Oil prices drop after Hurricane Gustav largely spares Gulf oil facilities; cheaper lithium ion batteries are coming; and solar garbage cans belly flop.

With little damage to oil patch, prices dip: Gulf oil and gas producers are so far reporting little damage from Hurricane Gustav, now a weakening tropical depression over northern Louisiana. It will take refiners a few days to assess their offshore facilities and transit terminals, but workers could begin returning to their posts by Wednesday. President Bush stated Monday that he’ll authorize purchases from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to make up for any supply shortfalls caused by Gustav. Oil traded sharply lower on Tuesday’s Asian markets. (Houston Chronicle)

Ener1 - Lithium ion battery prices may be cut in half: Enerr1, the supplier which recently announced a $70 million deal to power Th!nk’s latest electric cars, says they believe volume sales can significantly drive down lithium batter costs. How much? Chief Executive Charles Gassenheimer can see prices falling by up to 50 percent. With lithium battery prices at the top of costs involved in building plug-in cars, such a break would go a long way to improving plug-in affordability. Gassenheimer says that increasing European and U.S. demand should provide the sort of volume increases necessary to force lithium ion prices to a tipping point. (Autoblog Green)

Rainwater Collection Gaining Huge Mainstream Momentum: Thanks to a few years of record droughts, home rainwater collection is experiencing a huge popularity boom. Prefabricated and DIY rainwater collection tanks are becoming an increasingly familiar sight in suburban backyards. While even Businessweek agrees that private rainwater collection eases water shortages, some states and municipalities view rainfall as community property and forbid its diversion. Rainbarrels and cisterns remain an important source of water for human consumption and agriculture, particularly in developing nations. (Jetson Green)

Toyota, GM Push Electric Vehicle Test Fleets In Order to Beat the Crowd: If you want a plug-in vehicle from Toyota or GM, you’ll have to wait until 2010. That’s if you’re a consumer. Fleet owners will be getting their first electric vehicles almost a year earlier. Why the delay in getting plug-ins to the showroom? Toyota’s Irv Miller explains that fleet operations will provide a real-world testing ground before electric cars make their way to consumers. Miller says fleets sales are a quick way to see how cars perform under a variety of road and weather conditions. (Earth2Tech)

Solar Powered Trash Cans Get Mixed Reviews: You can’t fault the makers of the Big Belly garbage can for applying fresh thinking to municipal trash receptacles. The slick solar-powered waste cans have their own built-in compactors designed to reduce the number of times they need to be emptied — and the associated labor costs. The Big Belly receptacles have been undergoing tests by several major cities since 2005. But despite the cans’ intended benefits, not everyone thinks they’re a success. New York is the most recent municipality to give the Big Bellies a thumbs-down. City managers cite cost — the Big Belly retails for up to $7,000 each — and consumer confusion as the reason for taking a pass. The Big Belly is apparently being mistaken for a mailbox, making wider deployment something ofa dead letter. (Celsias)

Power failures and connectivity issues resulting from Hurricane Gustav prevented Monday’s publication of EcoTech Daily. We apologize for the inconvenience.

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