The Week in CleanTech, Saturday Edition: Windpower wins a big one in court; and companies rush to grab alternative energy tax credits before they expire.

Texas Breeze: Landowners Call Wind Turbines Ugly; Court Says Too Bad: The windpower industry scored a potentially precedent-setting court decision last week. A Texas judge dismissed a suit brought by landowners against FPL Energy, which operates wind farms. The suit sought to enjoin FPL from operating on the grounds that its turbines are noisy and unsightly. While sympathizing with the landowners, the court found that their complaints were not sufficiently grave to put a halt to FPL’s project. The American Wind Energy Association says that the average large turbine puts out about the same amount of noise at 1000 feet as a home refrigerator. (WSJ.com)

Wind, solar projects race to finish before tax credit expires: The clock is ticking on federal tax credits for renewable energy projects — now set to expire at the end of the year. That has suppliers of solar panels and wind turbines working full-tilt to fill orders and complete projects before the money runs out. Alternative energy companies report a huge boom in new installations. In California, new solar panel installations are up 74 percent over 2007, while the American Wind Energy Association reports that utilities are trying to install 8,000 megawatts of wind energy before January. it’s possible that the subsidies — which have wide Congressional support — could be renewed in the final weeks of this year’s session. But with uncertainty looming, projects for 2009 are already being scaled back or canceled. (USA Today)

Solar plane makes record flight : A British-built solar powered aircraft has set a world endurance record by staying aloft for more than three days. The unmanned Zephyr-6 completed its record demonstration flight for the U.S. military at Arizona’s Yuma Proving Grounds, powered by wing-mounted solar cells and kept aloft at night by high-efficiency lithium-sulphur batteries. While production versions of the Zephyr will likely find service as military reconnaissance platforms, civilian editions could be used for emergency communication relays, resource surveys, or weather research. (BBC)

Google ups investment into wind startup Makani: Google has already invested in solar power for its Mountain View campus and sunk $10 million into the development of geothermal energy. Now Google is entering the United States’ second biggest energy market: windpower. The company will front $5 million in development funds for Makani Power, a startup which promises to deliver wind energy at cheaper rates than current coal prices. Makani’s kite-based technologies, which have so far been kept under wraps, are reportedl;y ten times more efficient than turbine-produced windpower. (CleanTech)

Pics of 2009 Civic Hybrid Released; Car Has Nicer Options, but MPG Stays the Same: Honda has released images and details about its eagerly anticipated 2009 Civic Hybrid. The exterior sports some superficial styling changes, and Honda will be offering the Civic with a substantial upgraded set of convenience features and interior options. Disappointingly, next year’s Civic Hybrid does not improve on this year’s fuel economy. it’s still quite respectable — 40 MPG in the city and 45 MPG on the highway — but Honda has chosen to angle for new customers with luxury items, rather than new efficiency features. (Edmunds)

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