The 2010 National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Rakesh Agrawal, Purdue University, for an extraordinary record of innovations in improving the energy efficiency and reducing the cost of gas liquifaction and separation.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Honors the Country��s Top Innovators and Scientists | The White House

Yet, despite the real energy cost savings and environmental benefits associated with improving home energy efficiency, a series of barriers have prevented a self-sustaining retrofit market from forming.

WHITEHOUSE: THE WHITE HOUSE

Apart from scooping up Daihatsu to get small-car engineering and engines years ago, Toyota has concentrated solely on improving its own offering, with a relentless focus on efficiency, cost-cutting and a flood of new variations of successful models brought to market at an increasingly rapid rate.

ECONOMIST: The global car industry

It also warned that the rising cost of government energy policies, including boosting renewable energy, improving households' energy efficiency and helping the poorest customers, was likely to add even more to household bills next year.

BBC: Npower and British Gas raise energy prices

The falling prices are forcing all manufacturers to put more effort into improving their manufacturing technology and module efficiency in order to get back ahead of the rapidly declining cost curve.

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