roundup

Green news harvest: Home Depot to recycle CFLs, 'peak carbon'

A sampling of green-tech news with quick commentary. Home Depot offers recycling for compact fluorescent bulbs--The New York TimesTo address mercury in CFLs. Note quote from EPA official saying that avoided mercury from less power generation exceeds the amount in bulbs. Difficult start at solar boat race in Netherlands--The Associated Press:With Netherlands not being the sunniest place on the planet and all. Peak carbon--Environmental LeaderSun Microsystems' chief sustainability officer Dave Douglas predicts carbon will start dropping based on different market drivers. Green products gain from new price equation--The Wall Street JournalHigh price of fossil fuels makes … Read more

Green news harvest: Obama's energy plan, plug-in hybrid changes how you drive

A sampling of green-tech news and quick commentary. Plug-In Power: My six days with a Plug-In Prius--Clean BreakThe key insight: plug-ins with real-time feedback make you think about how you drive, nudging you to more efficiency.

V2Green charges up with angel funds--Earth2Tech "Smart charging," where you schedule when to charge your car so as not to stress the grid, is important to accommodating plug-in hybrids. Mazda, Hiroshima Univ aim to develop non-food bioplastic--Tech-On Bioplastic for your car's dash. Via Good Clean Tech Street downgrades clobber ethanol makers, corn refiners--MarketWatch The floods in the Midwest mean poor … Read more

Green news harvest: Soggy ethanol forecast, Tesla and Daimler?

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

Tesla inks small deal with Daimler - FoxBusiness.com A small deal that could lead to a big deal, says CEO Elon Musk without elaboration. Also, a $59,000 Tesla in the works. BrightSource Energy-Luz II dedicate solar energy development center - press releaseSolar thermal company BrightSource Energy's park in Israel will test concentrating solar thermal power plants that use reflective mirrors and a "power tower."

PG&E to add 100MW of solar thermal-biofuel hybrid power - Clean EdgeBiomass will power the … Read more

Green news harvest: 500-mile fuel cell car, Linux gets 'green flag'

Here's a sampling of green-tech news and quick commentary:

Linux captures the 'green' flag, beats Windows 2008 power-saving measures - Network WorldTests give Linux the edge on energy efficiency, although your "wattage may vary." Toyota develops improved hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle - ReutersThe fuel cell vehicle, for lease in Japan, can go over 500 miles on a tank in very cold temperatures. Stion leaves photovoltaic patent trail - Gunther PortfolioStealthy solar start-up Stion says it will beat everyone on price but never says how. Gunther Portfolio digs into patent applications for clues into its PV … Read more

Green news harvest: Cancelled ethanol plants, electricity from exhaust heat

Here's a sampling of green-tech news and quick commentary. Iogen Suspends U.S. Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Plans - Earth2TechThere are two cases of planned next-generation plants shutting down, an indication of how the smallest changes can throw off the economics of fuel production. How Much Is Enough: How Long Should You Keep Your Computer Before Replacing It? - Planet GreenSome advice on how to keep your PC going a bit longer. Electricity From The Exhaust Pipe - ScienceDaily Thermoelectricity is one of the more interesting areas of research and, to a some degree, commercial development. Rockport Capital closes third cleantech fund at $450M - VentureBeat… Read more

Green news harvest: Chevy Volt a go, $1-per-watt wind

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

The race for affordable wind--Cleantech.comBroadstar Wind Systems launches its micro and urban wind turbine that looks sort of like the paddlewheel of a steamboat.

'Green collar' jobs hold key to economic recovery--BusinessGreenU.S. report looks at the upside potential of investing in low-carbon energy technology.

Tigo Energy announces $6 million funding--press release The company optimizes solar installations at people's homes which it says often perform worse than they should--a serious problem for homeowners looking for a reliable payback period.

Solar briefcase charges gadgets on the go--CNET's Crave… Read more

Green news harvest: Climate bill scorecard, Bill Gates bails on ethanol

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

Gates set to dump half his stake in Pacific Ethanol - The Sacramento Bee A reflection of investor discontent with the biofuels industry. New Renewable Network Hopes to Make Greentech Connections - Greentech MediaSchmoozing leads to business. The Renewable Energy Business Network expands chapters and incorporates as a nonprofit with new sponsors. Ocean Seeding Banned Until More Research - Earth2TechThis is really just the opening phase of what I expect to be a much bigger debate about geoengineering 'fixes' to climate change.

American Biomass funded for wood-fueled home heating - VentureBeat… Read more

Green news harvest: Carbon footprint mashup, silicon oversupply

Oversupply of Silicon Worse Than Expected - Greentech MediaExpect lower solar-photovoltaic costs: good for buyers, bad for suppliers. Also note that thin-film cells are forecast to represent 25 percent of production in 2010. New Report Reveals Huge Variation Between Cities' Carbon Footprints - Wired ScienceCool mashup of Brookings Institute data measuring different cities' carbon footprints.

Toyota building $192M green-car battery plant - Associated PressThe great car battery race is on in earnest: plant will make nickel metal hydride batteries now used in the Prius. Also rumored is a Toyota lithium ion battery plant. T. Boone Pickens' green scheme - Fortune… Read more

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

Green-tech news harvest: Wave power, World Bank clean-tech fund

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

Compression Could Reduce Data Center Energy Use by 95% - EcoGeek The specific company pitch aside, compression could make a difference in data center space and energy usage. Last week, IBM Software general manager Steve Mills told me 75 percent of corporate data is redundant.

Underwater Wind Turbines? - CleanTechnicaAnother wave/tidal power design, called BioWave, that uses biomimcry, or copying nature. Costs to Build Power Plants Pressure Rates - WSJ.comBecause of rising commodity prices, it costs twice what it did in 2000 to build power plants today, says … Read more