The business or professional industry is one of the sectors that greatly benefit from conferences. IBF CleanTech Conference 2009 highlights fostering innovation in Clean Technologies and exploring the venture capital investment opportunities in cleantech as well as in clean energy investment.

" Two Israeli billionaires make moves in the cleantech space, along with 24 other deals we spotted over the past week. The Arison Group and the Leviev Group, Israeli investment groups backed by No. 11 and No. 12, respectively, on Forbe's Middle East's 20 Richest list, both made waves in the cleantech industry this week, putting cash, resources and expertise into water and biodiesel ventures. This isn't either group's first move in cleantech, as each one has a laundry list of very diversified investments, including real estate, construction and energy, with both Arison and Leviev's holdings including stakes in green construction and other cleantech sectors."

"The EPA said it has awarded $3.6 million in research grants to four universities to investigate technology applications to detect and remove drinking water contaminants, including noroviruses and harmful substances produced by blue-green algae. The EPA currently regulates 90 harmful chemicals, microorganisms and radiation in water. Those four universities are: Battelle Memorial Institute in Richland, Wash.; Drexel University in Philadelphia; Montana State University at Bozeman; Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta; University of Missouri in Columbia; and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass."

"this article is intended to start users down the path toward a better answer. It will cover battery vocabulary and two simple but fundamental battery rules. It will also break down different battery technologies and provide a formula for calculating battery life. For my examples, I'll be referring to AA-sized batteries. While almost any size will do, AA batteries are the most common battery size and, because they are readily available in most battery chemistries, they are easy to compare."

"Over the next two years, Ikea plans to work with five or six companies, with a target of bringing the first products to market within three to four years, helping the startups reduce their prices and develop better products. Ikea expects to invest in five to 10 companies overall, keeping the portfolio relatively small so it spend a lot of time with the startups. "We will be very active on the boards of these companies," he said. "I think we can contribute somewhat in terms of commercializing the product they are developing, and then, obviously, distributing the product as well." Ikea certainly knows distribution. It has about 270 stores in 35 countries, and half a billion customers per year. The company designs its own furniture, creating the concept of flat packing its products to cut down on transportation costs, and works with 1,300 suppliers in more than 50 countries."

"Our long-term goal is just to light everybody's house with this stuff," Anil Duggal, head of GE's Advanced Technology Program in Organic Electronics, told Cleantech.com. "But that's not going to happen in 2010. We have to get the performance way better than it is now and the cost way down even more to do that." He said in the 2010 timescale, they're looking at niche, high-end applications, like in architectural designs. The successful printing of the organic light emitting diodes, or OLEDs, was the culmination of a four-year, $13 million research collaboration among GE Global Research, Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Energy Conversion Devices (Nasdaq: ENER) and the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology.

"If you want to know what enviro startups Silicon Valley movers and shakers think could be the next big green thing, the California Clean Tech Open is a good leading indicator. Last night in San Francisco the Open named six winners in its second annual startup competition. Each winner receives a $100,000 "startup in a box" package that includes $50,000 in cash from such sponsors as Google (GOOG), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Lexus (TM) and California's Big Three utilities - PG&E (PCG), Southern California Edison (EIX) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SRE). The winners also get $50k worth of legal, marketing, accounting and public relations services from such heavyweights as Silicon Valley law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. The opportunity to mingle with the entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and potential clients who judge the contest probably represents the biggest win of all for these startups."