TechCrunch submits:
By Matylda CzarneckaFord‘s 2011 Focus Electric will run on Compact Power Inc.’s lithium-ion battery, the company announced today. The batteries will initially be made in South Korea at CPI’s parent company, LG Chem, with plans to start manufacturing at a new $300 million site in Holland, Mich. in 2012.Complete Story »

Tom Konrad (AltEnergyStocks) submits: In January, I brought readers a collection of nine bearish puts on non-green companies and ETFs and one tiny energy efficiency company with a chance of taking off big before the end of the year.

Jason Kincaid submits: Today at a special ‘Ecomagination’ event in San Francisco, General Electric (GE) is announcing the launch of the $200 million GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid, an investment that’s meant to help spur advances in green grid technologies. The fund is launching in partnership with VC funds Emerald Technology Ventures, Foundation Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and RockPort Capital. Wired Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson is also involved.

First Solar, Inc. (FSLR) announced Monday (7/12/2010) the completion of its acquisition of NextLight Renewable Power, LLC. In our analysis, this opens a new era in the solar photovoltaic market structure, one full of rich rewards for the winners.Sure, large photovoltaic manufacturers like First Solar and competitors such as SunPower Corp. (SPWRA) and Suntech Power Holdings Co. (STP) have all dabbled with utility-scale projects. But the recent moves by First Solar, the eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the solar sector, are bound to change the playing field.

The renewable energy industry has always been one stooped in controversy; a sector led as much by political factors as it is from the econmic effects of demand and supply. The ever increasing global taste for low carbon energy sources and fears surrounding damage to the environment caused by the consumption of fossil fuels, has led governments in the developed nations of the world to make proactive efforts on behalf of the renewable energy industry, perhaps most notably in solar power and photovoltaic (PV) energy.

Greentech Media submits: by Eric WesoffTen years ago, Evergreen Solar (ESLR) had a successful IPO. Venture investors like Nth Power did very well in that liquidity event.Complete Story »

by Richard StuebiOne of the fastest growing "themes" of the cleantech sector is water. While clean energy gets the most attention, clean water is also becoming a high priority. According to Richard Smalley, the late Nobel laureate and nanotech pioneer from Rice University, water trailed only energy on the list of humanity's top challenges over the coming decades.Complete Story »

John Petersen submits:Most investors know that Toyota Motors (TM) is the world's biggest manufacturer of hybrid electric vehicles, or HEVs. Since 1997, Toyota has sold over two million cars using its Hybrid Synergy Drive® and earned a sterling reputation for fuel efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Debra Fiakas, CFA submits: Yet another woody biomass project is the recipient of a Department of Energy biofuel grant made in December 2009. Logos Technologies based in Visalia, CA proposes to use switchgrass and woody biomass for - you guessed it - ethanol production. The DOE is giving Logos $20.4 million, to which Logos must match with $5.1 million of its own money. It is apparently not a concern that other ethanol producers such as Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc.

In the following, information-packed interview with Rick Rule, founder of Global Resource Investments, Ltd., Mr. Rule discusses conventional oil and gas, oil shale, shale gas, oil sands, heavy crude, peak oil and alternative energy, with particular emphasis on geothermal power. Rule has dedicated his entire life to all aspects of the natural resource industry. His contacts and knowledge of this market are unmatched. At Global Resource Investments, Rick leads a team featuring professionals trained in resource related disciplines, including geology and engineering, to evaluate investment opportunities.Complete Story »

<< Go back to Interview with Rick Rule, Part IHRN: Where do you see oil prices in the next few years?Complete Story »

Green Chip Review submits:by Jeff SiegelIt's no secret that we're huge advocates of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. I've personally been writing about this stuff for nearly a decade now, providing coverage on electric vehicle-related companies like:Complete Story »

Tom Konrad (AltEnergyStocks) submits: Americans are notoriously attached to their cars, but high oil prices in 2007 and 2008 led many to get on a bus or train. According to a 2009 paper Transit Ridership Models: Present Status and Future Needs [pdf] by Grace Galluci and John D Allen, Ph.D. from Chicago's Regional Transportation Authority, current published transit ridership models do not yet incorporate changes in gasoline prices.

Sharp Corporation (SHCAY.PK) has signed an agreement with Thailand's Natural Energy Development Co., Ltd (NED) to establish a 73-megawatts (MW) solar power plant and supply thin-film solar cell modules for the system.This is one of the first large-scale solar plants to be developed by Sharp. It indicates the company is following a downstream business model first employed by solar manufacturer FirstSolar (Nasdaq: FSLR), and recently adopted by other major solar firms like SunPower (Nasdaq: SPWRA) and Q-Cells (QCE.DE) that are looking to create demand for their products.

Greentech Media submits: by Oso Oseguera Experts rank the quality of Mexico's photovoltaic [PV] and solar thermal resources among the world's best. In terms of photovoltaic resources, the country has significant advantages:Complete Story »

Charles Hugh Smith submits: Advocates of a smooth transition away from petroleum may be surprised by the consequences of huge swings in the cost of oil.I first proposed a "head-fake" in the price of oil in 2008. My thesis was that the oil exporting nations had become so dependent on revenues from oil that even as prices plummeted in global recession, they would have no choice financially and politically to pumping every barrel they could. This would increase supply even as demand fell, causing prices to crash.Complete Story »

Green Chip Review submits:by Jeff SiegelLast Friday, I had a conversation with an old friend of mine who now lives in China. A life-long environmentalist and diehard capitalist, she has made a ton of dough working as a consultant on alternative energy projects all over the world. From wind farms in the UK to infrastructure development in Beijing, she has never made it a secret that her most lucrative deals always come from places where policy support for alternative energy is the strongest. And those places are where the government welcomes alternative energy funding, instead of chasing it away by providing limited or no long-term visibility.Complete Story »

Dr. Duru submits: Evergreen Solar (ESLR) is a “penny stock” again. As the stock plunges to 8-year lows and toward all-time lows, it appears that the company will not survive this round of doubts in its viability. Note well that in the past, I have not had good things to say about ESLR:Complete Story »

John Petersen submits:On Wednesday a reader sent me a new Goldman Sachs research report on the advanced battery sector titled "Advanced Batteries: Light, but the tunnel is long; Buy ENS, HEV Neutral, AONE Neutral." If the essence of legal argument is "the plausible boldly asserted," then I'd suggest that the essence of sell-side analysis must be "the implausible accepted without question." While I agree with Goldman's conclusions that Enersys (ENS) is a bargain at the current price and caution is best when it comes to A123 Systems (

Gregor Macdonald submits: Left unaddressed during the past three years in most of the debates between economists has been the problem of energy. The reason is simple: post-war economists don’t do energy, except as an ever-expanding resource that the credit system and technology makes available. For the post-war economist, the supply curve of energy–save for brief lags–is always coming back into rough equilibrium with the economy. Accordingly, the ongoing dispute between Keynesians and Austrians (or Austerians if you like) is exceedingly boring in this regard. As late as 2008, for example, economist Paul Krugman was at least an infrastructure-and-engineering Keynesian. However, Paul quickly converted to becoming just a throw lots of money at the existing system Keynesian.