Alternative Energy News - October 17, 2006

• Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced $25 million in new grants to construct five biodiesel and ethanol plants in Illinois. Blagojevich may have his problems, but he's been incredibly pro-environment.
• Google Inc. announced Monday that it will mount solar panels on the rooftops and parking lots of its Mountain View headquarters, in what could be the largest such installation in the United States. The panels will generate 1.6 megawatts of electricity when finished in the spring, enough to light 1,200 homes.