I’m a fan of automobile-computer analogies, and Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu came up with a dandy in a research note last week, noting that “sources” in Apple’s distribution channels are seeing a “stronger-than-expected reception” to new Mac desktop computers, especially the Mac minis announced a […] Read more »
Oil Demand Set to Drop: Today the International Energy Agency lowered its estimate for 2009 global oil demand, saying demand will drop for two years in a row for the first time since 1982-1983. — Associated Press Feed-in Tariff Pitfalls: Feed-in tariffs have enabled Germany and […] Read more »
EPA Reveals Emission Reporting Plan: The U.S. EPA proposed a comprehensive system for reporting greenhouse gas emissions today. The new rule would cover some 13,000 facilities, affect automakers, fossil fuel suppliers and heavy industry and go into effect next year. — Reuters Tesla: Trust Us, It’s […] Read more »
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Some six months ago, the venture capital community saw 2009′s cleantech investments as having about as many storm clouds as Sand Hill Road in July — which is to say, very few. With the economic downturn, though, the outlook has changed, as a growing portion of […] Read more »
Alt-Fuel Freeway: The governors of California, Oregon and Washington are considering a plan to make Interstate 5 a “green freeway,” installing batter charging and swap stations, plus biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen and compressed natural gas fuel pumps along the West Coast route from Canada to Mexico. — […] Read more »
Ford Sees EV-Filled Future: Ford Motor Co expects electric vehicles to represent a “major portion” of its lineup within 10-12 years, according to CEO Alan Mulally. — Reuters Mitsubishi Moves Into Solar: Mitsubishi Corp. has bought a 34 percent stake in the world’s largest photovoltaic power […] Read more »
Do you mind map? Do you like to brainstorm with others using software that helps focus your ideas and prioritize project plans? Maybe you’re into Getting Things Done (GTD) and like to prioritize your tasks visually? If so, then read on my friend. The folks at […] Read more »
Cleantech companies and investors stand to make big gains as a result of President Barack Obama’s push for a new energy economy — but they need swift government action in order to deliver. That’s the conclusion, at least, of a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers on cleantech’s […] Read more »
Eurus Energy is no rookie in the world of renewable energy, but up until recently, wind had been its resource of choice. That’s changing — one massive solar plant at a time. The company’s Japan-based subsidiary recently completed a 1 MW photovoltaic project in South Korea, […] Read more »
No More Mashed Potatoes: Top Gear America’s car fanatics are fed up with gas sippers that look like “lumps of cold mashed potatoes.” So they’re trying to build a 70 mpg car that does zero-to-60 in seven seconds. If that makes you think of Tesla and […] Read more »
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It’s official: The government haggling over how to revive the U.S. economy ended with the stroke of President Obama’s pen on the $787 billion stimulus bill this afternoon at the solar-powered Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Now begins a new round of jockeying — this […] Read more »
The Crown Estate, which manages property in the UK, has picked 10 projects today for offshore wind development in Scotland, paving the way for up to 6 gigawatts of renewable power for the UK grid. But the nine companies and organizations involved in the projects, including […] Read more »
Cellulosic Ethanol Ready for Prime Time (Really): Cellulosic ethanol has been “five years from commercialization” for so long that even ethanol company POET’s research director admits it has become a joke. Now he and a crew of scientists say it’s for real. — Christian Science Monitor […] Read more »
Let’s Make a Deal: Spending on clean energy, energy efficiency and public transit in the latest stimulus bill is exactly halfway between the House and Senate versions — the House had approved $72 billion, the Senate $68 billion. — Gristmill Bingaman for Ethanol Boost: With corn […] Read more »
Wind turbine makers are aiming ever higher to get more power from the giant machines, building turbines that pack more of an electricity generating punch, as well as towers and blades that are just, well, bigger. But how big can the turbines get? American Superconductor is […] Read more »
Some long-awaited rules and regulations related to offshore renewable development could be introduced in the U.S. this year, potentially cutting the red tape for startups looking to put their wind, wave, or tidal projects in the water. Ken Salazar, the new head of the Department of […] Read more »
Finavera Forfeits Wave Power Permits: Finavera Renewables plans to give up its FERC license for two Pacific Coast wave energy pilot projects so it can focus on developing wind power in British Columbia and Ireland. — Energy Business Review Can You Charge Me Now? Good: Evan […] Read more »
First, Clipper Windpower laid off some workers. Now the Carpinteria, Calif.-based turbine maker is cutting its production for 2009, blaming a rocky economy and deferred customer orders. The company manufactured 289 wind turbine drivetrains at its Cedar Rapids, Iowa, plant in 2008, but expects a 15-20 […] Read more »
Adding hundreds of small transmission line projects and grid upgrades to the 57 GW of large-scale transmission initiatives now being developed in the western U.S. (many of them in Texas) could have a significant impact on wind power development in less than six years, according to […] Read more »
In the Money: VantagePoint Venture Partners said in Davos this weekend that it plans to invest more than $1 billion in 10 to 15 cleantech startups over the next 24 to 30 months. — Reuters Will the Real U.S. Auto Industry Please Stand Up: From 1900 […] Read more »
Updated with comment from 3M: What 3M did for sticky notes, it now wants to do for efficiency-boosting add-ons for buildings, photovoltaics, and wind turbines: make them ubiquitous and profitable. The Minnesota-based manufacturer announced today that it has created a division in which it will develop […] Read more »
There wasn’t much cash for cleantech in the proposed 2009 federal budget for Canada that was released this week, especially when compared to the lofty goals of the new administration in the neighboring U.S. The Canadian Wind Energy Association says the proposed budget drops support for […] Read more »
With serious questions being raised about the costs of the world’s largest planned offshore wind farm, the London Array, and the never-ending saga that has crimped the controversial offshore Cape Wind project in Massachusetts, it’s easy to dismiss offshore wind as being too expensive and ultimately […] Read more »
Wind is a bourgeoning industry, one in which promising developments, such as First Wind’s opening of the 57-megawatt Stetson wind farm in Maine this week, are common these days. But if you dig a little deeper, past some of the rosier press releases, it’s clear the […] Read more »
The House Ways and Means Committee yesterday approved $20 billion in incentives for wind and solar energy projects and efficiency improvements to existing homes. Part of the economic stimulus package we covered earlier in the day, the vote came late in the afternoon. House Democrats advanced […] Read more »
Things are looking up for renewable energy, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency just released “Electric Power Industry 2007: Year in Review,” and for the first time, renewables (not including hydro-electric power) led the way in new electric generation […] Read more »
It may not have arrived at Macworld, as some thought possible, but it looks like we could yet see a quad-core iMac from Apple in 2009. The rumors have gained renewed strength based on news from Intel regarding new, low power quad-core processors that they’ve just […] Read more »
It’s not a good sign when an oil-rich emirate questions the economic viability of a massive offshore wind farm that’s already lost an investor. Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-backed cleantech group, told Reuters today that it’s reviewing the feasability of the 1,000-megawatt London Array, the world’s largest […] Read more »
The controversial Cape Wind offshore project in Massachusetts took a step closer to becoming a reality on Friday, receiving a favorable review from the Minerals Management Service in a final environmental impact statement. The Cape Wind group said it could complete the permitting process by March. […] Read more »
Pickens Plan, Redux: T. Boone says “the wind stuff is deader than hell right now,” but promises to push on with his plan to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil. — Wall Street Journal Who KO’d the Electric Car?:The concept of all-electric cars has faced resistance, […] Read more »
Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric is already one of the biggest manufacturers of wind turbines in the world, but it could be expanding its reach in Asia with a move announced today to form a joint venture with Shenyang, China’s A-Power Energy Generation Systems to manufacture wind […] Read more »
The governor of Rhode Island signed a final agreement yesterday with Deepwater Wind for a big offshore wind farm for the tiny state, announcing that construction is expected to start in late 2010. That puts the $1.5 billion, 400 MW project in line to be the […] Read more »
It’s hard to ignore the massive growth of the wind industry over the past decade, but a German watchdog group says that’s just what the International Energy Agency has been doing. The IEA is an intergovernmental organization that acts as an energy policy adviser to most […] Read more »
Laying out his plan for economic stimulus yesterday afternoon, President-elect Barack Obama called for the U.S. to double renewable energy production within three years. That’s a hefty challenge for a country playing catch-up on clean power (renewables now make up less than 10 percent of U.S. […] Read more »
Wind energy company Ecotricity has launched an investigation into what caused blades to spontaneously snap off one of its wind turbines in Lincolnshire, England, last weekend. UK health and safety inspectors say a collision did not occur, and Ecotricity says it has not ruled anything out. […] Read more »
FPL Group has given its energy generation business a flashy new name, changing it from FPL Energy to NextEra Energy Resources. FPL, based in Juno Beach, Fla. said the new name better reflects the unit, which it said is the largest producer of wind and solar […] Read more »
UK Wind Farms Tangled in Red Tape: Britain has 262 wind projects representing seven gigawatts stuck in planning stages, and the rate of approvals is only getting slower. — The Guardian Electric Bikes Grow Up: “Even though motorcycles and scooters may represent a smaller percentage of […] Read more »
Bring On the Renewables: A new study suggests California’s electric grid may be able to handle three times as much wind and solar energy than previously thought. — Wired Science Picturing Federal Priorities: Andrew Revkin looks at trends in the government’s non-defense R&D spending since 1953 […] Read more »
We know that you don’t want to release a netbook, Mr. Jobs, and we respect your stance that you don’t want to sacrifice quality and besmirch the Apple name with a sub-standard product. That said, it’s beginning to look like other companies may not be content […] Read more »
As the UN climate change talks continue in Poland, the European Commission announced today that it’s picked the first set of investments for its Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund. This first round will funnel €22 million ($29.3 million) into small-scale renewable energy projects in […] Read more »
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