At some point, I think solar and wind power will not be considered “alternative.’ But for the moment …

Cheap “Popcorn Ball” Solar Cells Set Efficiency Record
A record for this type of cell, though — not for photovoltaics in general.

This efficiency is only about half that of traditional silicon solar cells found on roof tops and calculators but with the lower price its is enough to stay competitive with the silicon cells.

The technology that will save humanity
Of course, solar thermal does have the drawback of needing a certain amount of real estate. Rooftop photovoltaic panel systems are probably going to help “save humanity” as well.

Big oil to big wind: Texas veteran sets up $10bn clean energy project

Over the next four years he intends to erect 2,700 turbines across 200,000 acres of the Texan panhandle. The scheme is five times bigger than the world’s current record-holding wind farm and when finished will supply 4,000 megawatts of electricity – enough to power about one million homes.

Biodiesel Mythbuster 2.0: Twenty-Two Biodiesel Myths Dispelled

MYTH #22: Biodiesel is only used by crazy hippies and Willie Nelson.

FACT: Tell that to the US military, especially the US Navy (which is the largest single user of biodiesel), the National Parks Service, Postal Service, NASA, municipalities across the country, and more than 130 school districts and universities.

OK, but you’d be surprised at the number of crazy hippies in the US military. Very surprised

This reminds me — I need some new batteries. A few of mine just died from overcharging.

Adventures in Rechargeable Batteries

For one thing, there’s the issue of discharge rate. It turns out that massive 2500mAh capacity of the Energizer rechargeable battery doesn’t mean much when the battery drains itself within a month.
[…]
So putting a larger number on the box is ultimately a method of fooling consumers with marketing. Where have we seen that before? Oh right, everywhere. Caveat emptor.

The Wikipedia entry on NiMH batteries mentions that the hybrid/pre-charged batteries have an advance that reduces the discharge rate

A new type of nickel-metal hydride battery was introduced in 2005 that reduces self-discharge and, therefore, lengthens shelf life. By using a new separator, manufacturers claim the batteries retain 70 to 85% of their capacity after one year when stored at 20 degrees Celsius (68F). These cells are marketed as “ready-to-use” or “pre-charged” rechargeables. Besides the longer shelf life, they are otherwise similar to normal NiMH batteries of equivalent capacity and can be charged in typical NiMH chargers.

(via Daring Fireball)