STUFF

Ford investing $135M in next-gen EV batts. >1K engineers working on it. C-Max, a crossover SUV to come in conventional hybrid or plug-in models, could take market from Prius V in a couple years out.

Constellation to build 4.35MW solar project for Casa Grande Union High School District.

Sunrise Energy Ventures 3 new (10MW total) solar projects in Indiana. Indy Power & Light to PPA 15 years.

$107M available for upstate NY solar energy through NY Sun Initiative. NY State Energy R&D Authority program. Seeking systems >50KWh.

Booth Energy Group, River Trading Comp $7B deal could send 9M tons coal/yr to India from WV, KY.

Greenland ice sheet melt broke seasonal record 4 weeks before melting usually stops.

Toyota planning to start selling hydrogen cars in 3 years. I'm guessing fuel cells.

EPA plans to issue proposed rule by yearend to address fraud in biodiesel credit market.

Judges suspend giant dam construction in Brazil so indigenous folks can be brought in to process.

Scientists developed new scoring system for oceans' health. Factors include fisheries, biodiversity, tourism, C storage. Zero-100 scale. Overall health 60. Sierra Leone coast waters worst at 36, uninhabited island near Hawaii highest at 86.

Hawaii pleading for speed from FERC on LNG imports.

FAA said - again - Cape Wind poses no threat to av nav.

Porpoises and WWII munitions adding millions in costs to offshore N Sea wind development. Pile driving for foundations can produce up to 245 decibels. Porpoise doomed to die if hearing shattered. Developers using techs that reduce the noise. 1.6M metric tons of mines, bombs, artillery shells filled with chem agents estimated to be lying in North and Baltic Seas. Can't lay electric wires over all dat.

Clean Energy Biofuels has 2 retail biodiesel stations in Atlanta, 1 in TN. Biodies from used cooking oil collected from area restaurants, food providers.

Iowa biodiesel production up to 55M gal in Q2, up from 42M in Q1.

National Aluminum Comp (India) planning $175K algae biodiesel facility to grow algae in plant's wastewater treatment plant.

UAE signed $3B in contracts to secure nuke fuel requirements for 15 years. They're building 4 1.4GW reactors. Online '17 their plan.

Oregon State U engineers made breakthrough in performance of microbial fuel cells that produce el from wastewater. 10-50x more el than most approaches, up to 100x some others. Also works with grass straw, animal waste and byproducts from wine, beer or dairy industries. Give them a company.

Cx Solar Korea leading investor group in $1B for Pakistan solar farm. 50MW to start, 300MW by '16. To use silicon and thin film they say.

China's wind power capacity linked in to grid up 87% this year. >50GW connected. 100GW goal by '15. 200GW by '20. Amazing. Amazing what they can do when they put their collective minds to it. Too bad we can't agree on anything in the United States.

Top US coal moguls backing Romney. What a surprise dat.

Exxon spotted spill off Nigerian coast. Huh. What's new. And it drifts over to Sierra Leone.

EPA nearing approval of sorghum as ethanol feedstock.

Chinese cars recalled in Australia after asbestos detection.

And this is our world. Stay well in it. Happy trails, pards.