Green news harvest: Affordable green homes

A sampling of green-tech news with quick commentary.

• Home Green Home: Affordable Efficiency? - The New York Times
  Interesting development in western Mass. to make superefficient and affordable homes. Heavy use of solar energy, of course, but here's the best part: because the homes are so well insulated, they need only small heaters, rather than full-size furnaces.
• Obama's 100 Days: The 10 Greenest Acts - Earth2Tech
  Highlights of the Obama administration's efforts to promote the green-tech industry so far.
• Power Hungry: Reinventing The U.S. Electric Grid - NPR
  The public-radio powerhouse does a deep dive on the challenges and promises of modernizing the U.S. electricity grid.

Click on the image to go to NPR's interactive graphic.
(Credit: NPR)
• Analysts warn capital-intensive clean-tech firms face funding squeeze - BusinessGreen.com
  The new mantra in green-tech venture capital investing is "capital-efficient."
• WebEx Founder Backs Chint Solar, Contributes to $50M Round - Greentech Media
  Chint Solar plans to make solar cells from amorphous silicon, which is cheaper but less efficient than polysilicon.
• Smart Meter, Dumb Idea? - The Wall Street Journal
  Some argue that costly two-way meters aren't needed to deliver energy savings to consumers.
• CPower Secures More Than $10 Million in Series B Round of Financing - Press release
  A sign that venture capitalists are moving toward their comfort zone in clean tech: IT-driven efficiency, in this case demand response.
• NREL and Ford Team Up to Develop 'Cool' Cars - Press release
  A research project delves into applying thermoelectric methods toward using waste heat to cool the interior of cars.
• The Volt: Not Ready to Roll - The Washington Post
  Echoing the federal government's auto task force, columnist Charles Lane makes the case for why the Chevy Volt isn't going to save General Motors. He argues that the same fuel savings could come from hybrids, gas engines, and adopting smaller cars.