CleanTech

GE’s Second-Quarter Earnings: Energy Business Again the Star Performer

(Source: WSJ.com: Environmental Capital - References: Climateer Investing,Earth2Tech,Energy Industry) Once again, the energy business saved General Electric?s bacon. Second-quarter profit at the conglomerate plunged 53% on a per-share basis?but things would have been a lot worse without the energy division, which outperformed other businesses in

Who Killed the Electric Gas Tank?

(Source: The Oil Drum - References: Earth2Tech,EcoGeek.org,Peak Energy) A few months from now, or perhaps 5-10 years from now, we will know whether or not EEStor can make good on its promise to sell a electrical storage device capable of propelling a reasonably-sized automobile down a freeway for a couple hundred miles

Climate change deniers misrepresent new study that finds climate models underestimate warming

(Source: Climate Progress) Bizarrely, climate science deniers are touting a new study that finds we might return to the rapid global warming of the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) with much lower levels of CO2 than previously thought. The PETM’s climate would be

BP Gives up on Jatropha for Biofuel

(Source: WSJ.com: Environmental Capital - References: Earth2Tech,The Green Life) BP has indeed given up on jatropha, the shrub once touted as the great hope for biofuels, and walked away from its jatropha joint venture for less than $1 million. Goodbye to all that Speculation abounded this summer that BP was ready to jettison

Dow to Test Algae Ethanol

(Source: Technology Review - References: WSJ.com: Environmental Capital) Startup Algenol partners with Dow Chemical on a demonstration ethanol plant.

Aluminium drinks bottles promise greener alternative to glass

(Source: BusinessGreen - References: Environment Blog,Triple Pundit) BusinessGreen.com Staff, BusinessGreen, Monday 13 July 2009 at 00:15:00 Manufacturer claims metal bottles would be lighter and easier to recycle The world's largest manufacturer of drinks cans, Rexam Beverage Can, has developed an aluminium bottle it

REPORT: Vectrix ready to file for bankruptcy

(Source: AutoblogGreen - References: GoodCleanTech,Earth2Tech) Vectrix scooter - click for high-res image gallery According to the Providence Journal, electric scooter maker Vectrix has laid off nearly all of its employees and is likely headed for bankruptcy within the next 30 days if new investors or a buyer

Desertec Initiative Agreed

(Source: RenewableEnergyAccess.com - References: Energy Industry) A Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) has been signed by a dozen major industrial players with the objective of developing the technical, economic, political, social and ecological framework for carbon-free

Solar Power: New SunCatcher Power System Ready For Commercial Production In 2010

(Source: ScienceDaily: Solar Energy News - References: Climate Progress) Four newly designed highly efficient solar power collection dishes will be used in commercial-scale deployments beginning in 2010.

California Now Home to 50,000 Solar Panel Installations

(Source: TreeHugger) Photo via Zimbio California has been a leading light for solar power for quite some time--but now it's leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the nation. Over the last ten years, the number of solar power installations in the Golden State have grown

NCDC: Second hottest June on record — and once El Nino really kicks in, expect global temperatures “to threaten previous record highs”

(Source: Climate Progress) Fast on the heels of the fourth warmest May on record, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center reports: Based on preliminary data, the globally averaged combined land and sea surface temperature was the second warmest on record for June, and the

Walmart Unveils Phase One of Sustainability Index

(Source: GreenBiz.com - References: My Green Element) The first phase of a three-phase project to establish a green rating system for all of the products on its shelves, Walmart executives today released its 15 question survey that will be mailed to all of the company's 100,000-plus suppliers.

Wal-Mart’s Sustainability Call Equals Opportunities For Carbon, Water, Waste Accounting

(Source: Green Light - References: Energy Industry) Wal-Mart plans to ask all of its more than 100,000 suppliers to show how sustainable they are. Helping them prove it could become a big business. The world's largest retailer announced Thursday that it would start asking suppliers to track

Face value: Turning up the gas

(Source: The Economist: Business - References: The Oil Drum) Faisal Al Suwaidi has become a victim of his own success in creating a worldwide market for liquid natural gasRED flames shimmer behind a thick shroud of smoke at the Ras Laffan gas plant in Qatar. Methane from the bottom of the Persian Gulf is

Institute Studies Clash Between Wind and Raptors

(Source: Matter Network - References: My Green Element) A new group is attempting to better reconcile high velocity wind power development with its impact on avian victims. Wind power has come a long way from technology employed earlier this century, but according to Dr. Judd Howell of the American

Nissan and NEC Li-ion JV AESC Begins Trial Li-ion Production

(Source: Green Car Congress) Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), the automotive Li-ion joint venture between Nissan Motor, NEC and NEC Tokin (earlier post), has begun trial production of advanced lithium-ion batteries for a wide range of automotive applications at its

Wind-Powered Tank Uses No Fuel, Confuses Infidels

(Source: TreeHugger) Guido Vigevano designed it in 1335, describing it as a "waggon which is propelled by the wind without draught animals, and which dashes violently over open country to the confusion of all troops"...

CHEAT SHEET: Heavy Hitters in Algae Fuel Deals

(Source: Earth2Tech) The race to bring pond scum to fuel tanks has acquired high stakes in recent years, with venture capitalists, federal agencies and legacy oil companies pouring millions of dollars into the technology. Today ExxonMobil and startup Synthetic Genomics

Wal-Mart Sustainability Index May Shake the World

(Source: Environmental Leader - References: Triple Pundit) Wal-Mart is set to announce a new sustainability index that will grade various suppliers and products by a range of environmental and sustainable factors. The move, to be unveiled at a July 16 meeting in Bentonville, Ark., will lead manufacturers to

State of play

(Source: Carbon Finance) Ahead of August's meeting, Andrei Marcu reflects on last month's UN negotiations and worries that things are not progressing fast enough