DOE Invests $30 Million in PHEV
A 3 year cost-sharing venture would hasten the development of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and is being shared by General Motors, Ford and General Electric.

The short-term goal is to come up with a PHEV that can travel at least 40 miles on a charge, which is the average commuter’s round-trip distance per day. The project will also work on improving the batteries, drivetrains and other features that keep the PHEV from being ready for mass-market sales. More from CleanTech …

And The Winner Is…
Norway’s $100,000 Sophie’s Prize went to Stanford biologist and writer Gretchen C. Daily for writing about the economic benefits of protecting the environment.

She was selected by the jury for her “visionary and focused finding on practical solutions…” and for her authorship of many books and articles that have made her one of the most visible figures in the debate around global warming and sustainability. More…

Rotating Wind-Power Tunnel Construction Starts
In Dubai this month, the world will see the start of a project that boggles the mind and takes a giant step in alternative energy production. A tower with 59 floors, each of which can rotate completely independently will rise and between the floors will be wind turbines.

Solar panels on the roof and the turbines between each floor will generate 10 times the energy the building needs. With earthquake resistant construction and floors that rotate at the push of a button, the tower will truly be one of the wonders of the world when it’s completed. More from EcoGeek …

New Wind Turbine Design Increases Productivity
FloDesign, a small MA based company, has come up with something that the big wind turbine companies haven’t thought of and it may revolutionize the wind energy business. Their “shrouded turbine” also pivots without a motor, thus bypassing the problem of motors that overheat and even catch on fire.

The company has allegedly even gotten the attention of Al Gore with its arresting design that’s based on jet engine technology, which is what FloDesign’s parent company has been involved in.
More …

Will Algae Work As Ethanol Source?
One of the criticisms of ethanol is that it contributes to food crop shortages. A company in Maryland claims that they have a solution to that: growing algae in tubes to produce “algenol”.

While similar companies claim that they could even use the leftover biomass from producing algae-based ethanol to feed animals, no one has yet refined the process enough to actually implement it in the real world. Can Algenol Biofuels achieve that goal? More …

Cap and Trade System Works in Europe
According to an analysis by MIT, controlling greenhouse emissions by trading carbon credits is working well, despite the fact that it had a shaky start.

There’s been no negative impact on the European economy and the MIT team feels that the system could be a very good model for similar operations in the US and other countries. More …

Trash Could Power Homes
Pollution and trash are two problems that seem to go hand in hand. On the Isle of Wight, the government is attempting to solve both problems by burning trash to make electricity for 2,000 homes.

Although reducing the amount of trash generated is the ideal method of dealing with it, burning it in a safe manner to produce electricity is the next best thing. While recycling is also a good option, not everything can be recycled and we’re running out of places to put our trash. More …

New Clothes Washer Uses a Cup of Water
Imagine loading your clothes into a washer, adding a cup of water and doing your wash. Scientists at Leeds University say that you’ll be able to do just that, at least in Europe, within two years.

The water doesn’t do the actual cleaning. That’s accomplished with small plastic chips and detergent. The washing machine has already proved itself by removing tough stains like lipstick and coffee. More …

California Edison Adds to Its Solar Power
90% of the solar energy in the US is already purchased by Edison, but it intends to add even more solar capacity to power at least 160,000 homes.

Slated to go online in 2011, the solar power will come from the Antelope Valley installations Edison will build north of Los Angeles. These plants will use an advanced solar-mirror technology to increase efficiency and make construction easier, since they don’t require heavy equipment for assembly. More …

Verizon Earns Award for Fuel Cells
By powering its offices and call-center with seven fuel cells, Verizon has been awarded the Energy Star Award. The largest fuel cell powered facility of its kind, the site is powered by generating energy from waste heat.

Verizon has also recently announced that it intends to hold suppliers to new energy consumption standards that it has put into place for certain kinds of equipment. More …

Turning Trash Into Gas
CleanTech Biofuels, HFTA UCal Berkeley and Green Tech America are on a mission to make ethanol from garbage. Clean Tech claims that they can reduce landfill waste by 90% - which would mean a huge reduction in greenhouse gases.

Add to that the easing of the problem of overflowing landfills and fewer places to site new ones, and it’s clear that the project will make a huge difference to the environment and the consumer.
More from Gas2 …

$45 Trillion is Needed to Halt Global Warming
The International Energy Agency says oil use and CO2 gases are “clearly not sustainable” and calls for an “Energy Revolution” to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuel.

Unless emissions are cut 50% by 2050, thousands of nuclear power plants and wind farms are built, the earth will not be able to overcome the effects of global warming. More …

Scrubber Could Help Remove CO2 From Air
A group of US scientists say that they’re less than two years away from a prototype machine that will remove CO2 from the air. The scrubber, as they call it, will be small enough to fit into a shipping case and will remove as much as a ton of CO2 a day.

While this isn’t an answer for the problem of global warming, it’s a good start and could help slow it down while other solutions are worked on. More …

Small May Be the New Big In Renewable Energy
Huge wind farms, large solar collectors and towering hydroelectric dams may be what you think of when you think of renewable energy, but it’s not what comes to Agustin Ortegui’s mind.

He’s the Mexican-born inventor who has come up with the concept of “Nano Vent-Skin”, a substance that would cover a structure in a solar material that is embedded with micro-turbines. Instead of adding on, the material would be an integral part of the structure right from the drawing board. More from Inhabitat…

Free Energy From Waste Heat
Of course, the heat has to be paid for first, but if it’s then reclaimed to make power, the savings are enormous. This is why a major Northeastern US paper company has hired Thermal Energy International of Ottawa, Canada to install and operate a $20 Million waste heat recovery system.

Even if oil prices don’t rise as predicted, the project will mean $40 Million in fuel savings over the course of eight years. More from Clean Break …

Role of Carbon Trading Becoming Clearer to Business
The value of carbon trading reached $64 Billion last year, but many CEO’s and business managers still don’t understand its terms or procedures. As the threat of global warming becomes clearer, they’re scrambling to master the basics of removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

Carbon credits, carbon offsets, carbon futures… It’s a new asset class with its own infrastructure that business must understand or be left behind. More …

Siemens Announces R&D Center for Wind Power Research
Siemens, the German energy company says it will collaborate with the  National Renewable  Energy Lab on the installation of a 2.3 MW pilot wind turbine at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) near Boulder, Colorado.

The center will include the installation of a Siemens 2.3 MW pilot wind turbine for testing and developing future wind turbines. Siemens cited the nearby university and NREL’s support as reasons for locating its facility here. More …

HP and Solar Tech Collaboration Changes Everything for Solar
Within the next 2 years, even high energy use facilities, like data centers, may be able to take advantage of solar panels. And they won’t have to have them on the roof, because the new transparent ones allow the building’s color to show through.

The new panels are twice as efficient as ones in use today and have transparent resistors. More …

Hawaiian Homes Will Have Solar Water Heaters by 2010
If you’re planning to build a new home in Hawaii by 2010, better make sure the design includes a solar water heater. A new national regulation bans natural gas or electric water heaters after that date and mandates that all new construction go solar for hot water.

The cost of electricity in Hawaii is the highest in the US, so solar makes sense as a cost-saving measure as well as an environmental one. The governor of Hawaii has set a goal of at least 70% renewable energy by 2030 and the water heaters are a good first step. More …

Japanese Bathing Habits Affect Global Warming?
Japanese households consume less energy than US or European households, but the Japanese government things they could do better, especially considering that consumption has been rising sharply.

It is urging Japanese families to speed up the timet they spend on family baths and showers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Apparently, Japanese bathers spend more time in the tub, which means reheating water and using more hot water in the first place. The government’s goal is for each family member to shave a minute off their bathing time. More …

What If Solar Power Was Affordable For Everyone?
Because solar power is produced with expensive, cutting-edge, high-tech materials, it’s too expensive for average people in developing countries to afford. A team of MIT students is trying to change that by building a solar collector out of readily available, cheaper materials.

While their “dish” isn’t intended for individuals, it’s a step toward accessible solar for villages or cooperatives wherever inexpensive, renewable power is needed. More …
On The Road to Greener Asphalt
India and Africa have been doing it for years, and now the US is going to go for greener asphalt by using a cold-mix process. Heating asphalt, which is the sludge that’s left over after petroleum is refined, takes a lot of energy and ups the costs of building roads.

By using an emulsion, as the cold-mix product is called, US road-builders hope to shave costs and also lessen the burden on the power grid. More …

Oregon’s Underground Renewable Energy Source
While hydroelectric has long been a power-generation method in the Pacific Northwest, geothermal energy is being tapped by several projects in the state. Klamath Falls, which has run heating on geothermal for years, is looking into using it to generate electric.

Because the Northwest is running out of hydroelectric capacity and natural gas prices are rising, expect to see more geothermal projects in the works for the Northwest. More …Parking Lots That Generate Power
Envision Solar’s new Solar Grove parking lot canopies provide shade for car owners and solar power. The customizable canopies are like trees, in that they use a single support column, thus making them suitable for places where cars must be maneuvered around them.

They also help with water runoff and reduce the urban heat island effect. Plus, there’s no direct skyward lighting, which reduces light pollution. More …

Los Angeles Surprises With Small Carbon Footprint
Southern California is often seen as the epitome of pollution and wastefulness with its smog and car-clogged highways and big-spender mentality. But apparently, we’ve got it all wrong.

According to this article in The New Republic, LA has the smallest carbon footprint of any continental US city. Who knew? More …

Landfill-Saving Idea Comes From Teen
We all know that plastic bags are the biggest item in landfills. Everything from diapers to supermarket shopping bags clog our trash bins and our planet. The biggest problem is that they take forever - almost literally - to decompose.

But Daniel Burd, an 11th grader from Canada, thinks he knows a feasible way to make plastic bags decompose in just 3 months. Will it work? More …

With Biofuels, It Seems Like There’s Always a Catch
Just when it seemed that the problem of biofuels using much-needed food crops was being solved with non-food crops, we find that it isn’t. Not when the non-food crops are invasive species, as so many of them are.

Will biofuels lead to another kudzu epidemic like the one in the Southern US or some other species that takes over and chokes out native plants? Is biofuel still feasible or is it a dead-end? More …

Solar Makes Big Gains In North Carolina
Duke Energy announced that it will be buying solar power from SunEdison of Beltsville, Maryland. The power will come from a solar farm to be built in North Carolina.

Duke Energy is also adding wind to its power portfolio by using power from a wind farm in Indiana which went online last month. The solar plant is scheduled to start providing power by 2010. More …

Cars Powered By Natural Gas Save More Money Than Ever
Especially for companies who depend on vehicles for deliveries or other heavy industrial use, natural gas is becoming a lifesaver. Fueling a conventional vehicle at current pump prices is causing fleet managers to think twice about buying more conventional vehicles.

Many of them are opting for natural gas vehicles in an effort to stem rising fuel costs that make it necessary to add on to their customer fees and merchandise prices. More …

The Queen Invests in Wind Energy in a Royal Way
The Queen of England, or at least her Crown Trust, has just purchased the world’s largest wind turbine at 7.5 Megawatts. It’s a prototype of the Brittania Line from Clipper Windpower in California.

It will join other wind turbines that are being installed in order to help achieve Britain’s goal of generating 33 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2020. More …

Restaurants Serve Up Sustainability
What with so many disposable dishes, napkins, tableware and containers, restaurants aren’t famous for sustainability. Now that’s going to change, according to the National Restaurant Association. The aim is to reduce the impact of the food service industry on the environment and to conserve resources.

So far, Pepsico and the Chicago Culinary Institute have signed on. More …
“Farmer Green” Makes a Case for Sustainable Farming
79 year old Ralph Dull was recuperating from knee surgery when he read a book on wind energy, just to pass the time. It changed his life and may change the lives of farmers and other people from Ohio, where he lives, to wherever farming is practiced.

Since then, he’s added wind turbines, a geothermally heated office, recycling systems and even a hydrogen generator that he hopes will replace propane in his forklifts and other farm equipment.

He’s also become an ambassador for green farming practices, as he tries to convince other farmers that this may be the best way to save their farms and their way of life. More …

MIT Increases Fuel Cell Output
One kind of fuel cell could be much more in demand in future, not that its output has been improved by 50%. Portable electronic devices could use them instead of less environmentally-friendly batteries, thus reducing the impact on resources and landfills.

Even better, the new material that has made this possible is actually less expensive than older materials. More …

Rockefellers Get Backup In Attempt to Influence Exxon Mobil Policies
When members of the Rockefeller family announced their intent to sway the company’s policies toward investing in renewable energy, Exxon Mobil resisted. However, now that four more investors have come onboard with the heirs of John D. Rockefeller, the pressure is on.

The Rockefeller family has stated that renewable energy exploration and investment is necessary not only for environmental reasons, but because other oil companies have already started to brand themselves with the renewable energy image, which may hurt Exxon Mobil’s image with consumers. More …

A Car That Pays You Back As You Drive It
By the time you finish paying for a new car, it’s an old car. It may have mechanical problems or fading paint, but you still have to finish the payments. Enter the super-efficient XH-150 from AFS Trinity Power Corporation. This hybrid SUV uses electric power for the first 40 miles and then switches to gas with an unheard of mileage of 150MPH.

By the end of 4-5 years, it will have paid for itself at its projected price of $40,000. And it - or a similar vehicle - could be available in 2-3 years. More …

$1 Trillion Market for Carbon Trading Predicted
Analysts are bullish on carbon offset trading, which has grown exponentially since its inception in the last few years. Buoyed by strong public interest and a stabilizing structure of certified offsets, things can only get better for the companies that deal in the most trusted types of offsets.

Of course, there are some caveats for consumers, but commonsense research into which type of offset a company offers should be done before investing, as it would be with any investment. More …

Biggest Electric Car Fleet is Created by TNT
Joining fellow British company Tesco, TNT, the business-to-business delivery service, has ordered a fleet of electric vehicles. The trucks are made by Smith Electrical Vehicles and will join 50 already online.

According to Peter Bakker, the CEO of TNT, the company’s goal is a zero emissions fleet, although that would of course depend on the charging source. More …

T. Boone Pickens Orders $2 Billion in Wind Turbines
Over a million homes in North Texas will be powered by the wind energy that will come from the wind farm he plans to build in the panhandle of Texas. The project will be the largest wind farm in the world when it’s completed.

The Texas oilman paid over $3 Million dollars for each GE turbine and installation is scheduled to start in 2010 and the first turbines will be online sometime in 2011. More …

Germany is Unlikely Leader in Solar Power Development
Q-Cell, which surpassed Sharp, the former leader in solar panel production, last year, is located in a desolate stretch of what used to be East Germany. Amidst the rusting factories and abandoned coal mines, under usually cloudy skies, other companies have joined Q-Cell in what has come to be called Germany’s Solar Valley. More …

Mon Dieu! Climate Change May Make Truffles Extinct!
Very expensive and already hard to find, the black truffle may be only a memory of high-class restaurants if global warming isn’t checked. According to truffle experts, production from Italy, France and Spain has already fallen to a mere 100 tons a year, down from 1,000 tons or more in the 19th century.

Drought is responsible, because the fungi can’t live for more than three weeks without rainfall. With temperatures predicted to rise, the future looks black indeed for this delicacy, its growers and the gourmands who savor it. More …

Can Phoenix Rise Again?
Phoenix, AZ has long been known as a city that exemplifies everything that’s wrong with building a metropolis in the desert. The only green thing about Phoenix are the lawns that shouldn’t be there in a desert landscape.

Man-made lakes evaporating many gallons of water everyday, miles of simmering concrete and tar creating water runoff and swimming pools in almost every yard… Is it possible that Phoenix can be turning toward a new sustainable pathway? More …

Good News For Solar Industry Means Good News for Job Seekers
The solar industry is booming, especially in California. This is good news for the alternative energy industry and also for potential solar industry workers. With the creation of cheaper and more efficient solar panels, there’s been a sharp increase in solar projects with more being added weekly.

Companies are going to great lengths to attract and retain employees in this fast-growing field and it only promises to make more jobs in years to come. More …

Sweet Solution to Biofuel Problem?
Sorghum is mostly used for animal feed in the US, but it could be a source of biofuel according to experts. Able to grow in poor soil under difficult growing conditions, the stalk could be used for biofuel without damaging the food crop at the end of the stalk, which makes it more acceptable than crops that would sacrifice food for fuel.

Experts also suggest that it would be more energy efficient than other biofuels which take more energy to manufacture than they return. Sorghum uses only one unit of energy to produce eight units of energy, which is much better than corn. More …

Honda’s New Approach to Fuel Cell Car
The new fuel-cell powered car from Honda has been completely redesigned. Unlike its uninspiring predecessor, it has the same interior space as a regular car because the fuel cell is smaller.

The new Clarity, which will be available for leasing later this year, has its fuel cell situated between the driver’s and passenger’s seat, which makes for a much more appealing style. The new lithium-ion battery is a vast improvement also. More …

Students Use Fruit to Improve Solar Power
Some New Jersey students are going overboard with their fruit consumption. They’re not eating it; they’re using it to create dyes that help solar panels be more efficient. With the help of their teacher, they’re conducting experiments with fruit “smoothie” mixtures, to find out which fruits produce the most effective dyes.

First generation solar panels, which rely on silicone and sometimes synthetic chemicals for dye, could be a thing of the past if this “mixed fruit” trial proves successful. More …

Wind Power to the Rescue
The European Union’s Parliament has set a target of 25% by 2020 for renewable energy. They intend to supply half that from wind power. A new report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), outlines how this is possible if energy needs continue along current lines.

Five E.U. countries - Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Germany - already have more than 5% of their electrical power supplied by wind energy. If the EU’s longterm goal is met it would mean a tremendous reduction in CO2, save billions on fuel costs and help meet almost half of their Kyoto Protocal obligations. More …

Study Shows Progress of Eco Consumerism
National Geographic joined the international polling firm GlobeScan to conduct a study that would report on how much progress is being made toward environmentally sustainable consumption by consumers in 14 countries around the world.

The results were revealing and sometimes surprising. Would you have guessed that Brazil’s and Russia’s citizens would come in at the top of the standings? Find out which countries are walking the walk and which are just talking the talk around environmental issues. There’s a downloadable version too if you’d like to really explore the subject. More …

How Green IS Green Clothing?
So you bought a shirt that’s made from “organic cotton” and now you’re feeling good about your purchase, because you’re helping the planet and looking good at the same time. Well, maybe not so much as you thought.

Growing cotton and natural fibers without pesticides or synthetic fertilizer is only one of the steps manufacturers have to take to truly create green products. Here’s a factory that’s trying to attain a truly green clothing line. More …

Climate Counts Companies That Care
The second annual Climate Counts Report on how companies are doing at environmental and social responsibility is out and it’s encouraging. Many companies have made significant progress toward that goal.

However, especially in the Food Service Industry, much more progress needs to be made. Check your favorite eatery or retailer and then download the pocket guide to take with you. More …

Is There A Bright Side to High Fuel Prices?
If there is any good to come out of the high cost of fuel, it may be in the form of fewer emissions. With oil heading toward the $125 mark and the summer driving season approaching, consumers are cutting back on unnecessary trips and reconsidering their vacation plans, if they can still afford a vacation after filling the family van.

Sales of SUV’s and large trucks are falling fast and consumers are shopping for hybrids and compacts and even sub-compacts. Not since the 70’s with its long lines at the pump and gas rationing, has the US seen this kind of voluntary scaling back of fuel usage. More …