Forbes's Andrew T. Gillies has a nice profile of Frank van Mierlo and his small (they've raised $12.4 million in a first funding) solar power start-up 1366 Technologies. The company's planned trajectory is a case study in what may become an increasingly prevalent trend: the involvement of state governments, and even federal governments, in small businesses, particularly those dealing in green-friendly initiatives.

The pattern of a public sector investment is not an unprecedented one, according to van Mierlo, who points out that the first semiconductor manufacturer was boosted in the 1950s by the U.S. Air Force and NASA.

But here's the catch: the federal government seems less inclined to provide the needed investment to 1366 and other such start-ups than the governments of certain other countries are. "I would love to do production in Massachusetts, but you need a level playing field compared to the people who pick Germany or Malaysia as their home," van Mierlo told Forbes.

The U.S. should want the van Mierlos of the world to do their business here. We will be exploring this and other issues as the presidential election heats up. For now, something to keep in mind: how do we make the U.S. the most competitive climate for green-friendly start-ups in the world?