NASA joins the search for windpower; labor groups turn up the heat on Toyota; and General Electric passes a major milestone in renewable energy investment.

Ocean Wind Power Maps Reveal Possible Wind Energy Sources: NASA’s QuikSCAT satellite is primarily known as a tool for tracking weather features, such as tropical storms. But QuikSCAT is now being used by scientists to map ocean winds in hope of identifying areas favorable for wind energy. New technology is making the possibility of floating or wind turbines economically feasible. Paul Dimotakis, a scientists with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, estimates that ocean windpower could potentially supply 10 to 15 percent of the world’s needs. (Science Daily)

Ruling finds Japanese man died from overwork: A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that a top engineer working on Toyota’s hybrid Camry program literally worked himself to death. The 45 year-old designer routinely clocked 80 hours of overtime in the two months leading to his death from heart failure. Toyota — which had been the market leader in automotive hybrid technology — is facing increasing criticism over its labor policies. A group called the National Labor Committee maintains a website accusing the Japanese automaker of sweatshop abuse, complicity with the military junta in Burma, suppressing wages and labor organization, and human trafficking of imported labor from China and Vietnam. (CNN)

Hyundai hybrid first to have lithium polymer battery: It appears that Korean carmaker Hyundai will be the first major manufacturer to get lithium polymer battery to the showroom floor. Lithium polymer batteries have higher energy density than conventional lithium ion, fare better in collision tests, and provide more charging cycles compared to conventional batteries. The lithium polymer batters are apparently scheduled to make their debut in Hyundai’s upcoming Hyundai Avante/Elantra LPI mild electric hybrid. (Autoblog Green)

GE Blows Past $4B For Green Energy Investments: General Electric says it has now topped $4 billion in renewable energy investments. Pushing the company across he milestone was a $100 million dollar investment in three New York states wind farms. GE estimates that renewables will account for 25 percent of it water and energy investment by 2010. (Earth2Tech)

BMW Group Preparing Electric MINIs for Field Testing: The popular Mini subcompact will soon be available in an electric model — in very limited numbers. Mini parent company BMW says they’re prepping “several hundred” plug-in versions for road testing. About 490 Minis are earmarked for California roads. Few details are available, though it’s believed the Mini’s new electric power plant will be manufactured in Munich before final assembly in the UK. (Green Car Congress)

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