The Chevy Volt shapes up in early testing; ethanol subsidies are on the chopping block in Washington; and in windpower generation, maybe size doesn’t matter. Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Daily Five:

Volt mules are meeting EV-only target range: Just yesterday, we were reporting speculation that pressure on the U.S. carmaker industry might spell trouble for expensive new projects like the Chevy Volt. But some good news Wednesday from GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz: prototype Volts are hitting their electric-only 40 mile range targets. That means many drivers will motor their Volts around without the backup gas engine ever kicking into gear. Lutz also set the firmest target date yet for the Volt’s debut: November, 2010. (Autoblog Green)

Farm bill reduces support for corn ethanol: The picture gets dimmer for corm-based ethanol. A $300 billion farm bill working its way through the U.S. Congress cuts ethanol subsidies by 12 percent. Biofuels are being blamed for deforestation and a spike in food prices. The bill is expected to head to the President for signature next week. (Nature)

Warming Climate Is Changing Life On Global Scale, Says New Study: Add another study to the pile fingering humans as a contributing factor to climate change — and pointing to worldwide environmental fallout. The paper — produced under the auspices of the Earth Institute at Columbia University — is particularly specific in its identification of biological changes following warmer world temperatures, such as disrupted blooming cycles, earlier migrations, and pressure on cold-water fish species. NASA scientist Cynthia Rosenzweig and researchers from 10 other institutions prepared the report from data going back to 1970. (Science Daily)

Solar Power Generating Blimp for Disasters: EcoTech and disaster preparation sometimes go hand in hand. Here’s an example: a solar panel-covered airship that could be flown into a stricken area, anchored, and immediately provide power and communications for relief workers. The airship concept, designed by Andrew Leinonen, could power enough water pumps to care for 12,000 people, or run up to 400 medical refrigerators. (EcoGeek)

Tiny Wind Turbines Could Generate Impressive Amounts of Power: Who says wind turbines need to be hulking 300 foot towers? Inventor Doug Selsam is building turbines with diameters of 14 to 20 inches. The secret is having lots of the tiny dynamos. A 13 foot boom full of small turbines can easily be lifted by a single person, and produces about 200 watts with 20 mph wind. (Good Clean Tech)

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