The CleanTech Week in Review: A setback for U.S. solar power; oil prices have another record-setting run; and will kudzu be king?

Citing Need for Assessments, U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects: There’s plenty of chatter and speculation continuing today over the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s shock decision to suspend solar power development on public land in six Western states. The Bureau wants two years to consider the environmental impact of industrial-scale solar. Earth2Tech describes reaction to the announcement as “mixed,” citing comments by solar power developer BrightSource that the application process is hopelessly mired. Of course, BrightSource is already permitted and stands to gain from a moratorium on new competition. Meanwhile, Clean Beta uncovers a 2003 memo [PDF download] by the BLM praising solar’s potential and calling for accelerated development. (New York Times) – Saturday, 28 June

Oil prices ease in Asia after overnight jump above $140 a barrel: The price of petroleum relaxed a little at the Asian market open early this morning after setting new records on Thursday. Oil rose to $140.39 a barrel yesterday after OPEC president Chakib Khelil predicted that crude could soar to between $150 and $170 later this summer. Khelil said he expects more price spikes in coming months. Meanwhile, major oil-producing nation Libya says it may reduce production due to what it deems are adequate supplies on the world market. (International Herald Tribune) – Friday, 27 June

Jeff Rubin Predicts “Mass Exodus” From Cars in US: If worse comes to worse, what would $7 to $10 a gallon gasoline mean to countries such as the United States? A lot less driving, if Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce analyst Jeff Rubin is correct. At those prices, gasoline expenses would overtake groceries for may households. The result: up to 10 million fewer cars on American roads, as lower-income families park their cars and switch to public transportation. Rubin says Americans are likely to adopt more “European” transportation behavior as fuel prices continue to rise. (Treehugger) – Friday, 27 June

Approval Rating for Kudzu Ethanol Soars as Floods Cancel Corn Crops: With flood related crop failures in the American Midwest, ethanol production is not likely to pace international demand in 2008. That’s turning the heat up on cellulosic ethanol conversion based on non-food organic stocks such as kudzu. Native to China and eastern Asia, kudzu has established itself as a persistent invasive species in the southeastern United States. It’s the kudzu plant’s robustness which makes it attractive as an ethanol stock, requiring little cultivation and exhibiting resistance to pests and weather extremes. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Toronto estimate kudzu could potentially produce 270 gallons of ethanol per acre — on par with corn, but requiring fewer resources. (Chemically Green)  – Thursday, 26 June

More Efficient, Lower Impact Solar Panels Developed: A Massachusetts-based solar manufacturer says its latest panels are manufactured with half the carbon footprint of conventional models, and feature much faster payback of their installation cost than their conventional equivalents. Evergreen solar says the payback point on its new “string ribbon” technology panels is as low as 12 months. The company will put its new low-cost production lines into full swing next month. (The Daily Green) – Monday, 23 June