Tendril, the developer of the first integrated software/hardware platform to enable real-time, two-way communications between utilities/retailers and their customers on energy supply and consumption, is broadening its smart grid relationship with General Electric Company (GE) beyond appliances with an equity investment by GE Energy Financial Services.  GE Energy Financial Services is treating the venture capital investment as a follow-up to Tendril’s announcement in June that it raised $30 million in Series C funding, making it one of the best-funded energy management startups.  The Tendril Residential Energy Management Ecosystem (TREE) is designed to help utilities operate more efficiently to improve customer service and comply with new regulatory requirements.  GE’s investment builds on its appliances partnership with Tendril. GE Consumer & Industrial and Tendril announced in July that they would integrate the TREE Platform to work with GE's dryers, refrigerators, washing machines and other appliances. GE appliances ...

On September 5th we reported that Silicon Valley, the major green booster, had retrenched by pulling out of long-term investments in alternative energy. Today, the other shoe dropped. The Cleantech Group in San Francisco reported that venture-capital investment in clean technology fell 35% in Q4 from the prior quarter, the steepest quarterly drop in two years.

Venture capitalists had infused $1.7 billion into the sector, the smallest amount in six quarters, according to Cleantech.

The implications of this reversal are truly profound.

Silicon Valley superstars have been touting green for the past two years. Boosters include Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel; Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google; John Doerr, perhaps the leading venture capitalist in the world; and just about every other venture capitalist within spitting distance of the fabled Sand Hill Road.

Silicon Valley really hit the brakes hard after a frothy third quarter.

Venture capital investment in cleantech hit a record $4.6

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