It was a bad year for US carmakers, corn ethanol and EPA rollbacks. But not for wind.

For the nation's most promising clean energy source, it was another record-breaking 12 months, says the American Wind Energy Association, in its take on the industry's 2008 accomplishments.

America surged past the 20,000-megawatt installed capacity milestone in the summer months. It struck the 21,000 megawatt-mark by September's end. And it closed the year with a sprint to the finish, beating out Germany to become the largest generator of wind energy in the world.

What did the boom bring?

First Solar's new 12.6 megawatt thin-film solar power plant in the Nevada desert has made it to grid parity, an analyst has claimed. If that's true, it means the company can churn out photovoltaics as cheap as coal, or in this case even cheaper.

In a research note to Greentech Media, Mark Bachman, a senior analyst with Pacific Crest and a specialist in clean energy, said that Arizona-based First Solar can produce electricity at its Nevada system for 75 cents per kilowatt-hour. That's without any subsidies. Compare that with 90 cents per kilowatt-hour for conventional power.

He said:

"In our view, the industry leaders will be those companies that can deliver electricity at or below grid parity pricing without the aid of subsidies while also delivering superior return to shareholders...Currently, only First Solar can claim these achievements..."

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American venture capitalists have predicted a major slowing of investment across all industry sectors in 2009 -- except in clean energy technology. The forecast comes from the third annual National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) Predictions Survey (pdf).

Cleantech was the only category where a majority of the 400 VCs surveyed said that investments would grow or remain unchanged amid predictions of global financial turmoil.

Despite lower investment predictions across all industry sectors, clean technology is viewed by the highest percentage of respondents as potentially growing in 2009 with 48 percent predicting increased investment and 20 percent predicting unchanged investment.

It's no surprise. Cleantech has seen record-breaking investment levels in 2008, even as the global economy continued to tank.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB), chaired by Mary Nichols, voted Thursday to adopt a blueprint plan to reduce carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, constituting a 30% reduction below projected business-as-usual levels. It is the first step in strategic implementation of California's landmark 2006 law, the Global Warming Solutions Act

The Associated Press reports: 

The plan adopted Thursday by the state Air Resources Board is the most comprehensive roadmap to date to cut the amount of heat-trapping emissions in the United States. It outlines for the first time how individuals and businesses will meet a landmark 2006 law that made California a leader on global climate change.

The case for GM Bob Lutz's resignation as part of the $15 billion US auto industry rescue is getting stronger by the day -- thanks to verbal klutz Lutz himself.

Click on play above to watch the GM Vice Chairman talking to Fox News about how Americans actually want big SUVs and trucks, and how producing small cars is bad for business. The transcript, via Think Progress:

LUTZ: Let me just get one thing straight here: You know, there’s a lot of talk about, well, General Motors doesn’t make the right kind of cars or General Motors built trucks too long. At $1.50 a gallon, the American public wants sport utilities and large pickup trucks.

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