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Proof the five-year-old company has made the big time came during the Super Bowl when it's 30-second ad aired during the game. More affirmation of HomeAway's success comes in the TIME magazine article which features several Central Texas based businesses as proof of the current strength of the Austin economy.

"Austin in particular it is a magnet for investment and the best and brightest people who want to move to move to a place that's as wonderful as Austin," said Shepherd.

"All of the features around Austin, all the music and the water and the outside and the stuff to do makes Austin a great place to live which makes it easier to build a company because people want to live here," said Michael Breen.

Breen is the founder of Xtreme Power, also featured in the TIME article. Xtreme Power takes and stores the variable electricity generated by renewable sources like wind and solar and then distributes it back into the grid.

"You couldn't have done this without the deep, deep technology roots that Austin has," said Breen.

Austin Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez says the article does a good job of highlighting the diversity of the Austin job market, which he says is key to succeeding in tough economic times.

"These are all different types of jobs that speak to a different audience but they all put money into the local economy, people buys homes, they buy their goods and services here, it has a positive impact," said Martinez.

Martinez was quick to point out that Austin is not without it's problems. He says some people remain out of work, and the East side is hurting, but he says there needs to be a time to stop and smell the roses and celebrate what's good about Austin and he says the TIME article helps to do just that.

Source: http://www.kvue.com/news/Austins-healthy-economy-is-featured-in-upcoming-TIME-article--89226342.html

It is seeking to raise up to US$475m to help fund the retooling of a closed Ford Motor factory in Michigan, as part of a joint venture with Clairvoyant Energy with the aim of producing 2000MW of batteries a year. Xtreme Power has stated that the batteries would cost about one-tenth of comparable lithium-ion systems and their modular set-up allows individual installations to scale up to 100MW.

Or at least part of the future. Five and a half years ago, the lights went on at Xtreme Power with half a dozen employees and a vision to make wind power an easier sell. One of the big stumbling blocks in persuading utilities to buy wind is its unpredictability. The wind blows, and then it stops, while utilities' customers demand a constant flow of power. Xtreme's solution: a shipping-container-size power-management system that takes in energy from wind farms, stores it and then smoothly releases an uninterrupted supply of it out the other end.

That innovation carries real economic value. Wind-farm operators want to sell more power, and they'll pay for something that helps them do that. As a result, jobs are created. Xtreme, which employed 57 people at the beginning of 2009, installed its first major system in Hawaii over the summer and now has $100 million worth of orders in the pipeline. The firm currently employs 105 people and is again looking to grow. Its plan is to buy a factory in Wixom, Mich., that Ford shut down in 2007.

It's the dream scenario of the green-technology revolution: a plant that used to make Lincoln Continentals starts churning out the mechanical apparatus of wind-power storage. Michigan autoworkers, knocked off their feet by a collapsing industry, put their skills to use in the quintessential "industry of tomorrow." Once those high-value manufacturing jobs are in place and a group of workers has money to spend, other jobs follow — at doughnut shops, hair salons, real estate brokerages and law firms...

Located on the island of Oahu, the Kahuku wind farm will contribute to Hawaii’s Clean Energy Initiative goal of meeting 70% of the state’s energy needs with clean energy by 2030. Currently, each island relies on isolated electric grids that burn imported oil, to generate 90% of the state’s electricity. By harnessing wind power, the project is will supply electricity to 7700 homes and avoid emission of 160 million pounds of CO2.

The Kahuku wind farm project is in the final permitting stages. Construction will start after the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approves the project and the DoE guaranteed funding is in place.

First Wind will incorporate a 15 MVA, 10 MWh battery storage system to enhance load stability. Developed by Xtreme Power of Texas, the battery system will store power from the wind turbines and provide 10 MW of capacity for one hour during periods of low wind speeds.

The project will install 2.5 MW wind turbines manufactured by Clipper Liberty in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They are the largest wind turbines made in North America.

“Given today’s difficult financing environment for these types of projects, the loan guarantee will be an important part in securing the necessary financing to build this next-generation wind energy project, which will create jobs, generate clean power for the people of Oahu, and help Hawaii gain greater energy independence,” says Paul Gaynor of First Wind.

“In addition, we believe Kahuku Wind will demonstrate the tremendous potential for battery storage solutions to maximise the efficiency of utility-scale wind projects by smoothing output and providing some energy at off-peak times.”

First Wind built and currently operates Hawaii’s largest wind energy facility, the 30 MW Kaheawa wind farm in Maui, which serves 9% of the island’s electricity needs with renewable energy.

As part of the Kaheawa project, First Wind implemented a Habitat Conservation Plan and the Kahuku project will also feature a plan so that endangered species can be protected near the project.

DoE's Loan Programs Office manages the green energy loan portfolio and is authorised to issue loan guarantees under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 for eligible projects which avoid or reduce anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and employ new or significantly-improved technologies as compared to technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued.

To date, DoE has conditionally offered or closed 12 loans or loan guarantees. According to estimates from the recipient companies, their projects will collectively create 50,000 jobs and lead to the capacity to produce 3 GW of clean power.

Other projects supported by DoE’s Loan Guarantee Program Office include:

• US$535m to Solyndra to manufacture cylindrical solar photovoltaic panels
• US$1.4 billion to BrightSource Energy to construct three utility-scale concentrated solar power plants
• US$16m to Nordic Windpower USA to expand an assembly plant to produce its 1 MW wind turbine
• US$43m to Beacon Power to construct its 20 MW flywheel energy storage plant
• US$245m for an activated carbon manufacturing facility
• US$8.33bn for construction of two new nuclear reactors
• US$72m for a manufacturing facility to produce window technology
• US$5.9bn to Ford Motor to transform factories to produce fuel efficient models
• US$1.4bn to Nissan to produce electric cars and battery packs in Tennessee
• US$465m to build the Tesla Model S sedan
• US$529m to develop plug-in hybrids

Source: http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/7869/hawaii-wind-farm-receives-us117m/