Cleantech news you might have missed: 23 Feb. 2009

Need to catch up on the latest cleantech news now that the work week’s back in full swing? Following are some stories you might have missed:

• Tokyo Electric says it will build a 1-megawatt solar plant somewhere in California, with a site yet to be selected. The facility would begin operations by 2010;
• A team of researchers at the Ikerlan-IK4 technological centre say they’ve created a lab-scale photoelectric panel that could improve the integratability and availability of today’s solar panels. By using a silicon-free, organic polymer, the team says, manufacturers could create solar panels in many colours on almost any kind of surface, rigid or flexible;
• The UK government has announced plans to auction four million carbon allowances on Tuesday, 24 March. It expects to auction a total of 25 million during all of 2009;
• Inkjet systems manufacturer imaging Technology international (iTi) Corporation says it’s going solar: its new division, iTi Solar, aims to develop inkjet systems that can be used to produce solar cells more cheaply and efficiently;
• A group of IT companies has developed a proposed LEED standard especially for data centres, and is asking the US Green Building Council to adopt the new certification, Energy Efficiency News reports.