A startup company spun off technology developed at Berkeley Lab has created a simple, inexpensive way to provide electricity to the 2.5 billion people in the world who don’t get it reliably. Point Source Power’s innovative device is based on a solid oxide fuel cell that is powered by burning charcoal, wood or other types of biomass—even cow dung—the types of fuel that many in the developing world use for cooking.

TeselaGen Biotechnology, founded by JBEI’s Nathan Hillson and two partners, says it will significantly reduce the time and cost involved with DNA synthesis and cloning, a multibillion-dollar market. It is based on the j5 software package, which has attracted users from more than 250 institutions worldwide since JBEI made it available last year.

The City of San Jose and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) today announced a partnership to accelerate the advancement of clean energy technologies while also helping San Jose and other cities achieve their environmental sustainability goals. The partnership brings together the extensive capabilities of San Jose’s ProspeCT SV, a facility to showcase and validate technologies, with Berkeley Lab’s focus on cutting-edge technology development and applied research.

CalCEF, which creates institutions and investment vehicles for the clean energy economy, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) today announced a partnership to launch CalCharge, a consortium uniting California’s emerging and established battery technology companies with critical academic and government resources.