clean energy

For some time, investors who wanted to put their money where their morals were have chosen socially responsible investing -- steering their cash away from firms whose practices they disapproved of. Now comes impact investing, which uses invested funds to solve social or environmental goals and earn competitive returns, too.

Last week, President Obama outlined a new energy policy that aims to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. How can patient investors capitalize on his vision?

China's plans to cut exports of rare earth minerals -- used in alternative energy technologies -- has the rest of the world scrambling. In the U.S., the country's first new rare-earth mine in more than a decade is set to reopen.

Masdar, the $22 billion green city that United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi is building in the desert just outside its borders, has canceled its plans to generate all of its own clean energy and to emit zero carbon -- and says it's running at least four years behind schedule.

Long before BP became associated with oil-drenched pelicans and Twitter talk of an oilpocalypse, some critics winced at the company's sunburst logo and decade-old green marketing campaign that sums up the BP brand in two words: "Beyond Petroleum." The slogan suggests an environmentally friendly...

Despite the world's economic woes, the global clean-energy market grew in 2009, becoming a $139.1 billion industry and the largest venture-capital category. Even so, solar revenues fell because of plunging prices.

Who wants to take a quick drive down memory lane? If you live in Sacramento, today's your day. Propel Fuels is offering 85-cent a gallon gas at five local gas stations. You read that right. Under one dollar gas. Today only. But before you run out the door, note that we're talking about E85...

After a long period of ever-escalating anticipation, the startup California cleantech company is finally unveiling its technology. Will the claims of breakthroughs in terms of efficiency, affordability and scalability get borne out at last? And how much will the long-term cost really be?

When announcing his $3.8 trillion budget, Obama didn't mention the "smart grid," long key to his infrastructure spending plans. That's a shame, as improving our utility grid could create jobs as well as make us greener, more efficient and more competitive.

Below are some great reads for investors from around the Web: Looks like Mark Zuckerberg spent Christmas crushing Google. ______________ Hilarious Star Wars / The A-Team mashup. ______________