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Photos: The 12 greenest cars of 2008

Each year, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) puts out its list of the 12 "greenest cars," taking into account tailpipe emissions, gas mileage, and curb weight. Here is our photo gallery of this year's greenest 12.

Click here for photos of the ACEEE's 12 greenest cars of 2008.

Optimal gives electricity grid a better 'brain'

Electricity grids would be a lot smarter if they just knew themselves better, says Roland Schoettle, the CEO of smart-grid start-up Optimal Technologies.

The 8-year-old company on Tuesday released its first commercial product, an application called Aempfast that gathers and crunches data on power grid operations.

The problem with today's creaky electricity system is not a lack of power generation. The problem is traffic jams, Schoettle said.

"We have a glut of generation in the U.S. The problem is that the network can't get the generation to the right loads. It gets stuck in congestion in … Read more

Smart ForTwo gets five-star IIHS crash ratings

Forget the death-trap jokes: The pint-sized Smart ForTwo, has earned a full five-star crash rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for frontal and side impacts. More than 3 feet shorter and almost 700 pounds lighter than a Mini Cooper--and only a third as heavy as a BMW X5--the ForTwo is the smallest car the IIHS has ever tested. Nevertheless, it scored a maximum safety rating from the IIHS in the standard frontal and side impact crash testing, which involves both a 40 mph frontal offset crash and a 31 mph barrier impact. The IIHS findings follow last … Read more

HP adds YouTube to its 'MediaSmart' HDTV

There have been various efforts to bring YouTube to the TV and other devices that bypass the computer, from Apple TV and TiVo in the living room to Archos on the road. But most of these have centered on boxes made by third parties and not the TV makers themselves.

Hewlett-Packard is trying to fill that void with its "MediaSmart" products, which include an HDTV receiver that allows viewers "to create multiple playlists from anywhere they watch TV." There's a hefty price to watch those homemade cat videos on a big screen, however, as the … Read more

"Power 10" ranking of top cleantech companies

I spend most of my day meeting and talking to companies in the cleantech sector. And those of you who know me know I have opinions on who is doing it right, and who is doing it wrong. So I thought it was about time to initiate the Cleantech Blog Power 10 Ranking of cleantech companies doing it right. Eligibility for inclusion in the ranking requires meeting a 6 point test. Suggestions for inclusions in future volumes are welcome. The 6 point test:

1. The company is energy or environmental technology related. 2. I like their products. 3. The market … Read more

iPhone coming to Canada

Apple's iPhone is expected to cross the Canadian border later this year, the country's largest wireless provider said Tuesday.

Rogers Communications, which is also Canada's only GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) provider, will serve as the region's iPhone carrier.

"We're thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can't tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned," Chief executive Ted Rogers said in a statement.

The announcement comes 10 months after the Canadian company let it slip out of the bag that it would be the exclusive iPhone provider in Canada. … Read more

Time runs out on Microsoft's SPOT watches

It's a sad day for fans of Smart Watches, which use Microsoft's once-hyped SPOT technology. The Smart Watch, the epitome of nerd chic, is dead.

Engadget picked up a blog post from Jon Canan, program manager for MSN Direct, who delivered the news on SpotStop.com: … Read more

The best fuel cell company you've never seen

I had a chat with Dr. Peter Podessor this week. He is the CEO of Smart Fuel Cells (XETRA: F3C.DE), the best fuel cell company that most Americans have never heard of. Cleantech Blog did an article on the problems with micro fuel cells last year, but we have never written much on the larger size methanol fuel cells that Smart Fuel Cell is developing. SFC is one of the longest running direct methanol fuel cell companies in Europe, but never has made much press in the US, despite the fact that the US is one of their largest … Read more

Companies to watch: Electric power producers and efficiency

For Earth Day 2008, CNET News.com green tech reporters selected leading companies in five different clean technology categories. Here are the ones in the electricity business to watch.

It's hard to think of an electric utility as a real mover and a shaker. Most plod along, keeping the lights on, sending the bills out, and delivering dividends to shareholders.

But there are some exceptions and, as new energy technologies come online, power providers are on the front lines of clean tech. Which are worth calling out?

Pacific Gas & Electric PG&E is at the forefront of … Read more