The Washington International Energy Conference wrapped up Thursday after three days of discussions, presentations and networking between more than 7,000 representatives from over 100 countries.
The United States pledged to continue its leadership in renewable energy through efforts coordinated by multiple agencies. For example, USDA will work on the development and cultivation of switchgrass for the production of cellulosic ethanol, and drive up markets and demand for woody biomass and biobased products.
“Renewable energy presents a promising opportunity for the farm economy,” said Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer. “Coupled with a strong commitment from USDA, our goal sets renewable fuels on the pathway as a regular and reliable source in the energy mix,” Schafer said.
Ministers and representatives from other countries also shared their pledges with the conference, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Denmark, Germany, Jordan, New Zealand, and Norway.
A Minnesota company has developed a process to convert waste beverages into fuel.
What’s being billed as “the premier technical conference for solar energy and energy efficiency professionals in the U.S.,” SOLAR 2008 is set for May 3rd-8th in, appropriately enough, sunny San Diego, California.
To do that, he mentioned just about every alternative, domestic energy source possible – from ethanol and biodiesel to wind and solar, hydrogen and nuclear. He discussed the need for vehicles that run on alternative fuels, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and he visited with manufacturers of those types of vehicles at the WIREC trade show.
Using 40 pairs of vehicles commonly found on American roads, a year-long research effort found that increasing ethanol blends from 10 percent (E10) to 20 percent (E20) in a gallon of gasoline provided an effective fuel across a range of tests focusing on drivability and materials compatibility. 
Legendary British carmaker Bentley says it is it will look to ethanol, lighter construction and more efficient gasoline engines… instead of diesel and hybrid motors… to meet the green demands of the future:
A group is trying to combine their faith with its desire to live a life that will allow everyone to enjoy the Earth before they have to head off to Heaven.
A French carmaker is introducing a truly unique vehicle to the North American market… one that runs on air!
Developed by Formula One race car engineer Guy Negre, the Air Car is equipped with a revolutionary dual-energy compressed air engine, achieving a fuel efficiency of 106 miles to the gallon. At low speeds, this vehicle emits only air from its tailpipe making it a good option for ‘green’ inter-city traveling. The Air Car is built with Compressed Air Technology (C.a.t.) and is designed to be relatively affordable, as it is estimated to cost approximately $18,000 and to consume only small quantities of fuel.
One of the most well attended learning sessions at the 
According to their calculations, Hickman says the United States could produce a 15.6 billion bushel corn crop seven years from now. “If we grow as much corn as we did in 2007 and the yield increases go from where they have in the last ten years, that would be possible in 2015,” he said. “That could then produce 19 billion gallons of ethanol and still provide exports and other uses for corn.”
Richard K. Wilson, Ph.D., director of Washington University’s Genome Sequencing Center, says this is the first comprehensive glimpse at the blueprint for the corn plant. “Scientists now will be able to accurately and efficiently probe the corn genome to find ways to improve breeding and subsequently increase crop yields and resistance to drought and disease,” he said. 
According to