For a long time ‘clean’ and ‘green’ marked the forward trend in the energy industry. Then came the quest for ‘smart’ energy. And now ‘innovation’ is the buzzword. It’s easy to see why. As Americans, we believe our ability to innovate sets us apart in today’s international market. Sure China can manufacture computers and cell phones more quickly and cheaply, but we came up with Google and iPhones in the first place. The energy industry offers a lot of opportunity for US innovators, given our aging grid, quest for alternatives to fossil fuels, and our glimpse into the possibilities of a virtual, democratized grid that gives consumers more control over their energy use and production. But will energy innovation help the US job market? Or will the products be conceived here but be manufactured elsewhere? Siemens ...

Looks like the Chinese like their clean cars pure, they bought about twice as many pure electric vehicles than hybrid vehicles in 2011. But 2012 could see that ration grow even larger (in favor of electric vehicles). Here’s more from sister site Gas2:   In China, EV’s Outsold Hybrids 2-to-1 In 2011 (via Gas 2.0) Related posts: Disaster Zone Dutro — Hino Motors Sends Hybrids North for Rebuilding Toyota to Unveil Concept Hybrids at Tokyo Motor Show China Forgets "China-Only Wind Turbines" Policy, but Why? ...

China has an energy problem. As the nation continues its rapid economic expansion, it’s hunger for energy grows larger each day. China relies heavily on dirty fossil fuels such as oil and coal to feed its industrial demands and growing middle class needs. But the cost is heavy for all this economic growth and increasing middle class posterity — pollution. So, to combat thickening smog and fouled rivers, China has been investing in green technology, especially solar. Moving along on solar at a rapid pace, one of the worlds largest solar companies, Canadian Solar Inc., and China’s Ningxia Electric Power Group recently announced the successful completion and activation of a 10-MW solar project. The energy that will be produced from this project will be around 13,511,167 KWh of power a year — and every drop of that energy will be ...

Rare earth minerals may be the most important, let least understood factor in America’s transition to a low-carbon, clean-tech future. They’re essential to virtually every source of renewable energy and consumer technology we use today.

But China dominates worldwide rare earth supplies and production, and their monopoly could corner the world economy. energyNOW! chief correspondent Tyler Suiters explores how U.S. dependence on China’s rare earths could affect our energy future and high-tech lifestyles. The full video is available below:

Americans are used to seeing the words “Made in China” on most things we buy, but could they soon also read “Mined in China?” The nation controls 97 percent of global production of the elements we rely upon in every aspect of modern life. Consider the technologies requiring rare earths: ...

A new report from ExxonMobil predicts that nearly half of the world’s cars will either be hybrids or powered by alternative fuels by 2040. While hybrids now account for just about 1 percent of all vehicles worldwide, the oil giant forecasts that hybrids and alternative energy vehicles will move to the mainstream as governments increasingly push for better fuel efficiency. The ExxonMobil report, “The Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040,” predicts that overall energy demand will remain flat in developed nations over the next three decades, but demand in developing nations such as China and India will increase nearly 60 percent from 2010 to 2040. The report also predicts a worldwide boom in shale gas production and forecasts that 30 percent of the world’s electricity will be produced from natural gas, while demand for coal will peak ...

It’s December again (how did that happen!?) and our annual time for reflection here at Kachan & Co. So as we close out 2011, let’s look towards what the new year may have in store for cleantech. There are eggshells across the sector for 2012. Global economic uncertainty in particular is leaving some skeptical about the chances for emerging clean technologies. And those who watch quarterly investment data, or who look only in a single geography (e.g. North America) may have seen troubling trends brewing this past year. But the true story, and the global outlook for the year ahead, is—as it always is—more complicated. As you’ll read below, we predict a decline in worldwide cleantech venture capital investing in 2012. But as you’ll also read below, we believe the gap will be more than made up by infusions ...

Chinese officials have outlined plans to invest nearly $500 billion in electric power infrastructure — including roughly $90 billion in smart grid technologies — by 2020, a strategy experts say could significantly improve the nation’s energy efficiency and cement a dominant position in the smart grid market. According to a report by the Center for American Progress, Chinese leaders view smart grid technology as “the next industrial revolution,” and see an opportunity to emerge as the world leader in the supply chain for smart grid equipment and technology. Using increasingly sophisticated sensors, computers, and wireless devices, smart grid technology is able to transmit and distribute electricity more efficiently to customers and adapt operations to fit changing conditions, from shifting weather to user demand. Experts say this ability will become increasingly critical as renewable energy technologies are integrated ...

The Chinese government has today given short shrift to proposals from a group of US solar firms for new import duties on low-cost Chinese solar panels, which they allege have benefited from 'illegal' subsidies.

China’s government has introduced a unified grid solar power tariff, which analysts believe may produce a quickened pace for introducing solar power to private residences, along with boosting the stock of companies involved in solar development. According to the National Development and Reform Commission, Beijing has set the solar power price charged by power plants to grid operators at 18 US cents per kilowatt-hour for projects which were approved before July 1 and are scheduled to become operational before the end of this year, The Shanghai Daily reported. The NDRC had previously approved on-grid tariffs on a case-by-case basis, adding that it would adjust the taxes in accordance with future investment costs and technology development. Following the NDRC pronouncement, solar-related stocks rose on China’s stock exchanges, with GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd, China’s largest maker of polysilicon, the main ...