battery manufacturers.

This is a Members-only article. To purchase a Membership, click HERE.

Funding for solar energy projects decreased slightly in 2015 compared to the previous year. According to a report from Mercom Capital Group, total corporate funding in the solar sector hit $25.3 billion down a little from the $26.5 billion recorded in 2014. Funding includes venture capital, private equity, debt financing and public market financing.

This is a Members-only article. To purchase a Membership, click HERE.

A new report from BCC Research says that the biofuel sector outside of North America is suffering from a worst case profitability scenario: high feedstock prices and low prices. But it gets worse as tight credit markets are also preventing plant expansions and the construction of new projects.

This is a Members-only article. To purchase a Membership, click HERE.

New data from GTM Research indicates that the balance of system (BOS) costs for grid-scale energy storage will decline by more than 40% in five years. The firm says by 2020 BOS costs will dip below $400 per kilowatt down from the current level of $670 per kilowatt. (The figures are in US dollars.)

This is a Members-only article. To purchase a Membership, click HERE.