Bringing together Boston's CleanTech news and events

Evergreen Solar Inc. plans to unveil its new line of higher-efficiency solar panels during a solar conference in Germany that starts Wednesday. The ES-D and ES-E series of panels for residential and commercial markets use micro wires to reduce cell shading and improve current collection.

Massachusetts can’t compete with some states when it comes to providing government-backed financial help to cleantech companies. But the talent pool coming out of local universities, the region’s innovation culture and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s other services may make up for that.

Policy Tracker News: U.S. solar power companies increased their revenue by 36 percent last year and added 17,000 jobs; and in other news, more businesses were created last year than were created during the high-tech boom of 1999 and 2000, according to a new study.

GT Solar International Inc. announced Tuesday that it has signed contracts worth more than $70 million, with an Asian manufacturer, for equipment and services used in the production of polysilicon.

Cambridge-based Levant Power Corp. is in talks to provide its regenerative automobile suspension technology to the U.S. Army. The company is developing what it says is a new type of shock absorber, which would take wasted energy from a bouncing and gyrating vehicle and turn it into useful electric power.

Four New England organizations will receive a total of nearly $3 million to provide job training to local workers in energy efficiency retrofitting and weatherization services.

Since 2007, Jason Karas and his small team at Somerville-based Carbon Challenge Inc. have been working toward making a game out of cutting carbon dioxide emissions through their growing website, Carbonrally.com.

Ric Fulop, co-founder of Waltham battery company A123 Systems Inc., is taking an investing partnership position with North Bridge Venture Partners, according to an online report.

Cambridge-based car-sharing service firm Zipcar Inc. filed Tuesday for an initial public offering valued at up to $75 million, disclosing it narrowed its net loss last year.

FloDesign Wind Turbine Corp. will open its new headquarters on Tuesday in Waltham, where the company plans to develop its first commercial product, a more powerful wind turbine that uses mature jet engine technology.