Xtreme, which has attracted backing from venture capital firms and corporate investors like Dow Chemical, Fluor and BP Alternative Energy, is developing large-scale digital power systems for renewable energy and micro-grid applications.

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Research into clean and alternative energy is exploding, with everyone from giants like ExxonMobil and BP to upstarts like Amyris and Codexis getting into the market.

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The field of custom-engineering microbes has become one of the hottest areas of alternative energy, with investments by tiny startups like Amyris and LS9 and giants such as Exxon and BP.

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