A Missouri town hangs its energy hat in the wind; politicians duck and cover over the issue of ethanol mandates; and a company making giant, rotating blimps hopes to change the face of windpower. Start your Tuesday with The Daily Five:

First Wind Powered City: Rock Port, Missouri — population 1,400 — is the United States’ first windpower city. The five megawatt Loess Hills Wind Farm is big enough to do the job, producing more than the city annual power use. Base load power is still provided by conventional generation. (Clean Technica)

25 Who Ditched Infotech for Cleantech: Want to know how hot the green business sector has become? Check Earth2Tech’s list of over two dozen Dot-Comers who have made the switch to CleanTech startups. Getting plenty of attention: solar energy, alternative fuels, and general green investment capital. (Earth2Tech)

Burned by Biofuels: McCain, Other Politicos, Turn on Local Juice: You know that when the United Nations is issuing statements begging the U.S. and Europe to throttle back on ethanol, food-based biofuels have jumped the shark. The WSJ reports how biofuel mandates have gone from broad popular support to political albatross in a matter of months. Latest to fall off the cart: Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is concerned about skyrocketing cattle feed prices; and Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, who is concerned about getting elected in November. (WSJ.com)

The Status of Carbon Sequestration: Underground carbon dioxide storage is drawing some criticism from within the environmental movement. But CO2 sequestration expert David Ball says there’s enough geologically stable underground strata to safely store carbon for “hundreds of years.” The downside: so far, not a single sequestration program even comes close to capturing the daily output of an average-sized coal burning power plant. (Cleantech Blog)

A Balloon in the Wind (Market): Greentech Media continues its series on small wind by focusing on Magenn Power. They’re among the companies racing to prove that airship-based wind turbines are feasible. Magenn is currently conducting indoor testing of its tethered, rotating airship generator in a North Carolina blimp hangar. The first units — if they work — will produce about 100 kilowatts, and are targeted at remote industrial job sites. (Greentech Media)

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