A pioneer of fuel cell technology is gone; slumping energy prices give investors reason for cheer; and the world’s first all-electric airplane.

Geoffrey Ballard, founder of fuel-cell firm Ballard Power Systems, dies: Fuel cell pioneer Geoffrey Ballard is dead at the age of 76. Often regarded as the “father of the fuel cell industry,” Ballard was responsible for the development of the world’s first hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered, no-emission bus. In 1999, Time Magazine named Ballard as one of its “Heroes for the Planet,” citing his environmental and alternative energy contributions. (AM 1150/The Canadian Press)

Stocks surge as Fed holds steady; oil extends drop : Crude oil dropped below $119 a barrel Tuesday — a far cry from the $140 prices a few weeks ago. The bursting of the petroleum bubble has been wildly encouraging to investors, who have been looking for a way to salvage an otherwise gloomy summer. The Dow and most major indexes closed higher yesterday, the dollar was up, and gold took a tumble. Meanwhile, gasoline prices are beginning to follow the price of crude. The U.S. Energy Department says the national average fell to $3.88 last week — its lowest level since May. (USA Today)

Volkswagen releases more details on the new Gen-VI Golf, up to 52.3 mpg (US): Though diesel passenger cars are quite common in Europe, you’ll be hard pressed to find many for sale in the United States. That’s one of the reasons Volkswagen’s upcoming North American diesel offerings are grabbing such interest. VW announced a few more tidbits this week: U.S. models will get better than 50 miles per gallon, feature adaptive cruise and chassis control, and sport parking assist systems for city convenience. (Autoblog Green)

Plug and Fly: The Battery-Powered Plane Makes Its Debut: Wired has a write-up on what might be the first consumer-level electric airplane. The ElectraFlyer C features a lightweight 5.6 kWh Lithium Ion battery which will push the converted glider to a nearly silent 70 mph cruising speed. A recharge from common household current only runs about six hours and costs a miserly 60 cernts. (Wired)

Small Steps to Make Data Centers Green And Cost Effective: Bob Worral, CIO at Sun Microsystems, says the time is ideal for datacenters to invest in low-energy infrastructure. Sun has made green servers a cornerstone of its marketing campaign. Worral lays out a four-point program for improving the efficiency of existing datacenters, including virtualization, employee training, and rack-level monitoring power and temperature. (Environmental Leader)

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