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Article: World events spark interest in California's solar cell energy start-ups.
- Article from:
- San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, CA)
- Article date:
- August 15, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 San Jose Mercury News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Matt Marshall
Aug. 15--The idea sparking the latest technology rush is as old as the sun: solar cell energy.
After years of shying away from funding solar cell energy start-ups because of high costs, venture capitalists are almost tripping over themselves to sign up the most promising companies, many of them in Silicon Valley.
Breakthroughs in solar technology, favorable policy proposals by Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry, disgust about dependence on foreign sources of oil, and skyrocketing demand for energy worldwide are all playing a role.
"There's clearly something going on here," says Erik Straser, a ...