Venture investors put $6.46 billion to work during the year, down from $9.61 billion in 2011, the Cleantech Group reports. The number of deals came in at 704, which was down 15% from a year earlier…

Eye-popping late-stage rounds that went to a handful of smart grid companies from 2008 to 2010 have been replaced with smaller fundings, but VCs say that’s no reason to get down on the space. If big strategics keep helping VCs rack up billion-dollar exits, expect cash to keep flowing and growing into smart grid startups. [...]

SynapSense Corp., a maker of data center infrastructure management products, has closed on $16 million in Series C financing led by Crosslink Capital. Aeris Capital, Emerald Technology Ventures, GE Energy Financial Services, Nth Power, Robert Bosch Venture Capital and Sequoia Capital also joined in the round. The money will help SynapSense expand. Louis DiNardo, a partner with Crosslink Capital, joined the SynapSense board as a result of the round.

More money is flowing into the German cleantech industry. Magdeburg based Azzurro Semiconductor AG said Wednesday it raised $19.3 million in funding from a group of international cleantech investors. New investors Emerald Technology Ventures, Wellington Partners and Good Energies contributed to the round, according to a press release. Existing investors Cedrus Private Equity and IBG [...]

Emerald Technology Ventures, a Zurich-based VC firm focused on cleantech investments, is nearing a first close on its third fund, according to Green Energy Reporter. The fund is being marketed with a €150 million target, after having raised €135 million for its second vehicle. www.emerald-ventures.com

Whitney Rockley has joined cleantech-focused Emerald Technology Ventures as a general partner. She previously was a partner with Nomura New Energy & Clean Technology Ventures. Emerald also announced that it has promoted Charles Vaslet to partner.

Xunlight Corporation, a Toledo, Ohio-based developer of silicon solar modules, has received a $7 million loan from the State of Ohio. Xunlight has received over $40 million of institutional investments from Emerald Technology Ventures, Trident Capital, NGP Energy Technology Partners, and Rabo Ventures. Press release: Xunlight Corporation, a leader in thedevelopment of flexible and lightweight [...]

FMI NewCoal, a Denver-based developer of low-rank coal upgrade technology, has raised an undisclosed amount on new VC funding led by Emerald Technology Ventures.