Cisco and power meter maker Itron announced they will team up to develop Internet Protocol-based communications for the power grid.

The auto industry saw a 21 percent drop in August sales over last August, when the federal “cash for clunkers” program came to an end. Officially called the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), the program provided incentives to consumers upgrading to more fuel efficient vehicles.

Greenbiz.com published the first piece of a three part series on how the future of property assessed clean energy (PACE) could affect the clean energy economy.

Developing a clean energy economy that protects workers, the environment, and health would be particularly beneficial to Latinos, argues Labor Council for Latin American Advancement’s (LCLAA) Hector Sanchez.

A piece at the Huffington Post calls on Congress to extend the Treasury Grant Program (TGP), which has provided clean energy industries with cash in lieu of solar investment tax credits. More than 40 states have solar projects that were helped by the TGP, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Local Green: A new Brookings Institution report evaluates the Intermountain West’s developing clean energy infrastructure.

Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace will soon host a 2.6 megawatt solar system, which will be the nation’s largest rooftop solar project.

Senator Barbara Boxer (D. - Califoria) continues to differentiate herself from her Republican opponent Carly Fiorina by voicing support for clean energy and good jobs. “The world is going green and America must lead the way,” Boxer told an audience at the Commonwealth Club of California this week. “Green jobs must be made in America.”

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of ctkzeng

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D. - Nevada) says he hasn’t given up hope of passing a national renewable energy standard (RES) this year, and believes a mandate can garner some Republican support.

A national program to retrofit the nation’s homes, offices, and factories could create 625,000 sustained, full-time jobs over the next decade, according to a new Center For American Progress report (pdf).

A majority of Americans believe “the government should regulate greenhouse gases from sources like power plants and refineries in an effort to reduce global warming,” and have confidence in the E.P.A.’s ability to regulate, according to a new poll (pdf).

The role played by clouds in the complex interactions affecting climate change has long been little understood, but new technologies are helping scientists solve the mystery, reports Yale E360.

Despite the failure to enact strong energy and climate legislation this year, a piece at the Huffingpost says LED lighting is one clean tech solution that can be rallied around “NOW.”

A piece at Grist examines the state of the world’s geothermal energy production and explores its potential.

Americans for Energy Leadership is accepting applications for its New Energy Leaders Project, which aims to retool America’s approach to clean energy adoption through the efforts of “young thought leaders.”

Local Green: Massachusetts’ highest court removed one of the largest remaining obstacles facing the Cape Wind project, ruling that local opposition to transmission lines could not trump state approval.

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of Gone-Walkabout

On Tuesday, Nissan will begin taking orders for its Nissan Leaf - the first mass-produced, mainstream electric vehicle to hit the market.

Grist reports that China is preparing to shut down some of its older, dirtier coal plants.

Representative Ed Markey (D. - Massachusetts) argues that the extreme weather patterns plaguing the world this year are consistent with widely accepted scientific predictions about the effects of climate change.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency sent a letter to Congress reaffirming its opposition to Property Assessed Clean Energy legislation (PACE). The Agency has effectively halted PACE programs across the nation, which had been helping home and business owners finance small-scale clean energy projects with loans tied to property taxes.

The American Rights at Work Education Fund’s new report highlights positive labor-management relationships that are bolstering the clean energy economy.

BlackEngineer.com has an interview with Labor Secratary Hilda Solis who, among other things, discussed how investing in clean energy can rebuild the economy and spur job growth.

“Investing In American Jobs” will be the focus of this year’s National Clean Energy Summit, which begins on September 7 in Las Vegas.

In a new book, Danish environmental writer Bjørn Lomborg reverses his climate change skepticism, arguing that global warming is “undoubtedly one of the chief concerns facing the world today.”

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of Pay No Mind

The Washington Post’s “Federal Player of the Week” is director of energy and environment at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Carl Burleson.

A piece at the Huffington Post argues that climate change skeptics do not need to accept scientific facts in order to become part of the climate change solution.

A New York Times editorial says the high price of wheat is one more reason to “somehow mitigate or forestall climate change.”

A piece in National Geographic profiles efforts to develop electricity from waste heat in the U.S.

Legendary alternative rock band They Might Be Giants has a new song and video that makes electric cars something kids can get excited about.

The winners of the 2010 US Green Building Council Natural Talent Design Competition, which this year focuses on the best small, green, affordable home designs to be used in rebuilding New Orleans - will be announced shortly.

A new “eco-inspired” outdoor table design harvests rainwater for gardening.

Local Green: The Boston Globe argues that the Cape Wind Project, despite some drawbacks, has the potential to help put Massachusetts at the forefront of the clean energy economy.

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of _Teb

The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to vacate a ruling allowing lawsuits against major greenhouse gas emitters, pitting the Administration against many environmental groups which assert that states should be able sue power plant operators for contributing to climate change. A brief filed by the Department claims such lawsuits are unnecessary, since the E.P.A. has begun taking steps to regulate emissions.

The New York Times reports that community colleges are beginning to offer courses and programs to train “environmentally smart managers” for the clean energy economy.

Scientists used this week’s American Chemical Society conference to introduce a number of new developments that could affect the future of clean energy and climate change. Highlights include the use of “dry water” for CO2 storage, and the possibility of using atmospheric electricity as a source of energy.

New Holland will showcase its hydrogen-fueled, zero emissions tractor at this year’s Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa.

Local Green: The Apollo Alliance’s California chapter announced the release of the California Apollo Program - “a comprehensive strategy that details how to continue creating clean energy jobs in California.”

California regulators approved a license for the first large-scale U.S. thermal solar plant in 20 years.

California gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown used a visit to a San Diego County biofuels plant to reiterate his opposition to Proposition 23 - which would indefinitely postpone the state’s global warming legislation - and reaffirm his commitment to creating clean energy jobs.

San Francisco has made a list of over 1,000 green vendors available as a reference for other cities and the general public. The list is the result of regulations implemented five years ago, requiring city departments to use products that meet specific environmental and health guidelines.

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of Bread For the World

Marine conservationist Rick Steiner warns that the crisis created by the BP oil spill is far from over.

The oil and gas industries outspent pro-climate legislation groups in Washington by nearly 800 percent last year, doling out a record $175 million, says the Center for Responsive Politics.

Researchers say a new method of manipulating light particles can speed the growth of algae that can be used to make biofuels.

The Dirt spoke with landscape architect Kristina Hill about how urban design and conservation may best be able to help manage the effects of climate change.

Local Green: The Idaho Wind Partners project - the state’s largest so far - will produce enough energy to power about 40,000 “average Idaho homes.”

A continuing NRDC Action Fund series examining key political races across the country looks at New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District.

Yet another climate change skeptic will be joining the U.S. Senate if Alaska’s Joe Miller unseats Republican Senator Lisa Murkowsi.

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of mayhem

The U.S. used “significantly less” coal and petroleum in 2009 compared to 2008, while using more renewables, according to a new Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory report.

Rainbow PUSH Coalition, United Auto Workers, and other groups will lead a jobs march in Detroit this Saturday. “If our country gets serious about energy savings and independence from oil,” write the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Earth Day Network president Kathleen Rogers, “we could rebuild domestically and power the U.S. economy with American jobs.

Eric Pooley - author of “The Climate War” - discussed the politics behind climate change denial in the United States in a Bloomberg interview.

Local Green: A research consortium led by Penn State University received $129 million federal grants to help fund the university’s Energy Innovation Hub. The grants amount to the largest ever received by a Pennsylvania institution.

Grist’s “Feeding the City” series explores Detroit’s booming urban agriculture movement.

A piece in the New York Times explores how a variety of groups have come together in an attempt to turn the Empire State Building into a model of energy efficiency.

The New Jersey state Senate unanimously approved a bill that would turn closed landfills and quarries into solar and wind energy farms.

A new study says West Texas could add 22,000 jobs and $280 million annually to its economy by expanding its clean energy production.

A piece at the Wonk Room says Republicans running for major offices in New Mexico this year are all climate change skeptics.

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of the White House

Rising global temperatures may be stifling plants’ ability to absorb atmospheric CO2, according to a new study.

A self-cleaning coating originally developed for missions to Mars could help maximize solar panels’ efficiency.

A trio of architects argue that green buildings must be developed in an appropriate context if they are to contribute meaningfully to combating climate change.

Planet 100 looks at what it says are the Top 5 Green Houses of Worship.

The third annual National Clean Energy Summit - sponsored by the Center For American Progress Action Fund, Senator Harry Reid (D. - Nevada) and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas - will be held on September 7th.

Local Green: A proposed utility-scale solar array for Rockford, Illinois could eventually generate up to 62 megawatts of electricity.

Florida Power & Light Company’s new Cape Canaveral Next Generation Clean Energy Center will allow the Cape Canaveral Power Plant to use 33 percent less fuel per megawatt of energy produced.

The seventh annual American Renewable Energy Day brought people like Thomas Friedman, Ted Turner, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to Aspen, Colorado last week to discuss the future of clean energy.

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of Jonesemyr

An additional $120 million for the federal home weatherization program means comprehensive home energy retrofits will be added to the traditional energy audits the program had covered.

A piece at the Huffington Post explores the gendered politics of energy policy.

Local Green: The Cleantech Corridor and Green District Competition is challenging architects, urban planners, engineers, and others to develop ideas for downtown Los Angeles’ “Cleantech Corridor.”

A piece in the Atlantic identifies five states where energy politics are playing a leading role in this year’s elections.

The Wonk Room reports that all six of the Republican candidates vying for a New Hampshire U.S. Senate seat are climate change deniers.

Colorado’s renewable energy standard, which has helped create nearly 20,000 jobs since 2004, stands as an example of the favorable outcomes likely to result from a national standard, writes Senator Mark Udall (D. - Colorado).

The Star-Ledger reports on why New Jersey has fast become one of the country’s leading home solar energy hotspots.

The Asia-Pacific Clean Energy Summit will bring about 800 people from 19 countries to Honolulu from August 30 - September 2.

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of jordi.martorell

Representative Ed Markey (D. - Massachusetts) demanded that the Obama administration hand over data that informed a recent federal study asserting much of the oil from the Macondo spill was no longer in the Gulf of Mexico .

The building of a final relief well that officials say will permanently seal BP’s ruptured Macondo well is being delayed until next month.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce Suresh Kumar discussed how clean energy technology and manufacturing operations can benefit from the goal of increasing America’s exports.

Ocean Renewable Power Company says its Beta Power System off the Maine coast is the “largest ocean energy device ever installed in U.S. waters.”

A piece at Grist argues that climate legislation supporters should adopt a few moves from the NRA playbook.

Local Green: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a bill that requires the state to generate enough electricity from wind to power up to 330,000 homes.

Campaigning in Ohio, President Obama singled out Toldeo as a model of how an older manufacturing city can become a thriving hub of clean energy industry and good-paying jobs. Also in Ohio, a dedication ceremony was held this week at what is now the state’s largest solar farm.

REC Solar will build the nation’s largest carport solar array, covering seven different carports in Tucson, Arizona.

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of duncandavidson