Because of Lake Ontario, we’re in a high potential area.

The idea that we should cut federal taxes on gas for the summer is an appallingly cynical, politically motivated panacea only two candidates for President could cook up. Do they really think Americans won’t recognize this for what it is: A cheesy handout to warm up voters?

Read Tom Friedman on this:

“The McCain-Clinton gas holiday proposal is a perfect example of what energy expert Peter Schwartz of Global Business Network describes as the true American energy policy today: “Maximize demand, minimize supply and buy the rest from the people who hate us the most.”

Few Americans know it, but for almost a year now, Congress has been bickering over whether and how to renew the investment tax credit to stimulate investment in solar energy and the production tax credit to encourage investment in wind energy. The bickering has been so poisonous that when Congress passed the 2007 energy bill last December, it failed to extend any stimulus for wind and solar energy production. Oil and gas kept all their credits, but those for wind and solar have been left to expire this December. I am not making this up. At a time when we should be throwing everything into clean power innovation, we are squabbling over pennies.”

EL is the technology used in those glow in the dark wristwatches from the seventies. Now, in an efficiency breakthrough, they are much brighter and very low in power consumption. Australian company Lumiflux is entering the sign business where savings from not having to light reflective street signs could be huge.

Techno-breakthroughs march on!

Business Week reports that the X-Prize people are planning to offer $100mm in prizes to alternative energy inventors and entrepreneurs. If only they would exclude ethanol…