PG&E

BrightSource Energy, Inc has received $1.37 billion in loan guarantees from the DOE for 400 MW's worth of solar thermal energy projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Pelamis Power, the company putting large, snake-like devices off the coast of Portugal appears to be having money trouble. The company that owns them is, well, going bankrupt. Until Pelamis can find a new financial friend, it looks like they will have to wait on the sidelines.

Last month, we told you about the partnership between AT&T and SmartSynch to bring smart grid technology to residential customers. Today, they announced that they've signed on their first big utility. Texas-New Mexico Power has made a deal with the duo to roll out 10,000 SmartMeters using AT&T's wireless network.

PG&E has been a big supporter of land-based solar projects for a while now, but yesterday they announced they're expanding their solar interest far beyond California, into outer space. The utility plans on purchasing 200 MW of electricity from Solaren Corp., a start-up trying to produce solar power in space.

It was a proud moment indeed when we turned around and realized that the US was leading the world in wind power production. Sadly, though, we can’t say the same thing about PV power production; not only are we not number one, but we’re not even close. Here are some sobering statistics that came out of a recent report on world PV markets by Solarbuzz, a solar research and consulting company:

As a greenhouse gas, methane is 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide when it comes to retaining atmospheric heat. And so, although it generally gets less face time in the press, it accounts for a disproportionately large chunk of global GHG emissions. Where does the methane come from? Cows, mostly. At the tail end (pardon the pun) of their digestive system, they release methane; either directly or through the decomposition of their waste.

As consumers become increasingly concerned about their energy use and the cost of their energy bills, energy management systems and smart electronics are growing at a rapid pace. The latest to addition to the "smart" revolution? Home appliances.

As consumers become increasingly concerned about their energy use and the cost of their energy bills, energy management systems and smart electronics are growing at a rapid pace. The latest to addition to the "smart" revolution? Home appliances.