The Week in Cleantech – Feb. 18 – 24

LightSail Energy led headlines last week, raising an additional $5.5 million in the second closing of its $37.3 million Series D round. New investor Total, the French energy giant, joined existing investors Khosla Ventures, Innovacorp, Peter Thiel, and Bill Gates in the round. LightSail is a developer of compressed-air energy storage, or CAES, technology.

Elsewhere in Cleantech, recently IPO-ed downstream solar company SolarCity launched a new $65 million fund in partnership with Honda to finance rooftop solar installations for Honda and Acura drivers in SolarCity’s coverage area. Back in 2011, Ford and SunPower combined for a similar project fund.

In investor news, Silicon Valley venture capital firm Battery Ventures announced the close of two new funds, totaling $900 million. The firm indicated that its key investment focus in the coming years will be in SaaS/software for business users. Battery made nine Cleantech investments in 2012.

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Finally, Cleantech Group Forum San Francisco is coming up soon (March 18-20), followed less than a month later by Cleantech Forum Europe in Bilbao (April 16-18). We would love to see you at one or both events. Register today!