By Benjamin Jones

Recently, as excitement for alternative vehicles like electrics has grown, so has criticism saying that electric vehicles won’t be any better because they just shift the burden of pollution from the car to the power plant.
What’s worse, some say, is that this shift could overburden an already ailing power system and cause more coal plants to be built.
But the above graph put together by Technology Review (registration required) shows that just comparing plug-ins with each other using different power sources, in almost every case, the result is better than standard hybrids, and all cases are better than conventional gasoline-burning engines.
Similarly, an Oak Ridge National Laboratory study shows that even if newer plug-ins will require energy from the grid, they will most likely be charging at night, when there is little demand for electricity. The extra use from plug-ins might actually be helpful to spread out peaks and dips in production and usage.
The most important thing to remember, however, is that because plug-ins do shift the burden from each individual car to the power grid, the overall system becomes easier to regulate and easier to influence as more sustainable power-generation technologies become available.
Every time a new wind generator goes up and a coal plant goes offline, your plug-in will become just that much cleaner. On the other hand, gasoline engines will just grow more inefficient and polluting with time.
You do not appear to have Yahoo! Messenger installed. Click here to download and install it.
A strong economy would help the clean tech revolution get a foothold. And a weak economy will hurt it.
Hummers do not beat Priuses in eco-friendliness over their lifetime, and other urban legends debunked.
If all the roofs in the world were white, according to a new study, the effects of global warming would be significantly reduced.
Old pantyhose can become everything from a bungee cord to a scrubber to a paint filter.
Next time you're weighing your options, consult GoodGuide, a source for free, scientist-verified data on more than 60,000 products.
Use this interactive map to find people giving away free stuff, or who will take yours off your hands.