Oh, how times have changed. Two years ago coverage of so-called cleantech or greentech companies, trends, etc… could be found dangling on the edge of general tech and environment coverage, but today we’ve got blogs, reporters, columnists and publishers (not to mention VCs) focused exclusively on cleantech/energy issues and how such technologies can save money, make money and help the environment in one shot.

A sign that cleantech isn’t going away anytime soon is the scheduled launch of Greentech Media on Sept. 4. It’s an online news site and research operation exclusively dedicated to coverage of the clean technology and energy sector. What makes this venture stand out for me is that the founders are Scott Clavenna and Rick Thompson, who were previously analysts with the telecom-industry news site Light Reading (which, being a former telecom reporter, I truly appreciated as a must-read online source of telecom-industry happenings). On top of that, cleantech reporter Jennifer Kho has left her gig at Red Herring to become editor of Greentech Media, and Eric Wesoff, who you might know as the publisher of the Venture Power Newsletter, has signed on as chief analyst.

My only complaint? They’re using Greentech Media (a la John Doerr) as opposed to Cleantech Media, but perhaps trademark issues influenced that…

I’m looking forward to the launch. The operation is based out of Cambridge, Mass., but has offices in New York and San Francisco. In May, it announced that it had secured $1 million in Series-A financing from Northport Private Equity, Lightspeed Venture Partners and a number of angel investors. I don’t know about the U.S., but in Canada it would be near impossible for such a niche content provider to raise venture capital.

SkyPower Corp. of Toronto and Beltsville, Maryland-based SunEdison announced today their second major solar farm project in Ontario. The companies said they have received approval under the province’s standard offer program to build a 10-megawatt solar farm in Thunder Bay up in northern Ontario (we’re talking 14 hours or so north of Toronto). Together with its other 9.2 megawatt project and the 60-megawatt-plus projects planned by California-based OptiSolar, Ontario is looking to develop at least 80 megawatts of solar over the next two or three years.

SkyPower, it should be noted, also has major wind projects across Canada. Its substantial portfolio of renewable energy projects attracted New York-based Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. to take a substantial stake in SkyPower last month — a major coup. It also got commitments from Lehman Brothers to invest in renewable energy projects.

I can’t wait to see one of these solar farms built and operating.