Denmark freed itself from oil dependence, and today enjoys a clean-energy economy and strong economic growth, a lesson American can learn from. Learn how here.

McCain promises a clean energy economy in his campaign speeches. Does he mean it? This article reviews McCain’s record on clean energy.

Climate change is real and getting worse. Sunday, the Guardian reported that scientists predict ice-free summers in the North Pole by 2013. America is a leading offender, emitting ~20% of the world’s carbon dioxide every year. Here we answer seven questions that shed light on America’s dirty energy habit.

Solar energy is cheap, renewable, clean, and technologically feasible — and we can harvest it in space. Read more here

Calls for action from ex-CEOs, GM striking partnerships with utilities, expansions in battery production, preparation by city governments — this last week has been a beehive of activity as plug-in hybrids are getting closer and closer to mass-market reality.

The average hybrid customer five years ago cared more about the greenness of the car than how quickly the investment was recouped.  Today’s consumers, however, are desperately seeking ways to save on gas.

Nice try for an oil guy. T. Boone Pickens, the Texas oilman and billionaire, recently announced his ambitious plan to wean America off foreign oil. One part of his plan is smart; the other less so. This article explains why.

The United States is expected to pass Germany in 2011 to become the world’s largest solar market, according to a JP Morgan report. Since 1990, Germany has subsidized solar through feed-in tariffs, creating a large solar market, despite weaker solar resources than America, especially in the southwest. Solar has taken off in the U.S. in recent years due to improving technology, increasing interest in renewable energy, and the Investment Tax Credit and other subsidies.

In a speech delivered on Thursday in Washington DC, Al Gore challenged the nation to generate 100% of its energy with clean and renewable energy by 2018. If successful, his plan would sharply decrease global warming emissions while improving economic security in ten short years. However, the challenges are vast. Below are six of the biggest, technical, economic, and political challenges that will make Gore fail.

Venture capitalists doled out a record $1.3B in funding to new startups in Q2 2008 across North America, Europe, Israel, and Australia. Solar startups continue to be the VC darling, pulling in $609M, nearly half of all cleantech startups. Sulfurcell, the German thin-film manufacturer, led the pack with $134M in funding during this period. Despite the vibrant market for raising capital, entrepreneurs are not cashing out. There were zero cleantech IPOs in U.S. capital markets in this period, which testifies to the economic downturn and difficult capital markets.

Read more here

Trina Solar, a Chinese solar manufacturer, announced this week it will supply LISA Airplanes with solar cells to power a luxury aircraft. The solar cells will provide power for take-off and in-cabin instruments; a fuel cell will provide additional power. This announcement follows biofuel experiments by multiple commercial airline operators.

Read the full story here

Solar power is the most abundant energy resource on earth. Solar is also one of the fastest growing markets in the world. This article explains the basics. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/how-solar-energy-works.php