Sustainable Industries Daily Update

Google subsidiary Google Energy announced Tuesday that it's made its first energy purchase deal. At the end of July, Google Energy plans to start purchasing 114 megawatts of power from an Iowa wind farm owned by NextEra Energy Resources. Google says it plans to resell the power back to the regional grid and retire the associated Renewable Energy Credits.

San Jose-based thin-film maker Solexant says it's planning to build a 100-megawatt manufacturing plant in Gresham, Ore., which would initially employ 100 people. The company has applied for a $25 million loan from the state Department of Energy, and has been awarded a $18.75 million state energy tax credit.

How to efficiently and sustainably use biomass from forests is a big question. In Washington, the Department of Natural Resources this week received a $1 million federal grant to help answer it. The agency plans to use the funds to assess the availability and sustainability of the state's forest biomass.

Honda plans to sell an all-electric vehicle and a plug-in hybrid in the U.S. in 2012.