Policy

Green news harvest: Wall Street bruises clean tech

Here's a sampling of green-tech news, with quick commentary.

With all eyes on Volt's debut, GM turns 100 - Detroit Free PressOn the business importance of the plug-in hybrid Volt to General Motors. Financial slump to hit late-stage clean-tech firms - BusinessGreenThe so-called Valley of Death--the stage in which start-ups try to scale to commercial production--may get longer for clean-tech companies. Clean-tech insiders weigh Wall Street turmoil - Cleantech GroupAt an industry conference, investors say Wall Street's woes could impact clean-tech firms, despite positive long-term trends. Obama and McCain: No climate doubt - The New York Times… Read more

Green news harvest: White 'green' roofs, cutting data center energy

Paint it white: Cool roofs save cash and carbon - Green WombatMy favorite low-tech solution of the week for lowering energy use. My roofer thought I was nuts when I asked about white roofs--now I'm vindicated! San Antonio is going green with sewage - Physorg.comTechnology treats waste water and sewage, captures methane to run the operation, and makes fertilizer. Four ways to reduce energy costs and environmental impact : TechRepublic VideoCNET News sister site TechRepublic runs down first steps to reducing electricity use in the data center. First step is getting a handle on the numbers. … Read more

Green news harvest: Tesla v1.5, the candidates on energy

A sampling of green-tech news with quick commentary.

To win the presidential race, it takes energy--USAToday.comA breakdown of the presidential candidates' positions on energy. Are cars powered by electricity and hydrogen really better for the planet than biofuels?--International Herald TribuneAs Europe looks to scale back biofuels targets, the biofuels industry fights back saying that hydrogen and electricity are flawed, too. What's needed is a holistic view of the options and a lot of data.

Video: Toyota and EDF on the plug-in Prius--SmartPlanet.comToyota says plug-in hybrid can go up to 60 mph on electric … Read more

Casting call for YouTubers: $25k for green ideas

YouTube might be best known for videos of cute animals and teens dancing with light sabers. But one nonprofit wants to use it as an idea factory.

The X Prize Foundation, the same organization behind the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize to send private vehicles to the moon, said Tuesday that it has put together an eco challenge for YouTubers called "What's your crazy green idea?" Dream up a world-changing idea to stop global warming, post a two-minute YouTube video about it, and it could be worth $25,000.

That's a paltry sum compared to … Read more

Report: $100 billion would foster 2 million green jobs

Unemployment would plummet along with the reliance on and cost of foreign oil, if the U.S. government invested $100 billion to create 2 million green jobs, according to a report from progressive groups.

The report, released Tuesday and backed by the Center for American Progress, projected that it would take two years to cultivate 2 million new jobs in six areas related to clean technologies.

Positions paying at least $16 per hour would include installing solar panels and wind turbines, expanding mass transit, renovating buildings, developing smart electrical grids, and brewing better biofuels.

The authors compared the cost as … Read more

Google sees energy solution in the math

Correction: This story originally misstated Schmidt's total energy savings projections. He said that the U.S. would save $2.1 trillion of $2.7 trillion.

SAN FRANCISCO--Google CEO Eric Schmidt outlined an energy plan Monday to reduce America's dependence on oil and create green jobs.

At an event called the Corporate EcoForum, Schmidt laid out Google's energy plan to sustainability executives from Coca-Cola, Motorola, Clorox, Microsoft, and dozens of others. In characteristic Schmidt-Google fashion, he backed up the idea with some calculations. The plan could be compared to something like energy efficiency = savings (or E2=$).

"It'… Read more

Germany to launch electric-car 'filling station' network

Auto giant Daimler and German utility RWE will launch a network of 500 battery-charging stations next year, a trial meant to give electric car drivers the freedom to power up while on the go.

The project, called e-mobility Germany, will have Daimler and its Smart subsidiary supply 100 electric town cars. RWE will install and run the charging stations in Berlin, the companies announced last Friday.

The cars will be equipped with communication equipment that will allow consumers to have their cars charged at different locations and be billed to one account.

Charging stations are expected to be installed at … Read more

McCain talks up oil drilling, green energy

ST. PAUL, Minn.--John McCain formally accepted the Republican Party's presidential nomination here on Thursday in a speech extolling the virtues of both oil drilling and green energy.

The Arizona senator received one of his loudest rounds of applause when he lashed out at his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, and characterized the dispute over oil drilling as a matter of international relations and security as well as economics.

"We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much," McCain said. "We will attack the problem on every … Read more

Clean-tech group forms to support Obama

SAN FRANCISCO--Executives in the clean-tech sector plan to get a whole lot louder in their support for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

The drumbeat started Wednesday night here at the University of California's Hastings College of Law. An estimated 400 people from the technology and clean tech industries came out to support Obama's energy policies under the new banner of a constituency group called "Clean Tech and Green Business for Obama."

Among the executives at the event were Dan Reicher, director of energy initiatives at Google.org; clean-tech investor Sunil Paul, who co-founded Brightmail; Steve Westly, … Read more