CleanTech OC Daily - 8/24/12

How a Chinese conglomerate became a cleantech powerhouse

Wanxiang is one of China’s largest industrial parts companies with $13 billion in revenue and 45,000 employees. Wanxiang has been making aggressive investments into U.S.-based cleantech startups and most recently said it planned to invest up to $450 million into A123 Systems.

Regulators push for energy storage for solar farms

Solar developer BrightSource Energy and Southern California Edison are facing potential rejection for two of their five projects that lack an energy storage component. The California Public Utilities Commission is recommending a “no” vote for the two project in which SCE will buy power from BrightSource’s yet-to-be-built Rio Mesa solar project.

Clinton compares US Green Energy

At the fifth annual National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas, Former President Bill Clinton said U.S. renewable energy efforts have fallen behind other countries. He went on to say that action, cooperation and "thinking big" are needed to change the future of the industry.