Green news harvest: Obama touts solar, geothermal

A sampling of green-tech news with quick commentary.

• Obama: Energy technology path to recovery - UPI.com
  Obama visits Nellis Air Force base's huge solar array and stumps for an export-driven clean energy economy over rising oil imports. In the same trip, he announced $467 million from stimulus act to speed development of geothermal and solar projects.
• GE eyes $1.5 billion in cleantech research by 2010 - Reuters
  GE is looking at green technologies to drive revenue growth and is hitting its own emissions reduction targets.
• For MTI, a dose of much-needed relief -- Times Union
  MTI, which had planned to have methanol fuel cell charger for gadgets, gets a lifeline from a federal research grant.
(Credit: Nellis Air Force Base)
• OutSmart Power pulls in $2M in startup funding - Mass High Tech Business News
  One of many companies focusing on getting better building energy data, OutSmart uses sensors to track and manage energy use.
• How GM is Making Electric Vehicles Relevant - Gas 2.0
  One of the key engineers behind the Chevy Volt says that GM, not auto start-ups, has the resources--distribution, etc.--to make electric vehicles the path to a cleaner car economy.
• Duke Energy: We Can 'Decarbonize' Without Painful Electricity Price Hikes - Climate Progress
  Column by Duke Energy's COO argues that carbon regulations, if done right, can move utilities to low-carbon energy sources. What he opposes is using regulations for other purposes, presumably something like health care reform.
• Solazyme Testing BlueFire Ethanol Cellulosic Sugars in Its Microalgae Renewable Oil Production Process
  Potentially interesting partnership where BlueFire makes sugars from municipal waste and Solazyme grows algae for fuel.
• Looking at Europe's Green Ways - NYTimes.com
  Good column examining how ideas and technologies on green tech are starting to flow across the Atlantic and, increasingly, to Asia.

[theBike1945]

The Chinese must be laughing at this American president who apparently actually believes that any other country would buy "Green energy" systems from his country. They are building 1 new nuclear plant every 2 months for the next 20 years, each of which can produce 3 times more power than the recently trumpeted Brightsource 1310 Megawatt solar plant (actually, it only can produce 300 megawatts, but don't tell our clueless Prez). Nice to see that for all the billions Obama is spending, we will reap electric rates 4 times higher than the Chinese. Way to get competitive, there, Barrack, charge our companies four times as much for their energy. Yeah, that, plus unionized unskilled $125K per year auto labor should work. And they say Obama is brainless.

[matreyia]

Yes, let's look at the enormous powergains the we could have if we just build nuclear plants like the Chinese. Let's do what they are doing and build a plant every two months. And then let's dump all that nuclear waste in your backyard. Yeah 4 times more pricey than the Chinese if we do it Obama's way.... and nearly infinitely more expensive than the Chinese if we do it the Chinese way.

I just don't get people who will say no to things that are good for them and their own children's future. Is this the fate of America? To be poisoned by short term folks who just look at quantity, speed and horsepower rather than what is sensible for the Earth? This kind of outlook of bigger faster and better just isn't sustainable and it is showing its ugly effects here and now in the form of pollution and high fuel prices.

Get a grip people. You can hate a man for any reason, but please get your heads out of the sand if what he says is for your own good and they good of future generations. It's common sense. Clean air = Good. Profits at the expense of ecosystem = BAD. No ecosystem = no chance to make ANY KIND OF PROFIT.

[msommers]

Obama should paint the White House green, in order to show how committed we are to protecting our mother.

[JimPratt3]

Just more of Obama spending our children's future like a drunken sailor! Oh, but anything with the word "Green" on it flies! Pathetic waste of my tax dollars and yours. These people are totally out of control with this country's checkbook!

[matreyia]

Yes, Jim. It's a total waste of your tax dollars to clean up the air you and your family breathe. What happened to the good old days of obscene oil profits!???Yeeehaw! What happened to using your tax dollars to buy a box of staplers for 500 bucks a pop while reconstructing in Iraq? Now that's what I call "sensible" tax dollar spending!

[JimPratt3]

Is that all you can come up with?