Kho

Lines for gasoline could start getting a little shorter on the West Coast, where startup Propel Fuels has raised $20 million to expand its network of biofuel stations. The financing comes just after the Feds set a new renewable fuel standard.

The next two years will be rough in the thin-film solar industry, as economic conditions cull the cash-strapped herd of startups, a Photon Consulting analyst predicts. But companies with healthy balance sheets -- and luck -- could follow in successful First Solar's footsteps.