Within six months of discovering a massive geothermal field, a small Utah company had erected and fired up a power plant — just one example of the speed with which companies are capitalizing on state mandates for alternative energy. Anticipation of new energy policies has sparked a rush on land leases as companies like Raser Technologies Inc., based in Provo, lock up property that hold geothermal fields and potentially huge profits. Raser's find, about 155 miles southwest of Provo, could eventually power 200,000 homes.

By Paul Foy - Associated Press | Provo, Utah , December 24, 2008

Over the last few years the nuclear industry has used concerns about climate change to argue for a nuclear revival. Although industry representatives may have convinced some political leaders that this is a good idea, there is little evidence of private capital investing in nuclear plants in competitive electricity markets. The reason is simple: nuclear power is uneconomical.

By Lester R. Brown - PeopleandPlanet.net , October 28, 2008

A revolutionary device that can harness energy from slow-moving rivers and ocean currents could provide enough power for the entire world, scientists claim. The technology can generate electricity in water flowing at a rate of less than one knot - about one mile an hour - meaning it could operate on most waterways and sea beds around the globe. Turbines and water mills need an average current of five or six knots to operate efficiently, while most of the earth's currents are slower than three knots.

By Jasper Copping - The Telegraph | London, England , November 29, 2008

Officials in Haywood County are debating how to turn trash into treasure by converting greenhouse gases seeping out of an old county landfill into a source of clean energy. The old Francis Farm landfill has sat dormant since its closure in 1993. All the while, decaying food scraps, paper, and other organic trash has been busy emanating methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. It wasn’t until recently that counties began tapping into methane as an energy source.

Julia Merchant - Smoky Mountain News , November 5, 2008

KEARNY, N.J. — Standing atop the 400-acre 1-E landfill, you get a panoramic view of the Meadowlands sports complex to the north and the New York City skyline to the east. You're also standing on a critical part of New Jersey's, and the nation's, energy future.

David Porter - The Huffington Post , October 26, 2008

Energy policy is by far the most important issue in this year's presidential election, one that transcends partisan politics and dwarfs the nation's current economic crisis, according to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy, an environmental activist and attorney, addressed a crowd of nearly 700 people Tuesday at Grant High School. His visit was part of the Fremont Area Community Foundation's Speaker Series. In a nearly two-hour speech, the son of the late Bobby Kennedy opined on everything from pollution and politics to religion, world history and how he believes media monopolies are hurting the nation's democracy. But his central theme was that America must transition from a carbon-based economy, which relies on petroleum products, to one powered by clean energy harvested from the wind, sun and the Earth's heat.

By Jeff Alexander - The Muskegon Chronicle | Grant, MI , October 08, 2008

The power industry is stepping up its shift away from coal-fired electricity amid global-warming concerns, as some utilities shut down generators early or terminate contracts to buy coal-based energy. So far, the trend involves just a handful of utilities that are generally closing older, smaller plants. Coal still generates half of U.S. electricity and about 30 new coal plants are under construction, the most in a generation. Yet the new initiatives signal that a growing number of utilities are studying ways to shrink coal's role in their power mix as they face state mandates to reduce carbon emissions or increase renewable energy. Coal is the No. 1 CO2 producer, and eventual U.S. carbon caps are expected.

By Paul Davidson - USA TODAY , September 22, 2008

The power sector is the biggest contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, so many energy consumers are getting more active in reducing demand and managing energy by installing their own renewable generation. They are not driven by pure economics, but by environmental issues. Without government influence on rates, mandates or subsidies, the actual number of consumers who will implement energy technology will be restricted to those environmentally concerned and financially enabled. But even a relatively small number of “environmentally energized consumers” will have a disruptive effect on the energy industry...

By Kristian Steenstrup, Distinguished Analyst, Energy and Utilities Industry Advisory Service - eGovMonitor.com , September 22, 2008

At recent NDSU field days, I passed around several samples of new biocomposite materials developed by NDSU's Chad Ulven. Dennis Weisenborn, also with NDSU, and Ulven and I received a grant from the National Canola Research Council to develop new biocomposite materials and identify new market opportunities for the products. During the past several weeks, I have received numerous questions about the construction of these products, their physical properties and market applications. While this column focuses on the economics of biofuels, we need to keep in mind that biofuels have great market potential beyond transportation. Biocomposites are one such market opportunity. The goal of NDSU's newly created BioEpic Center is to identify new markets for biobased value-added products that result in greater profit potential than existing sales in agricultural commodity markets.

By Cole Gustafson | North Dakota State University - Farm and Ranch Guide.com , September 11, 2008

Today in Vancouver, major biotechnology corporations are meeting at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) conference to chart the use of genetically engineered (GE) crops and trees, as well as synthetic biology and nanotechnology, for fuel. The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) and the STOP GE Trees Campaign are here with Greenpeace and the Society for a GE Free BC to oppose these "nightmare biofuels".

By Lucy Sharratt - Global Justice Ecology.org | Vancouver, Canada , September 10, 2008