While many clean energy advocates and investors around the world laud German innovation and watch China’s surge in the development of technologies such as solar and wind energy, Korea has continued its commitment to boosting its clean energy sector.

It was not that long ago when T. Boone Pickens ranked up there on television air time with the Snuggie and the Ped Egg. His commercials, or infomercials, promised that the wind corridor in the central United States, paired with natural gas, would wean the U.S. off of fossil fuel imports and push the country towards energy independence. Now the wind part of the plan is dead.

Walking through Prizren, Kosovo, one feels excitement at what this charming town of 70,000 could achieve in a few short years. Water and sewer lines are benefiting from upgrades. Homes and apartments are starting to crowd out houses that had been abandoned and became decrepit.

While oil companies fund any effort that sabotages a shift to clean technology, many oil companies benefit from government largess. US producer subsidies reached US$52 billion, Canada cuts checks that total $US2 billion to oil companies, and even the European Union subsidizes oil production at the cost of US$8 billion.

Add the Jersey Shore to Google’s renewable energy portfolio. The Internet giant announced a plan that if successful, will stretch 350 miles and could provide power for up to 1.9 million homes within ten years–or enough to power Snooki’s tanning beds through the year 2050.

St. Lucia’s government signed an agreement with US-based Qualibou Energy for the development of a geothermal plant. The plant will generate 12 megawatts of electricity by 2012, and another 108 MW of capacity will be in operation by 2015.

I admit my stomach turns whenever I see that BP logo. And 20-plus years after the Exxon Valdez spill, I have a hard time buying Exxon- or Mobil- branded gas. But participating in a boycott misses the point.

The Obama Administration told us that these oil leases were approved for drilling because they were far from the coast, were “safe,” and in the spirit of compromise, offshore drilling advocates were thrown a bone in order to get some kind of climate change legislation crammed through Congress.

“It’s about seeing the world as what it can be and not what it is.” – K.R. Sridhar, founder and CEO of Bloom Energy.   I have just returned from Brazil, functioning on two nights of little sleep, but I cannot restrain myself from gushing and hoping that the much hyped “Bloom Box,” which launched today, [...]