Intel commits $10M to five clean-tech companies

Intel Capital is sinking new and additional investment funds into five technology companies, most of which have some stake in the energy monitoring or monitoring marketplace.

Here's a summary of who snagged the money:

• CPower, a New York company that provides energy management and demand response services and that is part of the Intel Open Energy Initiative. CPower works closely with grid operators and utilities, New York, the Mid-Atlantic region, Texas, California and Ontario, Canada.
• Grid Net, a San Francisco technology developer that has created PolicyNet, which is a management platform for smart grid devices that uses 4G broadband networks.
• Powervation, an organization from Ireland that makes digital power controllers for servers, desktops and communications devices. You would find its technology in power supplies.
• Convey Computer, a business from Richardson, Texas, that focuses on high-performance computing platforms that are designed with reduced energy consumption in mind.
• iControl, a maker of home automation equipment based in Palo Alto, Calif., that is focusing on potential consumer applications for energy efficiency.

I think it is worth pointing out that these investments underscore Intel's broader commitment to the smart grid and renewable energy technology. The company remains the top purchaser of green energy in the United States, according to the latest Green Power ranking by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Renewable energy contributes about 48 percent of the company's electricity consumed annually.