Trash company Waste Management has an acquisition strategy that's about as aggressive as a high tech firm, like Cisco. This week Waste Management bought majority equity interest in startup called Garick, which makes organic garden products and will contribute to Waste Management's organic recycling services and supplies.

A new car sharing startup called Spride Share, backed by a who's who of Silicon Valley, could be poised to overcome one of the largest obstacles to winning over consumers in a matter of weeks, or possibly days.

The official verdict is out — Pacific Gas & Electric’s smart meter technology has been working properly, but its customer service hasn’t. That’s the conclusion of a state-ordered report released Thursday from independent analysts at the Structure Group.

Cisco's smart grid assault continues. This morning, the networking giant announced that it plans to acquire Arch Rock: a startup which has been selling wireless network products for data centers and buildings and announced its first smart grid wireless network product based on open standards.

Picking winners and losers is always a dicey exercise, but Lux Research took that plunge and issued a report this week, which points to likely revenue winners and IPO candidates over the coming year. The names that popped out include Amonix, Enphase Energy and Abound Solar.

There are many tech-paved roads that lead to reduced energy use in data centers, from software-centric solutions to those that put sensors on every server and fan. But the paths to commercializing those technologies are, by comparison, relatively few.