CleanTech OC Daily - 12/17/12

Energy innovation rockstar, former ARPA-E Director, to join Google.org

In an announcement made today, Arun Majumdar, the former Director of the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program will be joining Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org. Majumdar will lead the way on energy initiatives and advise the company on overall energy strategy. Keep an eye on Google.org in 2013, as there will likely be some new energy-related projects or investment into some new resources.

Peter Thiel funds tornado power: seriously

Peter Thiel’s Breakout Labs has awarded a $300,000 grant to AVEtec, a startup who plans to harness man-made tornadoes to produce power. The funding was made through the Thiel Foundation, who gives small rounds of funding for cutting-edge, early-stage science and technology research ideas. AVEtec says vortex-power can deliver inexpensive energy that is carbon emissions-free - the problem is that the tornado power has to be created in a large power plant, and that has yet to be built and tested at scale.

Universal Bioenergy Announces Plans to Expand Its Board of Directors to Up-List to NASDAQ

Irvine-based Universal Bioenergy, a company that markets natural gas, propane, and produces coal, announced it will expand their Board of Directors in an effort to meet the qualifications to up-list to NASDAQ or another major stock exchange. The new Board members will come equipped with strong backgrounds and experience in the energy industry, corporate finance, and investment banking. They will also assist the company with a long-term strategic plan for growth and help raise additional capital.