Policy

Green-tech news harvest: Tesla drivetrain, Google on plug-in hybrids

Cellulosic ethanol plant opens--Technology ReviewAn important milestone: Verenium will open an ethanol plant in Jennings, La., that will use agricultural waste from sugar cane farming. Engineering update on Powertrain 1.5--Tesla Motors blog Tesla's CTO offers the nitty-gritty on a one-speed, more durable drivetrain that's expected to make it into cars later this year.

RechargeIT goes to Washington, calls for plug-in videos--Official Google.org BlogGoogle.org and the Brookings Institute will host an event in Washington, D.C., to see how plug-in hybrids can lessen dependence on oil. Via Earth2Tech Signet Solar, or how the chip industry will colonize the solar business--Greentech Media… Read more

Biofuels and food prices: Running the numbers

Clean-energy research firm New Energy Finance has waded into the "food versus fuel" debate and finds that oil is a bigger factor in rising food prices than biofuels.

New Energy Finance, which will release its report Tuesday, also finds that changing food patterns around the world, growing population, and rising input costs, such as fertilizers, are contributing to upward pressure on food prices.

Biofuels production, too, is contributing to food price inflation, but New Energy Finance said that is "far from the dominant factor." It found that areas where biofuel productions have had a significant impact … Read more

Green energy needs to be more than just clean

CORONADO, Calif.--Looming energy problems present noteworthy challenges for the world, but big thinkers in science, business, and technology know they have to compete with the status quo without a helping hand.

The Future in Review conference has always been about sketching a picture of the technology and business landscape five years into the future. But this year, attendees and presenters are focused on a more pressing issue: the need for alternative energy sources to replace fossil fuels sooner, rather than later.

As such, the early talk at the Hotel Del Coronado is all about alternative energy, whether that's … Read more

Green-tech news harvest: Wind-powered sports car

Here's a sampling of recent green-tech news:

Sony Unveils Ultrasmall Hybrid Fuel Cell -- Tech-On Sony looks to put fuel cells in gadgets, following a prototype that Sharp demonstrated last week that uses methanol as a fuel.

Canon patents fuel cell-powered cameras -- Crave -- CNET AsiaFuel cells are coming to consumer electronics, it seems. Quite a bit of activity on this front in the past week.

Oil Left in the Ground -- Technology ReviewWe have smart grids--why not have "smart oil fields?" Interest in existing oil fields, where as much as 75 percent of … Read more

EcoSecurities founder says carbon markets work

As arguably the largest single market segment in the clean-tech sector, carbon markets are an area of keen interest for me personally and professionally, so it is always frustrating that the mainstream media largely refuses to learn the details.

In general, layman and media who don't understand the details of the carbon markets attack carbon offsets in two areas: first, questioning whether the credits are for a project that would have occurred anyway (a concept known in carbon as "additionality"); and second, questioning whether there are checks and balances to ensure the environmental standards are adhered to … Read more

Is ethanol lowering prices at the pump for consumers?

Despite providing the largest portion of alternative fuel in the US, corn ethanol gets a lot of flack in the circles Cleantech Blog runs in. The usual culprits go something like this: Corn ethanol is heavily subsidized (yes it is). Corn ethanol does not reduce greenhouse gas emissions (sort of, it really, really depends on your assumptions). Corn ethanol contributes to the fertilizer driven "deadzone" in the Gulf of Mexico (maybe, another complicated topic). Corn ethanol drives up the price of food (a topic for another day).

But the main argument for supporting corn ethanol production has always … Read more

San Francisco: Electric car city?

Who's bringing the electric car back to life? Mayor Gavin Newsom hopes he can help in San Francisco by partnering with Project Better Place, according to Earth2Tech.

The venture, founded by the mayor's friend Shai Agassi, aims for all passenger vehicles in Israel to run on batteries rather than gasoline. Drivers would subscribe to cars much like they subscribe to cellular phone plans. The biggest challenge is to create the electric car infrastructure, a network of stations for charging vehicles and replacing batteries.

In Israel last week, Newsom met with CEO Moshe Kaplinsky and volunteered to make the … Read more

Is anyone doing any business in renewable energy?

Okay, that's kind of a specious lead in, but seriously, both the investment tax credit (ITC) for solar and the production tax credit (PTC) for wind are up for expiration in barely 6 months in the US. And that seems to be much higher on industry workers minds than actually doing business.

I have had conversation after conversation over the past weeks indicating that the policy renewal is increasingly the biggest topic of concern.

M&A deals are getting held up waiting to see the impact on valuations

Sales teams have added the "fear factor" of … Read more

Green-tech news harvest: McCain on climate, biofuels scorecard

A sampling of the latest green-tech news.

Blow Hard: Wind to Supply 20% of U.S. Power? - Environmental Capital - WSJ.com

- The Department of Energy says wind can supply 20 percent of U.S. power, the same target as Europe. Sounds awfully ambitious, unless NIMBY sentiment dies down significantly.

John McCain fleshes out his climate policy, draws contrast with Obama - VentureBeat

- A carbon cap-and-trade system is in our future. Now it's just the dirty details and the role of government and industry. The story includes a link to text of McCain's climate change … Read more