Grasslands around airports can be used as solar panel fields or sources of grass-based biofuels, according to a new USDA report.

The report also comes just days after two new reports from analyst firms Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Clean Energy Pipeline both calculated that clean energy investment reached its lowest level in several years during the first quarter of 2012, primarily as a result of policy uncertainty in the EU and US.

Google has confirmed it will invest $94m in four large scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, edging the total amount invested by the search giant in clean energy projects this year towards $900m.

As these economies were already being forced to cut back radically on clean energy funding before the current downturn, it is hard to see how they could do anything but cut back their clean energy investment even further. This could mean some schemes already under way are scrapped and others in the pipeline never leaving the drawing board.

Mr Matthew Warren, the Chief Executive of the Clean Energy Council, which represents more than 300 solar companies and is responsible for the accreditation of solar installers, said solar systems were safe and the risk to solar households was very low.

The idea is simple, says Kevin Moeller, PhD, and yet it has huge implications. All we are recommending is using photovoltaic cells (clean energy) to power electrochemical reactions (clean chemistry). Moeller is the first to admit this isn't new science. "But we hope to change the way people do this kind of chemistry by making a connection for them between two existing technologies," he says.

Over the past ten years, Asia has suffered from an investment gap and a lack of confidence in clean energy private equity, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB. Johanna Klein, investment officer at the capital markets and financial sectors division at ADB, said its role has been to identify these funding constraints and address them with their own and private sector funding.

This marks Google's first clean energy project investment in Europe, the company said in a blog post, though it still requires formal approval from Germany regulators. Google is teaming up with German private equity company Capital Stage for the project, a firm that "brings strong experience in the German photovoltaic and renewable energy market," Google said.

100% of the barracks and households in Truong Sa District (The Spratly - Khanh Hoa Province) can now use electric energy for their work and life, with the continuous supply for 24 hours a day. The whole district is now under television and telephone coverages. It is special that all the electric energy used in this island district is produced from wind power and solar energy. So far, Truong Sa has been the first district in the country to use clean energy sources.

Theo nghiên cứu của Clean Energy Patent Growth Index vừa mới công bố, hãng sản xuất xe hơi GM của Mỹ đã nhận được các bằng sáng chế về năng lượng sạch nhiều hơn bất kỳ tổ chức nào khác trong năm qua.GM đã được nhận 135 bằng sáng chế, chiếm gần 14% trong tổng số 1.881 bằng sáng chế ở Mỹ mà 700 tổ chức đạt được trong năm 2010.

The Japanese government is poised to increase the incentives available to a wide range of clean energy technologies through a revamp of the country's feed-in tariff scheme, which should come into effect from next year. According to Reuters' reports, a government advisory panel today approved a set of proposals that will significantly extend the current solar incentives regime to cover other forms of energy, including wind, small-size hydro, biomass and geothermal energy.

"It's great to see the intersection of three things that I love," Snyder told the audience that included hundreds of students. "We're talking about innovation and entrepreneurship, we're talking about clean energy, something that is vitally important for our future. It's about economic growth, and doing it in the most responsible way possible in terms of the legacy we leave and the opportunity it provides us and the third thing is it involves students”

Công nghệ ứng dụng trong pin Li-Ion giá rẻ đã dành giải thưởng nhất trị giá 50 nghìn đôla Mỹ tại cuộc thi dành cho các ý tưởng kinh doanh Clean Energy Prize. Phát biểu tại lễ trao giải được tổ chức tại hội trường Rackham, Đại học Michigan ngày 18 tháng 2 vừa qua, chủ tịch Rick Snyder nói: “Thật là tuyệt khi được thấy 3 điều tôi quan tâm cùng xuất hiện trong cuộc thi này. Chúng ta đang nói tới việc cải cách và các doanh nghiệp, chúng ta đang nói tới năng lượng sạch - một nhân tố tối quan trọng trong tương lại.

American consumers don’t want things forced on them by the government, but they are slowly starting to become aware of energy issues via the rising cost of energy and the geo-political climate, said Crane. “Everyone in this room has a vested interest in electric vehicles becoming successful,” said Crane to the room largely made up by investors, and the future is “all about electric vehicles.”

Both the private sector and government in Korea have increased spending on clean energy and green technology development in the past few years. Korea’s Ministry of Knowledge Economy has worked with private firms to find new improvements in battery technology, photovoltaics, geothermal power generation, and biofuels. And this year, the Korea government expects to inject 1 trillion won (US$900 million) into current and next generation clean energy sources.

Li Keqiang, the top official tipped as China’s next Prime Minister, has begun a four-day visit to the UK with the announcement of a £6.4m licensing deal between Scottish and Sino-Scottish companies on clean energy development. Waste-to-energy technology developed by Scottish company W2E Engineering will be licensed to Sino-Scottish firm Shanghai Huanan Boiler and Vessel Cochran (SHBV Cochran) under the agreement.

Energy will be at the top of the agenda at the first EU summit chaired by Hungary on 4 February. Officials will push for negotiation between leaders to focus on controversial EU energy market reform and measures to prevent Europe losing its lead as a clean energy hub to China and other emerging economies.

Ontario residents will see a 10 per cent rebate on electricity costs for the next five years, starting January 2011, the province announced on Nov. 18. The Ontario Clean Energy Benefit is intended to help Ontarians cope with rising hydro costs, Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci stated in a press release. "This is more than the provincial portion of the HST and will help the average family save more than $100 per year in hydro costs," he added.

The extended tax credits will prove a great present for thousands of workers in the renewable energy industry. President Obama signed legislation on Friday extending key tax credits supporting renewable energy projects and biofuel use.

The solar industry called on Congress on Tuesday to extend a contentious grant program in the lame-duck session that it says produced 20,000 solar jobs in a year and half and helped to jump-start the U.S. clean energy economy. The U.S. Treasury's "Section 1603" Renewable Energy Grant Program, part of the $787 billion anti-recession stimulus of 2009, is slated to run out at year's end.