Facebook acquires social media startup Branch, to build conversation group

Facebook acquires social networking startup Branch Media to focus on online forms.

Facebook has acquired New York based start up Branch Media to develop Facebook's conversations group. The financial details about the deal have not been disclosed yet but according to sources the deal is estimated to be worth about $ 15 million.

The social networking start-up was launched two years ago with backing from The Obvious Corporation, a firm backed by Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams. According to the deal New York City-based startup's twin social networks, Branch and Potluck, will continue to operate independently and work on Facebook conversations for helping people connect based on their interests.

Josh Miller, Branch's co-founder announced the acquisition in a Facebook post. "After two years building Branch and Potluck, I am thrilled to announce that we will be continuing our mission at Facebook," said Miller.

"We will be forming Facebook's Conversations group, based in New York City, with the goal of helping people connect with others around their interests. Their pitch to us was: "Build Branch at Facebook scale," he added.

Miller said that he is "incredibly bullish on Facebook". He added, "At the end of the day, social networks are valuable for the size and density of their network (of people)—not the volume of photos shared or messages sent," Miller wrote in a blog post. "In that regard, Facebook still reigns supreme, by far."

Facebook has recently acquired its first Indian start-up Little Eye labs that monitors building tools and performance analysis of mobile app developers. The acquisition is aimed to enhance the social networking giants revenue from its mobile business. The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed yet, but according to media reports the price was approximately $ 15 Million.

Google pumps $12M into African solar energy project

By Jolie O'Dell | VentureBeat.com, Published: May 31, 2013

In is bajillionth green energy investment, Google has targeted the Jasper Power Project, a South African solar plant.

The investment totals $12 million and marks the search company’s first investment in Africa. This sum is part of a larger $260 million round including investors such as SolarReserve, a U.S. solar power developer; Intikon Energy, a South African renewable energy developer; and the Kensani Group, a South African empowerment investment firm.

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The Jasper Power Project will be an advanced photovoltaic plant capable of generating 96 MW of clean energy for residents of South Africa. The project is designed not only to meet the country’s renewable energy goals but also to create long-term jobs and economic opportunity.

“Back in 2008, South Africa experienced a severe energy shortage, which resulted in blackouts throughout the country and slowed down economic growth,” writes Google energy and sustainability director Rick Needham today on the company blog.

“Since then the South African government has been actively supporting the growth of new sources of electricity to power the nation. … Given South Africa’s position as an economic powerhouse in Africa, a greener grid in South Africa can set an example for the whole continent.”

Previously, Google has made big investments in solar projects around the world. There’s a $168 million investment in a Mojave Desert power tower, a $94 million investment in photovoltaic projects throughout California, a smaller $5 million round for a plant in Germany, and a $280 million deal for SolarCity, which went public the following year.

All that is augmented by other investments in green energy, particularly wind farms.

Copyright 2013, VentureBeat

Apple is planning a solar panel farm for its data center in Reno

By Katie Fehrenbacher | GigaOM.com, Published: July 2

Apple, working with Nevada utility NV Energy, is planning to build another solar panel farm next to a data center, and this time it’s for its new data center in Reno, Nevada. Apple has already been building two solar panel farms next to its data center in North Carolina, and this latest solar farm in Reno, called the “Ft. Churchill Solar Array,” shows Apple’s growing commitment to clean power at its new facilities.

Apple’s solar farm in Reno will be able to provide between 18 to 20 MW worth of power, which is about the same size as its two solar plants in North Carolina, which are both 20 MW in size. For an independent company (not a utility) — particular an internet company — 18 to 20 MW is a very large solar system.

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But for the Reno solar farm, Apple is actually planning to use a new type of technology for the solar system, which includes both solar panels and also mirrors that concentrate the sun’s rays up to seven times onto the panels. That process increases the amount of power generated.

Apple is working with solar company SunPower on the engineering and construction, as well as the tracker technology that will be used with the solar panels. Apple also worked with SunPower for its North Carolina solar farms.

Apple’s partnership with utility NV Energy also shows how Apple is looking to work closely with utilities in states to create clean power options for its data centers.  Apple is one of the first companies to take advantage of a new green tariff approved by Nevada’s utility commission that will enable Apple to pay for the cost of building the solar panel farm.

Since Apple will assume the incremental building costs throughout the project, the rates of NV Energy’s other customers doesn’t have to go up. Duke Energy and Google are working on a similar (though slightly different) proposal in North Carolina.

In the Nevada green tariff proposal, NV Energy can also pay Apple to use or even eventually buy the solar farm and include it in its energy generating assets. The Nevada state utility commission approved the green tariff on June 12. Apple has an option to expand the solar farm as well.

Because building the solar farm might take awhile, Apple plans to also use local geothermal power (the Galena 3 geothermal facility), which is widely available in the Reno area. Part of the reason that Apple chose to build its next data center in Reno, Nevada was because of the abundant clean power there.

The Apple Reno solar farm could create 100 jobs during the construction period.

Apple addressed the project in a statement:

All of Apple’s data centers use 100 percent renewable energy, and we are on track to meet that goal in our new Reno data center using the latest in high-efficiency concentrating solar panels. This project will not only supply renewable energy for our data center but also provide clean energy to the local power grid, through a first-of-its-kind partnership with NV Energy. When completed, the 137 acre solar array will generate approximately 43.5 million kilowatt hours of clean energy, equivalent to taking 6,400 passenger vehicles off the road per year.

NV Energy CEO Michael Yackira said in a statement:

We’re excited to be in partnership with Apple on a new solar energy project, the first project under our new Green Energy Program.  This program allows customers such as Apple to choose to have a greater proportion of their energy coming from renewables than the law requires, without having a cost impact on our other customers.

Apple is looking to eventually use 100 percent clean power for its data centers through a combination of direct clean power generation, buying renewable energy credits and buying clean power from providers.

(c) 2013, GigaOM.com.