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Green news harvest: Tapping electricity in trees

Solar-painted steel could electrify buildings - Renewable Energy World
A Welsh lab is developing photovoltaic coatings for steel, which could lead to buildings with energy-generating walls.
Compact fluorescent bulbs may pollute more than incandescents - Environmental Science & Technology
Californians and others in regions where utilities offer a mix of renewable energy might do better by the environment to keep their incandescent lightbulbs rather than switch to mercury-laced CFLs, Yale researchers suggest.

Tiny sensors tap tree power to prevent fires - MSNBC
MIT researchers harnessed the electrical currents within trees to power wireless sensors that sniff out forest conditions and warn of potential wildfires. Start-up Voltree aims to outfit forests with wireless mesh networks of humidity and temperature sensors.
Mature forests absorb more carbon than thought - Environmental Research Web
Contrary to popular belief, forests older than 200 years trap significant amounts of carbon over the centuries, according to Belgian researchers.
Solar companies lead record green-tech funding - Greentech Media
The flow of venture capital to clean tech start-ups more than doubled, to $2.8 billion, in the third quarter from the second quarter of 2008.
Sharp to dominate thin-film solar market? - Earth2Tech As the electronics giant aims to capture half of the market for thin-film solar, will smaller solar start-ups shrivel in its shadow?
Wind power doesn’t knock out bird populations - New Scientist
British researchers found that wind turbines on farmland don’t threaten birds such as crows and skylarks, though pheasants appeared to be harmed. Other studies have found turbines to pose a danger to raptors.