The conflict in the Caucasus has oil prices up again in Monday trading; a staggering solar project is set for western India; and brighter LEDs are on the way.

Oil prices rise on supply worries: While the Republic of Georgia is not an oil-producing nation, it’s a key transit and shipping point for approximately one percent of the world’s crude. Fighting between Georgian forces and Russian troops extended to a major oil pipeline over the weekend, and now reports from neighboring Azerbaijan say oil is no longer moving through Georgian ports. That’s given Monday oil markets a case of the jitters. Crude opened up over a dollar per barrel in Asian markets, and European September futures were up $1.45 at London’s open. (AFP)

Clinton Backing World’s Largest Solar Project in India, Report Says: If reports coming out of India prove true, the Clinton Foundation — chaired by the former President — has swung what appears to be the largest single solar project on the planet. The $5 billion dollar venture, dubbed Integrated Solar City, is set for construction in western India. ISC would produce a whopping 5 gigawatts of solar power. The Business Standard seems to have originated reports of the Clinton Foundation’s involvement. (Earth2Tech)

Fresh views of the production Chevy Volt revealed in ABC news video: You have to hand it to GM — they’re playing consumer interest in the upcoming Chevy Volt for all its worth. The latest: a little game of strip tease on a puffy ABC news feature showing off a portion of the Volt’s redesigned nose section. The peek-a-boo reveals refinements to the last mock-up trotted around by GM, with a solid grill section, a more radically swept hood, and distinctive headlamps. GM has still not displayed the Volt in production trim. (Autoblog Green)

New substance paves the way for better, brighter LEDs in the near future: Japanese researchers say they’ve found a way to balance red and blue phosphors in LED lights to produce unusually pure white light that’s up to 50 percent brighter than current technology. That should lead to even greater efficiency from LED lighting. The next step is to develop a commercially viable process to get the new LEDs to market. (Crunch Gear)

Ikea To Sell Solar Panels: Ikea says it will plow about $77 million into CleanTech investments between now and 2012, and will bring many of the resulting products directly to Ikea showrooms. The company says it hopes to retail solar panels, smart energy management systems, and other green technology. Ikea has 270 stores, and sees about half a billion customers each year. (Environmental Leader)

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