The Generals Stir Up Cleantech

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Two cleantech developments caught my eye today.

First was the announcement by General Motors (NYSE: GM) that the company will build its own batteries for the Chevy Volt, one of several electric vehicles recently on display at the Detroit Auto Show. GM will tap LG Chem -- distinct from LG Display (NYSE: LPL) -- for the lithium-ion cells that will go into the battery packs.

This is a pretty significant blow to A123 Systems, a company that I recently identified as a top cleantech company to watch in 2009. Whether this whiff will affect A123's IPO aspirations remains to be seen. The company does have other projects in the works, such as a smart-grid solution in tandem with AES (NYSE: AES). But the Chevy Volt would have been a very high-profile win for the much-ballyhooed start-up, not to mention a significant source of near-term cash flow.

The other general -- General Electric (NYSE: GE) -- issued a press release that led to a big share price pop for potential partner A-Power Energy Generation Systems (Nasdaq: APWR). The two firms signed a letter of intent -- only a prelude to a hard, fast contract -- for the supply of more than 900 wind turbine gearboxes, beginning in 2010. Given the share bump, one might think A-Power, a new entrant into the wind power space, won the supply award. On the contrary, GE is the supplier here.

The second part of the announcement makes A-Power's pop more clear. The two companies are also forming a gearbox assembly joint venture, which will operate under the GE Transportation moniker. By choosing to partner with A-Power, GE is demonstrating a very significant vote of confidence in the Chinese player.

A-Power's shares have really gotten hammered since their summer highs, so you can imagine the relief of investors here. Financial concerns aside, GE is a dream partner, given its marketing and manufacturing know-how. Unlike some of the odd short squeezes we've seen this month, Monday's share price move appears well justified.

A-Power is rated a respectable four stars by Motley Fool CAPS participants. Make your own call right here.