Are we done mourning the death of Solyndra yet? Because, according to solar executives, it's just going to be the first victim in a Highlander-style fight among solar companies to prove who is best. One Chinese exec predicts that two-thirds of solar companies could disappear by 2015. Part of the story here is that certain companies in the industry are seriously winning the future. Just six manufacturers dominated panel sales in this year's second quarter, accounting for 55 percent of the market, according to Bloomberg. This isn't a problem for the industry as a whole, or for consumers -- only …

NPR and iWatch News* have a monster report out about the ways the Environmental Protection Agency and state regulators have failed to crack down on air polluters. Here's the takeaway point: While some business and political leaders, including President Obama, increasingly warn of the impacts of overregulation on the foundering economy, many ordinary Americans face health risks from hazards that could have been limited through better policing. The report documents how the EPA and state regulators recognize pollution problems and identify "high priority violators" but do not crack down quickly enough to keep communities safe and free of health problems. …

Australia is going to have a carbon tax: The prime minister's plan just passed the country's senate. Not only do cars kill, so do commutes. A man in England dumped more than 1 million tires across the country. Heavy metals have contaminated 10 percent of farmland in China. Shorter Rick Perry: The government should stop picking energy winners and losers, unless the winners are oil and gas companies.

The United States has so many viable spots for producing geothermal energy -- i.e. tapping into the heat of the Earth’s core to generate power -- that the country's geothermal potential is equivalent to "10 times the amount of coal capacity in place today," according to Climate Progress. Southern Methodist University developed this geothermal map in partnership with Google. The western half of the country has the greatest potential for geothermal development, but there are hot spots elsewhere -- check out that orange spot in the Northeast. That's in coal country and provides a way to keep jobs while shutting …

First it came for the wine and bacon. Then it came for the coffee and chocolate. Now, climate change (or, to be specific, the drought in Texas that's consistent with weather patterns that climate scientists have predicted) is threatening to take away pecan pie and RUIN THANKSGIVING. According to the Southwest Farm Press, early reports say that Texas could produce 40 percent fewer pecans this year, compared to last. Nuts are expensive already, and the shortage will mean that pecans will be more expensive this year -- $10 to $12 a pound for in-shell pecans, likely higher for the shelled …

An estimated 10,000 Keystone XL protesters circled the White House this weekend, as the White House edged towards a decision on the pipeline. The ring of protesters was stacked five people deep. Green groups are threatening the Obama administration with political repercussions if the pipeline goes forward. If environmentalists withhold their support, it could have a serious effect on Obama’s reelection chances. In international relations, the Queen of England's birthday takes precedence over dealing with climate change. In the EPA's pollution program, even plants that are "high priority violators" of the Clean Air Act can end up ignored for more …

Climate leaders like Bill McKibben have visited Occupy Wall Street and put out the message that the movement should oppose the Keystone XL pipeline. But proponents of Keystone XL are also trying to use OWS to press their case. David Dayen caught this bit of politicking on a website called Jobs for the 99%: Hollywood’s elite 1% should stop flying to DC and speaking out against jobs that help the other 99% of America!  But you CAN make your voice heard.  Tell the White House to support Keystone XL. Right … Hollywood. The group behind the website is the Building …

In 2010, greenhouse-gas emissions increased more than they ever had before in one year. Blame the tepid economic recovery. The EPA's going to release initial results from its fracking investigation next year, but the final report won't come out until 2014. Dig into the dysfunction of the Keystone XL approval process and the fighting between EPA, the White House, and the State Department. Obama wants to cut tariffs on green goods. World's! Most! Efficient! Solar Cell! (It converts 36.9 percent of solar energy into power.) Where are the green jobs and clean energy projects? This interactive map knows.

The financial turmoil of the past few years has made venture capital financing hard to come by, but clean technology is still raking it in. In this past quarter, cleantech companies raised more than $1.1 billion, according to Ernst & Young. That's a huge jump -- 73 percent -- from last year. Most of the money's going to big projects, like energy storage and energy production. As the government continues to freak out about its own involvement with innovative cleantech companies, it's a good sign that the private sector still has enough faith in renewable energy to put money into …

Natural gas fracking caused an earthquake in England. And a spate of quakes in Oklahoma. And while the idea that fracking for natural gas causes earthquakes has been floating around, these quakes offer stronger proof that fracking seriously messes with the environment. And while these quakes, peaking in intensity around the high 2s on the Richter scale, haven't caused notable damage, Climate Progress' Joe Romm makes a good point: Would we tolerate this sort of impact from any other sort of industry? Would we tolerate it from a renewable energy industry? The answer there is no: Quake concerns are squelching …