Harvard’s ‘Hippo’ Jet Heads to Pole to Test CO2 Level
Harvard University is flying a specially equipped jet between the North Pole and South Pole to test the atmosphere for variations in global-warming gases, aiming to improve computer models for predicting climate change. A modified Gulfstream V took off today from Colorado bound for the Arctic as part of a three-year mission dubbed Hippo, said David Hosansky, a spokesman for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a collaborator in the Harvard-led project based in Boulder, Colorado. The plane will later turn south via New Zealand toward Antarctica.

Obama vows to double US output of alternative energy
FAIRFAX, Virginia (AFP) - President-elect Barack Obama pledged Thursday to double US production of alternative energy in three years, as part of a raft of stimulus proposals to drag the economy out of recession.

Grand Canyon Visitor Center Goes Solar
PHOENIX, Ariz. — The roof and grounds of the Visitor Center near the Grand Canyon’s South Rim will soon host some 84 solar panels that will help power the building frequented by an estimated 4.5 million sightseers a year.

Solar Power Game-Changer: “Near Perfect” Absorption of Sunlight, From All Angles
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered and demonstrated a new method for overcoming two major hurdles facing solar energy. By developing a new antireflective coating that boosts the amount of sunlight captured by solar panels and allows those panels to absorb the entire solar spectrum from nearly any angle, the research team has moved academia and industry closer to realizing high-efficiency, cost-effective solar power.

Nanotubes to Deliver Thinner and Lighter Solar Cells
A simple chemical process employed by a Cornell University  and DuPont research team may pave the way to thinner, lighter and more flexible transistors and solar cells. The long term goal of the project is to use nanotubes to create an economical electronics material that is just as good as silicon.

Israel allows first solar power plants
Public Utility Authority grants licenses to freestanding solar thermal and PV plants as part of 2020 goals.

Out of the Fryer & Into the Vegawatt: Used Cooking Oil Helps Power Restaurant
BOYLSTON, Mass. — A Massachusetts firm says its new device called the Vegawatt can help restaurants save money by converting used vegetable oil from fryers into fuel to produce electricity and hot water.

Cornell technology makes biogas greener
Cornell plant scientists have invented a new method that uses manure and other farm byproducts to remove toxic hydrogen sulfide from biogas — a renewable energy source derived from the breakdown of animal waste. Hydrogen sulfide can combine with water to cause acid rain and to corrode engines. Its removal makes biogas a more viable alternative fuel source. The new method will be marketed under the name SulfaMaster.

Obama’s biofuel challenge: John Kemp
Despite its conservatism in other policy areas, the incoming Obama administration may not have much choice but to be radical in energy policy and climate change because existing policies are running up against their natural limits.

Iowa Planning One Billion Dollar Wind Farm
Having almost been run off the road by Iowa’s gusty winds, I’m not surprised to hear about the state’s interest in wind energy. But the scale of its current project— a one billion dollar wind farm— is truly impressive. The proposed Trade Wind Energy farm will feature 335 wind generators with that can produce up to 500 MW of power. Each generator will be able to power 500 to 1,000 homes.

New 13kg Oxford Electric Motor Delivering 3 Times More Power and 97% Efficiency
Following the development of batteries and, generally, electricity storage, the UK-based firm, Isis Innovation Ltd has developed a new revolutionary electric motor that outperforms the old ones by having the materials and a little of the working principles modified inside them.

Carbon Reduction Project Ratings Now Available Through Bloomberg
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Carbon Rating Agency assesses carbon reduction projects and how likely they are to provide expected emissions in certain timeframes.

A bright future for clean technology in China
Government policy, entrepreneurship and consumer awareness will accelerate clean technology innovation in China — and the future is bright for investors, says venture capitalist Gary Rieshel. Cleaner and more efficient technologies are needed in all China’s industries.

Mandatory CSR Reporting for Denmark’s Largest Companies
COPENHAGEN, — The Danish Parliament voted in mid-December to force the 1,100 largest enterprises to describe their corporate CSR or socially responsible investments policies, how they’ve been implemented and the results they’ve produced.

Firms Partnering with EPA Recycle More Than 66.5M Pounds of Electronics in 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported the tally yesterday and said it represents a 30 percent year-over-year increase in the amount of consumer electronics recycled by manufacturers and retailers participating in the agency’s Plug-In To eCycling program.

Perdue Farms and EPA Ink Pact to Protect Water
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Poultry producer Perdue Farms Inc. and the U.S. Environmental Protection agency signed an agreement this week that is intended to help protect the waters in the mid-Atlantic and Southest from contamination.

Procter & Gamble Plans More Compact Detergents
SURREY, UNITED KINGDOM — In the U.K., P&G will reduce the many formats its detergents come in, focusing on concentrated versions that use fewer resources.

Beekeepers worry about water
Beekeepers attending a five-day conference in Fresno today say this year’s pollination could be affected by an uncertain water supply for almond growers. “If they get less water, they may not pollinate some groves,” said Ken Haff, vice president of the honey American Honey Producers Association and a North Dakota beekeeper.

Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states
WASHINGTON – Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated. An Associated Press analysis of the most recent Energy Department data found that 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to the one that collapsed last month in Tennessee.