The CleanTech Week in Review: A government agency predicts big oil finds in Alaska; USA wind is #1; and the postal service wants to deliver green.

Arctic May Hold 90 Billion Barrels of Oil, U.S. Says : Talk about pressure to drill — the U.S. Geological Survey has reached into a hat and extracted some big numbers regarding the potential amount of oil locked under Alaska’s fragile ecosystem. How much oil? Try 90 billion barrels, most of which is offshore. That’s more than the identified reserves of Nigeria, Kazakhstan and Mexico. The estimates are based on geology and probability, not actual field work. (Bloomberg)

USA is the Number One Biggest Wind Energy Producer: The United States is now the biggest generator of wind power in thew world. That’s according to the American Wind Energy Association, which says that while Germany retains a lead in installed capacity, higher average wind speeds have blown the U.S. into first place. The milestone was expected — but not until the end of 2009. (Treehugger)

Ford’s promised new products at a glance: After announcing the deepest quarterly losses in the company’s 105-year history, Ford Motor Company laid out sweeping changes in its future product line. The 2009 vehicles doesn’t look too promising, with a poorly timed Mustang revival and slightly more fuel efficient F-150 pickup. The 2010 model year will see a rollout of the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ midsize sedans. The Milan and Fusion will be available in hybrid versions. Ford will also provision the Taurus and a new Lincoln crossover vehicle with their new Eco-Boost engine. Finally, Ford will begin selling the popular European Transit Connect multipurpose van in North America sometime in 2010. (Forbes)

Postal Service Wants To Green 90% Of Fleet: Back in May, we mentioned that the U.S. Postal Service was trying to formulate a plan for reducing the gasoline consumption of its sprawling delivery fleet. Now USPS says it finally has a goal in mind: replacing 90 percent of its gas-burning vehicles. General Motors has given USPS a Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle to road test. The Postal Service currently operates fewer than 5 thousand alternative fuel vehicles. (Environmental Leader)

US to Sign Leases for Offshore Testing: Wide-scale testing of offshore alternative energy projects got a boost this week with the issue of 11 temporary leases by the US Minerals and Management Service. Most of the licenses will be for windpower projects. While they won’t allow for power generation — that step in the permitting comes later — the new leases will allow potential developers the opportunity to test a broad range of installation and site impact technologies. (Clean Edge)

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