A lot of greentech ground was covered at boutique investment bank ThinkEquity's greentech summit yesterday in San Francisco. (see Green on Greentech and Biofuel from algae on horizon, say experts.)

Leading companies in the thin film, concentrating and conventional PV solar industries spoke, as did a number of biofuel innovators.

Organizers were expecting about 100 investors and industry sorts. More than 450 showed.

So it was a good thing, after the speakers had spoken, the analysts had analyzed, and the hypotheses had hypothecated (um, maybe not) that there was still enough wine to go around. Which always makes for fun - but thankfully not very embarrassing THIS time around - photos.

ThinkEquity's Phil Johnston, partner (L) and senior research analyst Dave Edwards, the event's loquacious host - who, we couldn't help but note, called the event the "greentech" summit, not "cleantech" - (C) chat with respected industry VC David Aslin, partner, 3i (R). >

A surprise ringer in the audience made the event's biofuel-from-algae panel even more poignant. Dr. John Benemann, one of the original authors of an oft-referenced report on fuels from algae, shared impromptu perspectives on his work with the audience - which seemed to have been taken out of context, by some, over time. And he dredged a few chuckles out of the crowd in doing so.

Leonard Devanna, executive vice president of Clean Energy Systems (L), shares one of many laughs with renowned, and eminently entertaining, bioresearcher Dr. John Benemann (R). >

Appearing on a cellulosic ethanol panel, Kinkead Reiling of recently-funded Amyris Biotechnologies got our nod for most slippery definition of what his company is actually doing, choosing to describe it as new ethanol "software" and talk around it. As president of the company, he's also one of the latest entrepreneurs to be rubbing elbows these days with John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins, who joined the company's board in its last funding round.

Kinkead Reiling of Amyris Biotechnologies (L) rubs elbows, here, with George Sorenson, chairman of FE Clean Energy Group. >

And, of course, you couldn't turn around and tuck into one of the various meats-on-a-stick without running into eponymous investors or other eager, interested parties, of which there were plenty.

John Finney (L) and Michael Finney of Finney Capital (R) >

The youthful-looking Richard Hilt of Brightline Energy (L) and Bruce Cardinal, CEO of water management company ETwater, share a smile (R) >