Israel Innovation 2.0

During the week of December 20, 2009, O2 confirmed that it is buying Israel-based Internet phone company, Jajah. Facial recognition security company C-True announced that Brinks is its latest customer and oil was found in Israel. For these stories and more, check out this week’s headlines below.

Cleantech
1. Michigan Looks to Israel to Rev Up Automotive Battery Business

2. SunPower and SolarPower Ltd. Dedicate 50-Kilowatt Solar Power System for HP in Israel

Investments and Economy
3. O2: Yes, we’re acquiring Internet phone company Jajah

4. Israel May Beat Growth and Deficit Estimates, Steinitz Says

Information Technology
5. Israeli company to beta cost-reducing content delivery technology

6. C-TRUE Provide Face Recognition Security Solutions to Brinks

7. All Quiet in the Data Center

8. Israel’s fastest growing software companies of 2009

9. Web Host Datapipe Teams with Applicure for Website Security

10. 2009: Sarah Lacy and the Israeli Web Revisited

Miscellaneous
11. Tourism Ministry presents three-year plan

12. Amazon’s Kindle has copyright protection hacked

13. Oil well with potential found in Israel

According to The New York Times environment blog,

“BrightSource Energy has broken ground on a 29-megawatt solar steam plant at a Chevron oil field in Coalinga, Calif.”

The move is a great for both companies. For Chevron, which, along with competitors BP and StatoilHydro, is an investor,

“a solar power plant builder based in Oakland, Calif., and solar-powered oil extraction offers the oil giant an opportunity to reduce its carbon footprint while gaining a hedge against volatile natural gas prices.”

While, BrightSource, which has signed other significant contracts in California this year, will have the chance “to scale up its technology” and “explore new applications for its technology.”

It’s important to note that the field won’t be powered by solar steam exclusively. As it only works when the sun is out, the field will still use rely on previous sources for  power at other times.