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Volkswagen has announced that the documentary “Racing Under Green”—detailing the trials and tribulations of the Jetta TDI Cup, the U.S.’ only professional green racing series—will premiere the week of January 18 on the various channels of Discovery Networks, including Planet Green, Discovery Channel, and The Science Channel.

In addition to following the stories of last season’s 25 drivers, the hour long documentary will examine some of the “green” aspects of the Jetta TDI Cup, including the use of biodiesel blends and the support of carbonfund.org.

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It’s been a busy Fall for the making-fuel-out-of-pollution-using-nothing-but-the-power-of-the-sun crowd. First we heard about a company that says it has succeeded in creating a system that uses engineered microbes in reactors out in the desert to eat carbon dioxide and poop out diesel and ethanol. Next we heard about a crazy mirror-ring contraption that reaches amazingly high temperatures to force carbon dioxide to give up one oxygen to make a precursor to fuel. And now…

Researchers at UCLA have engineered a bacteria that can eat carbon dioxide and burp out butanol—a liquid fuel that can be substituted into our existing fuel infrastructure without modification. Yep, that’s right, even your old jalopy can burn butanol without any side effects.

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Next step: find a way to make the electric company pay you. Image credit:PowerGuideReview

Electricity use in portions of the USA has fallen by several percent, with 2 to 10% reductions in consumption recently reported in the Tennesee Valley – other areas may see higher reductions, some lower. Whether the net cause of this trend is consumers cutting back in response to hard times, cutbacks done for environment sake, industrial closures and shift reductions in response to the recession, or some combination of these, is left to speculation. What we kno…Read the full story on TreeHugger

photo: BrightSource

Solar thermal power developer BrightSource Energy has literally gigawatts of power plants in the works — but very little actually completed so far. Greentech Media calls the financing of all these one of the big questions in renewable energy, and it certainly is. A bit of light has …Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photos via Popular Science

Talk about your weekend warrior – in several senses of the term. One man has created a fully functioning submarine out of old oil barrels and other second hand parts scrounged up for a grand total of just $4,385. …Read the full story on TreeHugger

This is actually old news that recently resurfaced, and as a lifelong Cougar aficionado I can’t pass it up. In actuality, the Mercury Cougar was a refined, “gentleman’s muscle car” based on the 1st generation Mustang. It came standard with a number of gas-guzzling V8 motors including the epic “Boss” 302.

But the pristine-looking 1967 Cougar pictured here has done away with those gas hogs in favor of a Mercedes turbodiesel motor that runs on, you guessed it, biodiesel.

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Any Top Gear fans here? (editor’s note: ME!!!) In case you don’t know, Top Gear is a British television show where the three hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May embark on odd and hilarious adventures involving automobiles. One segment places “Stars in a reasonably priced car”, having them compete for track times in an economy car.

Jay Leno is using this idea for his new show on NBC, “The Jay Leno Show,” but putting a twist on it. Rather than putting stars in a Chevy Lancetti like Top Gear, Leno will have his guests racing in the “Green Car Challenge.” The vehicle of choice?  The upcoming all-electric Ford Focus BEV.

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Syntroleum Corporation and Tyson Foods have partnered in a 50/50 venture called Dynamic Fuels to produce a new high-grade renewable diesel fuel. Using a proprietary Bio-Synfining process and a feedstock of animal fats, greases, and vegetable oils supplied from Tyson, Dynamic Fuels will produce diesel fuel with the lowest greenhouse gas emission levels of any transportation fuel available today.

Last month Dynamic Fuel chose Emerson Process Management to provide the digital automation and process management systems to help operate a new $138 million renewable diesel facility in Geismar, Louisiana, the largest such plant in North America. Scheduled to begin operation in 2010, the plant will produce 75 million gallons per year of of the fuel.

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This post comes to you from Popular Mechanics. Written By Larry Webster.

In the U.S., gasoline and diesel are dirt cheap compared to their cost in Europe. In late August, the average U.S. price for a gallon of gas was $2.60, and a gallon of diesel cost $2.65. Both diesel and gasoline come from the same barrel of oil—since diesel is a heavier, less refined product, it has historically cost less than gasoline. However, the relative price difference in the U.S. is determined by market forces, refinery constraints and taxes. Typically, demand for gasoline is higher, and U.S. fuel taxes favor gasoline, making gas less expensive here. Federally, we tax diesel at a higher rate than we do gas—24.4 cents per gallon of diesel versus 18.4 for gas. Some states tax gas a higher rate, but on average, the diesel tax is higher (With state taxes added in, the average diesel tax is 51.4 cents per gallon, gas is 47.0). According to the Energy Information Administration, since 2004, diesel has generally cost more than gasoline in the U.S., year-round.

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Editor’s Note: This is a guest contribution by Nancy Gioia, Ford’s Director of Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Vehicle Programs.

It’s clear electric vehicles (EVs) will be part of the transportation mix of the future.

President Obama has set ambitious goals for wide-scale adoption of EV technology. Advances in battery technology will help bring more electrified vehicles to market for consumers and the desire to reduce CO2 emissions has increased attention on transportation alternatives like electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

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