CleanTech OC Daily - 5/18/12

Why consumers shouldn’t worry about the new solar tariffs
Yesterday's decision by the US federal government to put tariffs on Chinese solar panels has prompted worry among solar consumers about a rise in costs. However, the impact will not likely be as significant because any price increase will be absorbed by manufacturers, installers, etc, and growing competition in retail solar will keep costs fair for consumers.

GOP Takes Aim At US Navy’s Great Green Fleet

Wired’s Danger Room reports that Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee want to ban the Navy from making or buying any alternative fuels that costs more than a “traditional fossil fuel.”  The Navy's Great Green Fleet effort seeks to deploy a fleet powered entirely by alternative fuels by 2016 on its way to reaching 50% alternative energy use overall by 2020.

Hydrogen - Tomorrow’s Biofuel?

University of Birmingham researchers are exploring creating clean hydrogen from food waste, an idea that could revolutionize the bioenergy industry. Brazil  is the world’s most intensive user of bioethanol and found that mass-producing bioethanol from sugarcane generates carbon dioxide as well as agricultural waste. However, creating clean hydrogen from food waste not only uses up that waste, but provides a fuel that is emissions free and can be generated sustainably.