Australia's government will invest A$4.5 billion ($3.4 billion) in the development of infrastructure to generate energy from clean sources such as solar and wind power and to reduce carbon emissions.

The manufacturing sector in the US continues to shrink ?X but could the renewable-energy rush spur a manufacturing revival?

The president announced the establishment of a new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E. With a proposed budget of US$400 million, ARPA-E will focus on research into clean alternatives for carbon-based energy.

A growing number of states are moving to require home builders to offer solar electricity and hot-water systems in new homes, right alongside more traditional options such as fancy kitchen countertops and special window treatments.

BP on Wednesday said it would cut 620 jobs from its solar power business and that two plants in Spain and part of a plant in the US would be shut as it looks to reduce costs at its renewable energy division.

The nation's largest developer of renewable energy has planned to unveil a green power purchase program that could shake up the market by channeling all of the money into new wind and solar projects.

Seeking to boost the US clean-energy industry, President Obama on Monday announced US$1.2 billion for science research at national labs and a proposal to extend a business tax credit for investments in research and development. Obama told researchers and green-technology business people that their work was vital to revitalizing the US economy and cutting the country's dependence on foreign oil.

To Emanuel Sachs, September 11 was a reminder of the perils of an oil-dependent U.S. energy policy. The events that transpired that day were jarring enough to prompt him to restart his solar research. Nearly eight years later, he is CEO at 1366 Technologies, a company formed two years ago to commercialize the work he had done at MIT.