James Bond might want to pay attention to the new hybrid vehicle technology Freescale Semiconductor announced today: a regenerative braking system that will use a special “boost button” to release the recovered kinetic energy for “a burst of extra power.” The regenerative braking system, which collects kinetic energy during braking and stores it to give the car extra oomph during acceleration, is being developed in collaboration with McLaren Electronic Systems for Formula 1 race cars in 2010.

The Freescale/MES system wouldn’t work exactly like the boring regen system in your Prius. Regenerative systems in passenger vehicles collect kinetic energy during braking and store it for use in regular acceleration. Freescale and MES have more of a Batmobile/Knight Rider approach to using that banked energy. According to the press release: “The stored kinetic power is released using a “boost” button that delivers a burst of extra power to the car for a short period — for example, while overtaking a competitor or defending a position.” A sort of cleantechy afterburner, if you will.

Freescale says the main goal of the project is to increase the car’s fuel efficiency, which would mean fewer pit stops. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s (FIA), the governing body of world motorsports, has committed to greening motorspots, an effort that has also brought innovations from tire makers and biofuel brewers. It’s a truism in the auto world that many innovations, from biofuels to efficiency to crash safety, are trialed on the race track before becoming part of everyday driving, and this initiative is no exception. According to the companies, this Bond-esque technology will lead to smaller, lighter and more efficient hybrid systems in mainstream vehicles.

Image courtesy of FIA.

Firefly Wins $2M from Dept. of Defense for Battery Tech: Lead-acid battery developer Firefly said today it has been awarded $2 million in funding by the U.S. Department of Defense to further development of its microcell foam battery manufacturing processes – Press Release.

Comverge Secures $25M Credit Facility: Demand response firm Comverge announced today that it has entered into a $25 million credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank. $15 million will be used to pay off old acquisition costs while the other $10 million will be available as working capital – Press Release.

China to Adjust Gas Prices to Avoid Slump: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China would “take advantage of good timing” to adjust gas prices to better reflect global pricing. We guess “good timing” means “while everyone is distracted by that $586 billion stimulus package we gave out” – Bloomberg.

An Interview With a Scandinavian Carbon Capture Expert: Karl Anders Hoff has been working on carbon capture and storage technology since the 90s and is now project manager of an eight-year, $46 million CCS R&D project. We’ll ruin the ending for you – it’s still too expensive – Biopact.

Boeing and Air New Zealand Set for Biofuel Flight: The aircraft maker and airline have set December 3 as the date for their test of jatropha-based jet fuel in a 747 jetliner – Green Car Congress.

The strong smell of yeast and a palpable level of excitement were heavy in the air this morning at the opening of Amyris’s first pilot plant, located in Emeryville, Calif. Technicians in white lab coats were busy harvesting some of the first few gallons of the company’s “No Compromise” diesel fuel. The “No Compromise” branding, Amyris CEO John Melo said, is meant to communicate that this biobased diesel is “as good or better performing than petroleum diesel, without compromise to the environment or economics.”

The company, which crafts synthetic biological organisms to produce chemical compounds, will fine tune its process in Emeryville over the next year-and-a-half, and it aims to begin commercial production by June 2010 in Brazil. The initial feedstock for the plant will be sugar from sugarcane, but any sugar would work with the company’s genetically-modified yeast. Melo acknowledges that cellulosic feedstocks are coming up fast, and in 5 to 10 years he says Amyris might partner with or acquire a cellulosic biofuel company.

Continue reading this story

Oerlikon Solar, born out of Oerlikon’s coating and vacuum businesses, today unveiled its newest technology, “Amorph High Performance,” which allows manufacturers using Oerlikon equipment to add a zinc oxide layer to their thin-film product, boosting efficiency by nearly a percentage point while also increasing fab capacity by 50 percent.

Oerlikon doesn’t make the actual cells, instead it sells the manufacturing equipment to customers like Ersol and Schott Solar, who then make branded solar products. Applied Materials has the same business model, and Sharp formed a joint venture with chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron to make thin-film fab lines starting in 2009. Both are competitors of Oerlikon’s.

The idea is that the equipment manufacturers will develop better thin-film solar fabrication methods, while the manufacturers use the equipment to make the product. “More and more you’re going to see an ‘Intel-inside’ approach to thin-film production,” Chris O’Brien, Oerlikon’s head of market development in North America, tells us. Just as Intel makes the chip but doesn’t sell the computer, Oerlikon makes the solar fab line but doesn’t sell the panels.

Continue reading this story

Cheap Concentrating Solar Aimed at Developing World: Morgan Solar is developing what it says is a super-cheap concentrating solar system that could be deployed in the developing world – The Star.

“The Secret Life of Quercus Trust”: David Gelbaum’s stealthy cleantech fund has funded dozens of startups but unlike other prolific cleantech investors, like Vinod Khosla, Gelbaum has kept quiet about his various green energy plays - Greentech Media.

Fisker to Open R&D Office Near Detroit: Green car startup Fisker Automotive says it plans to open a new Engineering and Development Center in Pontiac, Michigan which will employee 200 engineers and help support the company’s first car, the plug-in hybrid Karma – Press Release.

Carbon Investor Sees Recession Pushing Carbon Caps Down: A global recession could make carbon mitigation even cheaper, allowing governments to mandate deep carbon cuts, according to carbon credit investors – Bloomberg.

Solar-Powered Football Goes Prime Time: Tonight’s Monday night football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale which will be powered by entirely by solar power – Arizona Republic.

In order to meet the Renewable Portfolio Standards of states, utilities will need to add an aggregate of nearly 40 gigawatts of clean energy generation by 2030. And to get all that power to customers, a total investment of as much as $2 trillion into transmission and distribution networks will be required, according to a report released today by energy consultancy The Brattle Group.

To maintain grid reliability with so much new, intermittent and far-flung renewable energy generation, our national electricity grid needs a serious upgrade. In fact, the Brattle report estimates that more money might have to be invested in the grid than in actual renewable energy generation.

Another report released today by the energy regulatory group North American Electric Reliability (NERC), identified the lack of investment in transmission infrastructure as a major obstacle for green energy deployment. “Inadequate attention to the transmission grid will undermine all efforts to address climate change while endangering our electric reliability, and thereby our national security,” Michael Heyeck, senior V-P of transmission at utility American Electric Power, says in the report.

Continue reading this story

Second Rotation, a startup whose service Gazelle offers an online gadget buyback program, said today that it has raised $6 million in second-round funds. Gazelle buys old gizmos from consumers and then sells them on eBay. The round was led by RockPort Capital Partners and also included return investors Venrock and angel investors Austin Ligon, Ashton Peery and Henry Vogel formerly of eBay. The company says it will use the money to continue its branding and marketing campaign.

The Gazelle service accepts old phones, laptops, satellite radios, MP3 players, external hard drives, cameras and even old movie and video game discs.

Continue reading this story

President-elect Barack Obama just held his first post-election press conference and focused on the economy, but it is his forthcoming climate change policies that are spurring the world’s governments and businesses to start reaching out to the next administration. Politicians and business executives are maneuvering to protect the aged fossil fuel industry while also looking to grab a piece of Obama’s proposed $150 billion clean energy plan. Let the lobbying for a new climate-conscious energy economy begin in earnest!

Less than 24 hours after the U.S. election results came in, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper moved to begin talks on a climate pact with Obama. Critics have already pointed out that Harper’s hasty move was an effort to secure concessions for the lucrative but dirty tar sands business that has been booming in that country’s province of Alberta. Harper’s administration is confident that Obama will be lenient on Canada’s oil sands as they help provide energy security. At least, that’s what they’re saying. Whether that is in fact the case remains to be seen.

Continue reading this story

Dear Mr. Obama, Welcome to Reality: Bill McKibben welcomes president-elect Obama to a reality of meltdowns, both economic and environmental – Guardian.

Lasers Smarter Up Wind Turbines: A new fiber-optic laser system can gauge wind gusts up to a kilometer away, allowing a turbine to adapt and prepare, improving efficiency and reducing breakage – MIT Technology Review.

Tesla Founder Getting His CARB Rebate: Martin Eberhard says he’s just been approved for a $5,000 rebate from California’s Alternative Fuel Rebate Program via the California Air Resource Board, and no thanks to Tesla – Tesla Founders Blog.

Duke’s Wind Farm Fully Operational: Duke Energy has begun full commercial operation of its 59-megawatt wind farm located in Texas. The 28 turbines will soon be joined by more windmills from the nearby Sweetwater wind farm, a huge project of which Duke owns half – Press Release.

Canada Wants Climate Pact to Give Tar Sands Pass: Canada’s prime minister, Stephen Harper, wants to reach out to president-elect Obama to create a climate change pact but wants to protect Alberta’s oil sands – NYT’s Green Inc.

Cleantech types are optimistic that an Obama presidency will usher in a new era of hopeful politics and greener energy policies, but what would it mean for the floundering ethanol industry? Critics are already afraid that President-elect Obama will continue with Bush’s so-called failed ethanol policies, which many argue have led to higher food prices, an increasing number of bankrupt ethanol producers and more environmental ill than good.

Obama is in favor of maintaining the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) put in place by Bush’s Energy Independence and Security Act, which requires that biofuel production be increased to 15 billion gallons by 2015 from 6.5 billion last year, and to 36 billion gallons by 2022. Obama has proposed implementing a 60 billion-gallon requirement by 2030. States are already groaning under the current mandates and a consortium of governors had their call for relief from the RFS rejected by the EPA earlier this year.

Continue reading this story