TIDAL LAGOON POWER PLANTS may add $46B to UK econ: report ...DOE awarded $6M to 2 projects to develop next gen biofuels to get to $3/gal by '17. SRI Intl (Cal) getting $3.2M to make biocrude from algae. Research Triangle Research (NC) $3.1M to max biomass carbon, energy recovery in low pressure process ... Renewable fuels not subject to new rail tanker regs ... Cummins new ethanol truck engines reduce CO2 emissions up to 80% v. gasoline powered medium duty trucks ... Iowa gov slammed EPA for missing another RFS deadline ... Putin signed several deals in Latin Am in past week. 1st in Cuba to explore offshore oil. Plus forgiving 90% of $32B debt. Cuba may have 124M bls oil, most offshore. Now produces 55Kb/d ... Another deal with Argentina could lead to 2 nuke reactors under "comfortable" finance terms. Also possible help to develop huge Argentine shale resources ... Then MOU with Brazil over nuke plant, spent fuel storage facility ... Finally, in BRIC summit, BRIC bank deal to rival IMF. Plus Putin proposed BRIC energy association ... O yea, Rosneft buying land drilling ops in Russia, Venezuela from Weatherford Intl . Weatherford founded in TX, based now in Geneva ... The new Islamic State (ISIS) selling Syrian oil to Syria. Also reports they're selling Iraq oil. (We've got a hell of a prob, folks. These guys are out for the kill with money. May signal the end of this age.) ... Researchers found when drops of water bounce off highly water repellent surface there's an electric charge. Could lead to charging tronic devices with humidity ... Clean Edge released '14 US Clean Tech Leadership Index. Solar, EVs, climate policies, green finance drove index growth. Free download @ www.cleanedge.com ... NRG Energy donated $100K to fund solar power expansion @ Houston Food Bank ... EDF Canada, Enbridge dedicated 300Mw wind farm in Alberta. $600M. Vestas 1.8Mw turbines ... EDF US also bought majority stake in 175Mw Illinois wind farm ... Turkey's nuke power program to exceed $70B by '23. Rosatom to build, op 4-reactor plant on Med coast. Also plans for 4-reactor plant on Black Sea with France-Japan consortium. 3rd project with Turk resources. Turkey energy imports up to $60B/yr ... China comp to move oil rig from disputed waters off Vietnam ... Germany made $1B pledge to UN Green Climate Fund ... Global energy storage market could hit $50B by '20: report ... Sandy 2nd costliest disaster since '70 after Katrina ... Melting permafrost may stabilize global long-term temps: study. (I can't figure that out. Melting permafrost releases much more GHG gases into atmos.) ... EDF, Google mapped methane release from 3 major US cities' NG pipes ... State utility regulators feeling pressure to fix leaky old NG pipes ... Amtrak trains to use "great extension cords" to cut station diesel emissions ... Fracking ban to go to voters in TX town ... Okla agency got $1.8M to study earthquake-fracking links ... Albermarle paying $6.2B for biggest lithium producer - Rockwood. Lithium use doubled '02-'12. Growing faster now. 4 comps control ~90% of lithium market ... Japan bank setting aside $2B for clean power. To fund 250-300Mw of solar projects. Also looking at wind, biomass, geothermal.