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Geothermal Hope: Pump Water Into Volcano, Turn It Into Power

$43M project planned in central Oregon

(AP) - Geothermal energy developers plan to pump 24 million gallons of water into the side of a dormant volcano in central Oregon this summer to demonstrate new technology they hope will give a boost to a green energy sector that has yet to live up to its promise. They hope the... More »

Apple Files Patent for Hydrogen-Powered Phones

They say it could make portable devices lighter, thinner

(Newser) - Apple is working on a new way to power its fleet of consumer electronics: Hydrogen fuel cells. Apple has applied for two patents that cover using the fuel cells on portable electronics like iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, which it boasts could make those products smaller, lighter, and able to run... More »

Alaska Airlines Begins Biofuel Flights

But it's costing a fortune

(Newser) - Alaska Airlines’ first biofuel-powered flights took off yesterday, kicking off an expensive trial program designed to improve the airline’s environmental footprint. Passengers on the first two flights—which were to DC and Portland, respectively—received a “Welcome to Greener Skies” flier explaining the program, the Anchorage Daily News... More »

Solyndra Almost Scored Navy Deal

Pentagon pulled out ahead of bankruptcy filing

(Newser) - Solar-energy firm Solyndra was one of three companies picked for a $1 million Navy pilot program for new technologies—but the Navy cut ties to the firm the day before Solyndra declared bankruptcy. A top investor in Solyndra, RockPort Capital, also sits on the Pentagon's emerging technology panel. When... More »

Bill Clinton's 14 Ways to Create Jobs

Clinton prepares for Global Initiative meeting—on fixing America

(Newser) - If unemployment seems like an insurmountable problem, never fear: Bill Clinton is here, and he has solutions—14 of them, which he’ll bring next week to the first US-focused meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. Among the highlights of his jobs blueprint, as shared with Newsweek :
  • Make it easier
... More »

Scientists Building 'Star' on Earth

Project could solve planet's energy problems

(Newser) - A series of key experiments over the past few weeks have brought scientists closer to the holy grail of energy production—a working fusion reactor, or, in layman’s terms “a miniature star on Earth.” The National Ignition Facility in Livermore, Calif., thinks it can deliver on that... More »

Wind Farms Scaring Off Porpoises

'Bubble curtains' could be the solution

(Newser) - Renewable energy from wind farms comes at the cost of scaring off porpoises, according to a German study of the country's first offshore wind farm. The marine mammals—who depend on their acute hearing for communication, orientation, and finding food—fled the area 30 miles off the German coast while... More »

Energy Is Today's Railroad: It Will Change Everything

Pass the energy bill as a first step

(Newser) - Unleash the "energy revolution," writes David Brooks today, making his pitch for the Kerry-Lieberman-Graham bill. It's imperfect, but an essential start. "Energy innovation is the railroad legislation of today," he argues, and if the US wants to remain the world's "pre-eminent nation," it needs... More »

MIT Creates Viruses That Mimic Photosynthesis

Innovation could create unlimited solar power

(Newser) - Scientists building complex, designer viruses in the lab may sound sort of terrifying, but what if those viruses could potentially solve the world’s energy problems? A group of researchers at MIT has fabricated an artificial virus that can be fabricated into wire-like chains that can transport solar power and... More »

Big Questions Remain Over 'Bloom Box' Servers

Company has ambitious goals but skimpy details

(Newser) - Bloom Energy's plans to put a zero-emission energy server into mass production is an "exciting development," writes David Coursey, but the company has loads of work to do before the so-called Bloom Box becomes the game-changer the hype suggests. The company is promising miniature $3,000 servers will... More »

'Bloom Box' Could Soon Power Your Home

Miracle power cells already installed at Wal-Mart, Google, eBay

(Newser) - Two boxes the size of your fist could soon power your entire house—at least according to Silicon Valley startup Bloom Energy. After 8 years toiling in secret, the well-funded firm is suddenly on a media blitz to show off its creation. The “Bloom Box” is a self-contained, silent,... More »

Obama Budget Winners and Losers

Education, R&D are up, oil and gas companies down

(Newser) - The 2011 fiscal budget says much about the state of the country—and the state of the president. "Like any politician, he’s focused on rewarding friends and not enemies," write Eamon Javers and James Hohmann for Politico . A look at this year's winners and losers: Winners
  • Education:
... More »

Spoiled Wine Used to Generate Electricity

Scientists turn wine waste into energy

(Newser) - Scientists have found a way to turn bad wine into good energy, a step, they hope, toward a new, cost-effective way to treat wastewater generated by wineries. The process, currently being tested in Napa, uses a common bacteria to turn unwanted vinegar and sugars into electricity and hydrogen. This should... More »

Denmark Goes All-In on Electric Cars

Deal with Better Place aims to make it a 'laboratory country'

(Newser) - Denmark is so gung-ho about electric cars that it’s giving its people a $40,000 tax credit to buy one, and planning to line the streets with charging and battery-swap stations. They’re even keeping free parking open for them in downtown Copenhagen. Yet consumers, and some industry experts,... More »

Recession Trims Carbon Emissions 3%

There's less industrial activity, and more countries look to alternative fuels

(Newser) - The recession will help the world achieve something this year few laws have been able to: cut the output of greenhouse gases. Emissions will be down 3% mainly due to lower industrial activity, the International Energy Agency said today, with countries also helping by switching to alternative energy sources. More »

Questionable Projects Gobble Stimulus Funds

Report skeptical of $2M dance center, $1M Okla. guardrail

(Newser) - The economic stimulus is funding a variety of projects, but some possibilities—like a $1.1 million move to fix a guardrail no one uses—don’t seem to fit President Obama’s vision for the money, the Los Angeles Times reports. Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn will question such projects... More »

Michael Moore: 9 Ways to Rise From GM's Ashes

Let's use their facilities to overhaul America's transit

(Newser) - The end of General Motors is an opportunity for an America that now owns 60% of the company, writes Michael Moore. Let’s take advantage of the death of a firm that built poor cars, battled environmental rules, and shipped jobs away by using its facilities to implement a new... More »

Recession Dims Lights on Solar Sales

Banks, government cut funding for industry

(Newser) - After a bright 2008, things are looking gloomy for the solar power industry amid the recession, the Wall Street Journal reports. Banks have cut funds for some projects, and the government of Spain, the second-biggest solar power market, has shrunk subsidies. Solar-cell sales are expected to fall by some 20%,... More »

100 Days: Biggest Promises Kept, Broken

The economy has changed the stakes since the campaign began

(Newser) - One way to judge President Obama's first 100 days in office is to look at his rhetoric on the campaign trail. Taking into account the fallout from the economic crisis, PolitFact came up with the most crucial promises Obama has kept and broken. His vow to beef up alternative-energy investment... More »

Obama's Earth Day Pitch: 'New Energy Economy'

America must choose a 'new energy economy,' he says

(Newser) - President Obama returned to Iowa—his crucial campaign battleground win—for Earth Day, hailing the “new, clean energy economy” and unveiling an offshore wind project. “It is time for us to lay a new foundation for economic growth by beginning a new era of energy exploration,” he... More »

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