Green Tech

There's no reason to think that technology will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. over the next 50 years, according to a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but regulations and higher prices might.

The technology versus taxes--it's the primary green tech debate of the day. Nearly everyone would like to see inventions emerge that can curb emissions and reduce dependence on fossil fuels in an economical fashion. Many, however, say it's not feasible, particularly in the near term. Count this study in that latter camp.

Richard Eckaus, Ford International professor emeritus … Read more

While it still won't get you the 45 mpg of a Toyota Prius, the new version of the Chevrolet Silverado hybrid may make you feel less guilty about driving a large pickup.

General Motors unveiled the 2009 Chevy Silverado hybrid at the 2007 LA Auto Show on Wednesday.

The full-size pickup looks identical to the regular Silverado, but features guts that lessen its carbon footprint.

The 2007 Silverado hybrid, according to the EPA's fuel economy Web site, got about 15 mpg in the city and 19 mph on the highway. That's not much of an improvement over … Read more

Volkswagen introduced the Space Up to the U.S. press at the 2007 LA Auto Show on Wednesday.

With its U.S. debut, Volkswagen has offered a little more information on the Space Up concept car, which was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo auto show in October.

The hybrid concept vehicle, which would run on a combination of compressed hydrogen fuel and lithium-ion batteries, would have a top speed of about 75 mph.

Its batteries could be recharged from common electrical outlets. On electrical battery power alone, the Space Up could travel about 155 miles, and on a full tank … Read more

I had a chance to visit with the founders of a new San Francisco Bay Area clean-tech start-up called Barefoot Motors, which is building an all-electric ATV. I think is a great idea for an untapped electric vehicle product.

Think about it: Of all the potential electric vehicles out there, ATVs suck down a comparably large amount of gasoline per mile and are used primarily for short-range transport (range is a longtime achilles heel of electric vehicles). And some riders have a serious problem with the noise and the noxious exhaust fumes.

Add to that the fact that ATV riders … Read more

Promethean Power, a company spun out of MIT to build a solar-powered refrigerator, has secured initial funding from an Indian conglomerate that will help manufacture and distribute the product.

The Solar Turbine Group is a nonprofit organization formed by students from the Massachusetts Institute of technology that developed the system Promethean Power intends to commercialize.

STG has already built some of its solar turbines in the African country of Lesotho which are used for creating hot water and electricity.

The system uses parabolic troughs to generate the heat from sunlight to heat a liquid, which creates steam to turn a … Read more

A U.S. government science panel published a report Wednesday that quantifies North America's net contribution of carbon to the atmosphere, one of the first baseline studies comparing the continent's emissions and its carbon absorption through vegetation. The results show that the continent's fossil fuel emissions are outpacing the land's natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide by three to one.

The U.S. Climate Change Science Program, a government panel, conducted the study with the help of researchers around North America and a slew of agencies including NASA, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and the … Read more

Financiers who track the solar industry are showing very different views on the near-term potential of solar power.

Venture capitalists are poised to lavish $1 billion on solar-related start-ups this year, according to Eric Wesoff, an analyst at GreenTech Media, who presented at the company's Solar Market Outlook conference on Monday in Waltham, Mass.

At the same time, some financial analysts who track public solar companies are concerned that valuations are too high and that changes in government policies could dampen future growth.

On Monday, the stock prices of several public solar companies took a hit after the Solar Energy Industries Association issued an alert … Read more

The UPS branch in Petaluma, Calif., has leased 42 Zap Xebras, low-speed electric vehicles, for deliveries amid a flurry of activity at Zap.

The Xebra, which comes as a car or truck, is a little bit like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. It has three wheels, comes in flashy colors, and tops out at around 40 miles per hour. You can't take it on the freeway, and acceleration is middling. Look at the picture. It doesn't exactly scream chick magnet. (Read more on my test ride.)

But for inter-neighborhood deliveries, it does the job. UPS will … Read more

Vancouver's CellFor, which breeds clones of pine trees for forestry operations, has received $24.5 million in a fourth round of financing, according to VentureWire.

The company, founded after the merger of two other companies in 1999, has come up with techniques for breeding disease-resistant, uniform pine tree seedlings. The 18-inch high seedlings cost 35 cents each, more than the five cents that ordinary seedlings fetch. Still, CellFor says it can sell 100 million seedlings annually and hit profitability in two years.

Forestry is the last sector of agriculture that doesn't heavily emphasize breeding techniques to increase yield, … Read more