T. Boone Pickens

After steadily breaking news from its wind development division, Pattern Energy Group LP spoke with EnergyBoom about the recent progress it has made on its proposed Southern Cross transmission project.

A forthcoming study [pdf] from Cornell University may dash the growing reputation natural gas has acquired as the "clean" burning fossil fuel.

It is no secret that a huge hurdle impeding the growth of clean, renewable energy is building a smart power grid and, perhaps more importantly, new transmission lines. In particular, the proliferation of wind power in the United States this decade is at a tipping point. A major problem that needs to be addressed is transferring the energy from wind farms to the high density cities.

It’s only a matter of time before the United States makes a serious effort to power more vehicles by burning natural gas because 1) it is 25 percent cleaner than oil, 2) it would displace an expensive, insecure, imported fuel with a domestic, cheap and plentiful one, and 3) it would reduce vehicle maintenance costs.

This theory commands more interest when worries about oil supply disruptions -- the current Mideast upheaval, for example -- push the price above $90 a barrel.

Here are the Top 10 Renewable Energy News Stories You May Have Missed this Week:

T. Boone Pickens, once one of the brightest examples of the shift from conventional fossil fuel energy to renewable energy, has announced his Pickens Plan no longer involves wind energy.

For a number of years, notes ecologist and UC Santa Barbara Professor Emeritus Daniel B.

Ted Turner, perhaps looking to prove he can do it better than Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, is taking his piece of the renewable energy pie.

T. Boone Pickens: sounds like a name for a cartoon character from Looney Tunes. But the man has made a fortune for himself in the world of energy, and at one time appeared to be looking to the renewable sector as well.

How much do you know about Rutabagas, the Hecate Strait, Taiwan, the smart charging system, or "green" beer? 

We're betting you are going to know a lot more about all these things and how they fit into renewable energy after you see what EnergyBoom has been upto this week.

So, let's jump right in.