IndyCar’s Andretti team joins proposed electric-car race series Driver Lucas Di Grassi spins his wheels making doughnut turns while demonstrating the new Formula E electric race car prototype in downtown Los Angeles in April. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times / July 17, 2013) By Jim PeltzJuly 17, 2013, 12:39 p.m. Formula E, a proposed new series featuring all-electric race […]

Jump-starting electric vehicle sales with workplace charging stations Electric vehicle enthusiasts aim to boost the viability of the EV industry by encouraging employers to add charging stations. As of July 20, there were 7,849 public and private non-residential charging… (Irfan Khan, Los Angeles…) Electric cars will probably remain a tiny niche of the auto industry […]

It has something to do with windmills — or hybrid cars. It’s related to alternative and renewable energy. It’s solar power. BLOG: Economy cut green jobs less, study says COLUMN: Climate destroys, creates jobs That’s what people told me comes to mind when they think of “green” or “clean” jobs. As one person summed up what they […]

WASHINGTON — Emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are growing at such a rate that the world will probably exceed a safe limit in average global temperatures by the end of the century and veer into a higher temperature zone that would profoundly damage economic growth and most other aspects of life, according to a new report […]

Thinnest light absorber yet could lead to cheaper, more efficient solar cells by Signe Brewster JUL. 18, 2013 – 10:57 AM PDT SUMMARY:Stanford researchers found gold nanoparticles 14 nanometers tall can absorb 93 percent of reddish-orange light, making them an interesting candidate for use in solar cells. tweet this Gold may not seem like the best […]

More school districts shift away from diesel fuel to stretch strained budgets and promote cleaner air. (Photo: Omaha School District) STORY HIGHLIGHTS About 95% of the nation’s 480,000 school buses still run on diesel The initial cost of a new, full-size propane school bus is about $100,000 That’s $3,000-$4,000 more than a similarly sized diesel […]

UNSW unveils the future – a solar hybrid electric vehicle By Giles Parkinson on 15 August 2013 The award-winning UNSW Solar Racing Team, Sunswift, is making a big transition this year – from racing a solar module on wheels to what team members think might be the future of the car; a solar electric hybrid vehicle. Sunswift […]

Santa Clarita’s film business reached a record level in the last fiscal year, fueled by such television shows  as “Justified” and “Franklin and Bash.” The suburban northern Los Angeles County city generated 1,069 film days in the year ended June 30, an 18% increase compared to last year’s level, which was also a record, the city said. […]

  From waste to watts Dairy farmers are being pitched a new way to turn manure into electricity Dairy farmer Ron Koetsier’s 1,200 cows produce roughly 90 tons of manure daily, and for the last three decades, he has tried unsuccessfully to turn the stinky dung into energy to power his 450-acre farm in Visalia. […]

The government said this week that the fuel cost for an electric vehicle is only about one-third of the cost to fuel a gasoline vehicle for the same distance, but that Energy Department formula leaves out some key financial and environmental factors in the overall cost of owning an electric vehicle. The government said Tuesday […]