A big advance for silicon-free solar power technology; Tesla plans to announce a new passenger vehicle later today; and CleanTech IPOs stay stuck in the pipeline.

New efficiency benchmark for dye-sensitized solar cells: A Chinese research group says they have achieved a new efficiency record for a type of solar cell which uses no silicon. In a paper published Sunday by Nature Materials, the group claims a light conversion efficiency rate 8.2% using dye-sensitized solar cells. A new process utilizes a triple salt electrolyte mixture, rather than volatile organic solvents. While still well below the conversion abilities of conventional silicon technology, the dye sensitized cells hold out the promise of dramatically reduced production costs for the next generation of solar power. (EurekAlert)

Governator to Help Announce New Tesla Sedan Tomorrow: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to hold a press conference Monday announcing the production of a Tesla 4-door sedan. The new electric vehicle could become available in time for the 2010 model year. Tesla’s expensive, high-performance roadster brought calls from electric car proponents for a more popularly priced passenger vehicle. It’s expected that Monday’s announcement will detail some sort of project partnership between Tesla and the state of California. (Techcrunch)

Geothermal-rich SE Asia struggles to tap earth’s power: Indonesia and the Philippines have at least two things in common — they’re both trying to power emerging economies, and are located on the geologically active “Ring of Fire.” The pair are now racing to tap the world’s largest reservoir of geothermal energy, but not without difficulty. Geothermal presents a set of unique challenges, particularly in capital investment. But with hundreds of active volcanoes in the area, regional policy makers are looking beneath their feet for the energy to grow in the new century. (Reuters)

Cleantech Partly to Blame for the Lack of Venture-Backed IPOs: Is CleanTech killing the venture-based IPO? Some analysts are wondering if the striking dearth of IPOs last quarter bodes ill for the venture capital world’s fascination with green tech. No venture-backed companies went public in the second quarter. An article in the weekend’s New York Times speculates that clean technologies may simply be taking longer to mature than market sectors traditionally exploited by venture firms. If that’s the case, today’s IPO bust could swing to a boom as dozens of young companies emerge from the development pipeline in 3 to 5 years. (Earth2Tech)

Volkswagen prepping a plug-in “Twin Drive” hybrid for 2010: It looks like VW is readying its entry into the hybrid market — with an interesting twist. The German car maker is planning what it calls “Twin Drive” technology for its 2010 model of the popular Golf sedan. The new Golf will rely on an 82 horsepower electric primary motor, backed by a diesel engine. Volkswagen has chosen Sanyo as its lithium ion battery supplier. (Engadget)