Green-tech news harvest: Y2K problem for gas pumps, nitrogen worries

A sampling of green-tech news.

• Old-Style Pumps Balk At $4-a-Gallon Gas, Too - The Washington Post

  Worse than the Y2K problem? Mechanical gas pumps don't go past $3.99 a gallon, forcing some station owners to shut down. (Via WSJ Environmental Capitalism.)

• Reactive Nitrogen: The Next Big Pollution Problem - Wired Science

  Nitrogen from fertilizers and burning fuels is changing the nitrogen balance in the planet and causing various environmental woes, a study released this week finds.

• Berkeley Researchers Identify Photosynthetic Dimmer Switch - Berkeley Lab Research News

  Academics say decoding photosynthesis is the key to harnessing more solar energy. (Via Greentech Media.)

• Founding members of Solyndra walking out the door - Greentech Media

  Michael Kanellos, in his new home, sees a revolving door at well-financed CIGS solar start-up.

• New Process May Convert Toxic Computer Waste Into Safe Products - Science Daily

  Getting fuel from electronic waste--researchers convert electronic circuit boards into an oil that can be used to make plastics sans toxins.

• Dupont, Genencor Invest $140M In Cellulosic Ethanol Joint Venture - Environmental Leader

  Yet another cellulosic-ethanol venture has formed, this one commercializing technology developed at NREL.

• T. Boone Pickens Orders $2B of Wind Turbines - Earth2Tech

  Another Texas oil man turns to prospecting west Texas wind.

• Germany Debates Subsidies for Solar Industry - The New York Times

  News hook: Qcells passes Sharp as the largest solar manufacturer. The piece focuses on Germany's feed-in tariff, the main reason Germany has the most solar power in the world.

• Obama Green Talk Is Gold to Silicon Valley The New York Times

  The New York Times' Bits blog gets venture capitalists' positive reaction back on Sen. Obama's alternative-energy plan, which combines R&D with tax incentives.