Staff analysis

The world is full of vehicle speed records. 

But one, at least, has fallen to an ethanol-powered car.

An E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline)-powered Viper has rocketed from a standstill to 220.7 MPH in one mile, taking 27.41 seconds at the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport in Oscoda, Michigan.

The previous standing mile record was 217.85 MPH, held by a gasoline powered street car.

"Going green does not have to mean going slow," said Karl Jacob, owner and self-described serial entrepreneur [ed.: are we the only ones who find sinister overtones in that term?]

The Indy Racing League, which includes the Indianapolis 500 race, switched completely to ethanol, starting with the 2007 season.

Police in Scotland, with booze confiscated there, prepare to party.

Why pour confiscated alcohol down the drain, police in Sweden ask, when it can be repurposed for making biofuel?

A large trade in smuggled alcohol across the Baltic Sea from Denmark sees customs officials in Sweden confiscating a million bottles a year from purveyors trying to evade local taxes.

Hundreds of thousands of litres of alcohol used to be routinely poured down the drain, literally, but it has now become a contributor to Sweden’s fight against climate change.

Okay.

We're not IT experts, but just how inherently green is network-over-powerline technology?

Echelon Corporation of Silicon Valley yesterday proclaimed a customer win with the McDonald's food chain. Which is a great, high profile announcement for Echelon—kudos to them.

McDonald's intends to use Echelon's networking technology to allow various pieces of kitchen equipment in its restaurants to exchange data between themselves, the store's systems and head office over existing power lines, which will allow the chain to install the equipment without tearing out walls. Nice.

One can understand how this data could include improved business processes and reduce maintenance costs.

Australia's Financial & Energy Exchange (FEX) is set to open a new trading board, with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore to give an address at the opening.

The FEX Sustainability and Cleantech Investment Market (FEX-SIM) will open September 14th, with Gore the special guest speaker.

FEX-SIM will target the sustainability and cleantech industries.

All companies listing on the FEX-SIM board will be subject to NSX (National Stock Exchange) listing rules.

Maybe the "G" in G-man will someday stand for green?

A North Carolina-based developer has been awarded a contract to build a LEED-certified field office for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Jackson, Mississippi.

Highwoods Properties (NYSE: HIW) is to build a $31.7 million 110,000 square foot, three-story Class A office building and annex.

Construction is to commence in the third quarter of this year and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2009.

In May, a contract was awarded to Chicago-based Higgins Development Partners to build an FBI field office in Detroit. The company is seeking LEED silver certification for that building.

Yes, anoints.

So proclaimeth the headline from the company's PR firm.

Today, entertainer Willie Nelson is helping Oregon's first commercial biodiesel plant celebrate its two-year anniversary by headlining a press conference and ground-breaking of an expansion of the plant.

The plant is to grow from one million gallons a year to five, albeit a fraction of the size of conventional biodiesel plants.

This one's a little different, though. In best hippie fashion, Pacific Biodiesel's Salem, Oregon plant has been converting recycled cooking oil from restaurants and food processors in Oregon and Washington, such as Burgerville and Kettle Foods. It's now starting to use canola oil grown elsewhere in Oregon.

Italian designer Ermenegildo Zegna has shown a high-end solar jacket at a fashion show.

The forthcoming Solar JKT from Zegna Sport is "the first premium segment" [read: morbidly expensive] outerwear product in the world that can recharge a cell phone, iPod or other device using solar power, the company claimed.

It's certainly not the first solar jacket. Just the first from a brand-name designer.

First, they brought you a directory of where to find biodiesel in your 'hood (see Biodiesel finder for your cell phone.)

Now, NearBio is giving you a way to tell biodiesel makers that you want biodiesel in your 'hood.

The web site www.needbio.com is a new, free registry intended to link local consumer demand for biodiesel with suppliers serving their area.

The site captures info like your vehicle type (e.g. automobile, commercial truck, or agricultural), number of vehicles in your fleet, estimated miles/gallon, annual miles, proximity preferences, zip code, desired blend, and optional comments/details.

Got a little extra cash in your pocket and have always wanted some prime cleantech Internet dot com real estate?

Ethanol.com is one of thousands of properties that will be up for auction at Thursday, June 21st at 3:00 p.m. EST at The Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.

Moniker.com, which is brokering the deals, announced today that its next Live Domain Auction will be held at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. NYC 2007.

Among the other premium Internet domains you can bid on:

No, not that kind of stripper.

Solucorp Industries (OTC: SLUP) today announced that it has received a U.S. patent for its heavy metal remediating paint stripper.

Lead Out uses Solucorp’s EPA Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program proven Molecular Bonding System (MBS) reagents to permanently remediate heavy metal contaminants such as lead, chromium, cadmium, or zinc that may be found in certain types of paints.

The Lead Out paint stripper is an environmentally friendly, soy-based product, the company claims.

Gotcha.