“The definition of renewable energy seems clear cut: The sun continues to shine, so solar energy is renewable. The wind continues to blow, so wind turbines churn out renewable power.

“But industries are now pushing to have a growing number of other technologies categorized as renewable — or at least as environmentally advantageous. They include nuclear power plants and the burning of garbage and even the waste from coal mines.”

Full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/business/energy-environment/25renew.html

“It’s shaping up to be the summer of the “alternative energy” outdoor power tools. From battery mowers and garden cultivators to a new propane-propelled string trimmer, manufacturers and retailers are rolling out consumer machines that run on gas substitutes and boast lower emissions and fewer maintenance headaches.”

Full article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124287213257242057.html

“Fortifying the 211,000 miles of cables that form the core of the U.S. electrical grid raises issues as public as national energy policy and as private as a backyard view. The political fight for control may help determine whether the U.S. fulfills President Barack Obama’s goal of doubling renewable energy use in three years.”

Full article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a7TZsBYC.Trg

“Waste Management, Republic Services Inc. and Covanta Holding Corp. say their success producing power from landfills and waste incinerators is being ignored as the U.S. doles out $60 billion in energy grants and tax breaks from President Obama’s economic stimulus.”

Full article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aZmjj63scnaU

“Burning sugar cane or corn to make electricity for powering cars may be smarter than refining the crops into biofuels.

“That’s because the vehicles may travel farther on “bioelectricity.”

“The improvement in mileage is about 80 percent, said Elliot Campbell, a researcher at the University of California at Merced. Turning food into electric-car fuel also releases less carbon dioxide gas compared with burning biofuels made from the same plants.”

Full article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aBMjtwiB_fHg

“Spain has turned itself into the world’s biggest builder of solar-energy plants, attracting developers from the U.S. and France by guaranteeing prices that weigh down Spanish consumers.

“The government promotes clean fuels by letting generators charge as much as 10 times more for power from the sun or wind than from burning coal. The premium, added to bills of homes and businesses, has spawned a solar-investment boom by utilities, from Florida’s FPL Group Inc. to Electricite de France SA.”

Full article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aCGsB8hGkDIg

“The government’s rescue plan for General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC has focused on financial engineering. Soon, the Obama administration and whoever is running GM and Chrysler will have to confront a more-challenging problem: how to sell the cars they want America to buy.”

Full article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124147217951984705.html

“James Dehlsen has spent decades trying to build a bigger and better machine to convert a breeze into electricity.

“As much as anyone, he helped create the modern wind-power business, riding waves of interest in alternative energy and weathering downturns when that enthusiasm died down. At this point in the cycle, he doesn’t exactly have the wind at his back.”

Full article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124113394573975093.html