Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DoE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) claim to have set a new world record in solar cell efficiency: A new photovoltaic device can convert 40.8% of the light it is exposed to into electricity – which is more than twice as much as average solar cells can achieve today.

T. Boone Pickens did not look not so green after the LA Times busted him for funding California’s Prop 10. Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal decided they too wanted to dig into the matter and revealed some interesting details.

There are countless websites that enable people around the world to jump online and calculate the negative impact in which they are affecting the environment and what they can do as an individual to reduce their footprint. Carbonrally.com is different: The site offers its users a social networking platform that combines online networking and online gaming to deliver a competition that works to benefit the environment and reduce each individual’s carbon footprint. Rather than pointing its finger and focusing on the bad things you do, the site focuses on the positives and what you could do to improve.

Imagine the possibilities of harvesting waste heat and converting it into electricity. Computer processors could be the source of power for their own cooling devices and solar cells could become dramatically more efficient by leveraging energy that is not being used today. If everything goes right, nanoantennas could even replace solar cells one day, researchers believe.

Rentech, a company that turns hydrocarbons such as coal and natural gas into alternative fuels, says it has begun producing an “ultra clean synthetic fuel”. The process is controversial, especially because coal, which is capable of emitting significant amounts of carbon dioxide when combusted, is involved.

You will have to wait for that Cherrypal cloud computing PC a bit longer. The device was originally planned to begin shipping on August 4, but has been hit with a few hiccups.

This morning Dell announced the company has achieved its goal of carbon neutrality in less than a year’s time and five months ahead of their schedule. Dell has done this by using a combination of methods ranging from energy efficiency, carbon offsets from rainforest preservation in Madagascar and voluntary green power purchases. The program was designed to help eliminate or offset 475,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.