Image via Good Clean Tech

Hot on the heels of the iPhone 4 announcement comes news that perhaps iPhone 5 and the next iteration of the iPad could have a very cool new feature – a solar cell integrated into the touchscreen. Word has it that Apple has filed for a patent for “media players with integrated touch sensor solar panel surfaces.”… Read the full story on TreeHugger

“Building an electric motorcycle is about making a better motorcycle.  The electric powertrain has great performance, and the power curve of an electric motor is actually more applicable for how motorcyclists ride than the gasoline motor.” – Gene Banman, CEO Zero Motorcycles

Zero Motorcycles is taking off with their innovative and breakthrough technology for electric motorcycles – literally.  KissMyCountry had the chance to talk with Gene Banman, CEO about the company, about why their electric motorcycles are so exciting - about the best places for a meal and drinks in Scotts Valley, CA – the home of Zero Motorcycles.  You’ll enjoy hearing from Gene, a computer industry veteran now leading a team dedicated to building a better and more energy efficient motorcycle.  Enjoy!

The Cleantech Group has just released its latest quarterly report of new clean energy patents, the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI). It shows that the number of clean energy patents issued in the first quarter of 2010 hit a record high.

379 US patents were granted. Solar energy, fuel cell and hybrid/electric vehicle patents increased in this quarter, while wind and biofuel patents fell a bit.

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Fisker Automotive, the Irvine, California based start-up auto company is certainly creating waves these days, even though it has been reported that full production of the Karma will not occur until February 2011, later than expected. Fisker recently announced that they have secured an additional $189 million in capital. In addition, the company [...]

The Toronto Zoo puts out a request for bids to construct an on-site anaerobic digester facility that uses special microbes to convert manure, animal bedding, as well as grease and organic waste from zoo restaurants into biogas.  (Toronto Star article, 03.04.10)

ATCO launches Alberta’s first mobile energy classroom.  ATCO’s interactive Energy Education Mobile, the biodiesel-fuelled RV, will travel to schools across Alberta providing students with an opportunity to learn about energy sources and conservation in Alberta.  (MarketWatch News Release, 28.04.10)

Image from GigaOmEvents; Credit Pinar Ozgar

Last week, the Green:Net conference showed off their top picks for start-up companies to watch. The ten companies were selected by Earth2Tech as having “the ‘right stuff’ to succeed in the marketplace.” The companies, all vying for investor attention and a position in the clean tech sector, act as an arrow pointing to where the attention is directed in upcoming technology, and that’s primarily energy efficiency. Check out the companies that we should all be keeping an… Read the full story on TreeHugger

More European nations are levying carbon taxes on passenger vehicles and providing tax incentives for electric vehicles, according to a new report by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.

Seventeen of the 27 European Union nations now impose a tax based on carbon emissions, compared with 11 in 2007 and nine in 2006.

In 2009, motor vehicles taxes of all kinds generated about €377 billion ($505 billion), or 3.4 percent of total GDP, in the 15 nations that originally made up the EU. Fifteen of the EU’s current 27 members provide incentives for electric vehicles, including tax reductions and bonus payments.

Dow Chemical says it is ready for its thin-film solar roofing shingles to go on sale next year — one of the first technologies to make solar panels and roofs one and the same, and a step toward increasing the affordability and physical appeal of going solar for residential consumers.

Dubbed the “Powerhouse” line, the shingles do for rooftop solar what Apple has done for mobile phones: make functional look sexy.

But not so fast. The shingles are still being put through rigorous tests. Dow wants to ensure that the shingles it churns out can live up to the 25-year warranty it plans to offer (standard for the roofing industry). The shingles themselves are pretty pricey, covering 4 square feet and carrying a price tag of $40 each after government subsidies.

Photo: Gilberto Esparza

What if an army of mobile robots could transform polluted water into plant life? Tracing a fine line between robot and plant, art project and self-sustaining mini-ecosystem machine, Mexican artist Gilberto Esparza’s hybrid creation “Nomadic Plants” (Plantas Nomadas) is a quirky contraption that actively seeks polluted water to feed the vegetation and microorganisms living symbiotically inside its body…. Read the full story on TreeHugger