Today in Cleantech

The second quarter’s greentech venture capital investment figures are out, and they’re not that hot, according to the Cleantech Group. The analysis firm recorded $1.83 billion in private investment into global green technology startups in the second quarter, down 10 percent from the first quarter’s $2.03 billion and down one-third from the $2.75 billion recorded in the second quarter of 2010. Part of the second quarter’s decline had to do with a dearth of large-scale investments, with only one $100 million-plus round for Fisker Automotive, compared to seven $100 million-plus rounds in the first quarter. At the same time, early-stage financing remained hard to come by, with only 13 percent of the quarter’s total going to seed round or series A investments. The second quarter did hold a positive note for the energy efficiency sector, which for the first time took the top slot with $428 million, beating out solar with $363 million, biofuel with $237 million, green transportation with $173 million and energy storage with $132 million. LED companies led the energy efficiency sector’s haul, with big investments including Bridgelux’s $80 million round and QD Vision’s $22 million, but other big rounds in the sprawling efficiency sector included $50 million for home security and energy software startup iControl and $25 million for high-efficiency power conversion tech provider Transphorm.