Some of the biggest energy savings for small business operations are right in front of you, but you can’t actually see them.

Reason: They’re in the latest computer chips inside cash registers. Or if you’re past accepting cash, then the lingo is point-of-sale (POS) terminal.

Companies looking to rack up savings and credits for reducing their carbon footprint can achieve both when they’re ready to upgrade. Just make sure you compare the energy efficiencies of the products you’re considering.

These new POS systems are a whopping 40% more energy efficient than previous models, thanks to huge efficiency leaps made by semiconductor maker Intel, Inc. That translates into 40% cuts in your electricity demand.

For example, Fujitsu America is promoting its upgraded line of POS terminals, the TeamPoS 3000 XL2, which features the latest Intel chips. Fujitsu won a contract to supply shoe and hat retailer, Genesco, Inc., based in Nashville, TN, with its cost-cutting (electricity-wise that is) POS terminals in 1,000 stores.

Since the highly efficient Intel chips produce much less heat than earlier versions, new POS terminals don’t produce nearly as much heat as before, so they don’t need side ventilation. This also lets retailers set up their cash registers in tight spaces.

Genesco says it will not only save money by reducing its electric bill, but it also expects to spend less on maintenance and replacement costs.

Increasingly businesses can expect to see significant gains in energy efficiencies from various computer-based products, especially those that rely on Intel’s chips.

Reason: Intel and all manufacturers with global markets are under tremendous pressure from the European Union (EU) to reduce their direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To the EU, that means not just GHG emissions from Intel’s manufacturing facilities, but from Intel’s entire supply chain as well, from parts suppliers to those using its products.

So, due to the pressures on Intel to green its supply chain, products with Intel chips will increasingly be more and more energy efficient, and businesses that purchase those products will reap the energy savings benefits.

Editor’s note: Website hosting is another example of an industry that’s profiting from going green. Many in the industry are taking green web hosting to a new level – and reaping the benefits of a growing customer base along the way. Not only are their data centers running on wind and solar direcly, they are also focusing on efficient data center operations with the latest in high-efficiency hardware and cooling systems.

The other hot news: small trumps big.

Of the 41 new autos on display, 20 were electric vehicles (EVs), from golf carts, to one- and two-person urban vehicles to standard sedans, such as the coming GM Volt and Ford’s new all-electric Fusion.

And, in a major change of fortunes, the EVs this year were on the prime-time viewing floor — on the specially designated Electric Avenue. In years past, the EVs were relegated to the basement level of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The Korean automaker, CT&T, made trade press headlines with its $15,000 E Zone EV. It’s good for getting around town, but it’s not highway rated.

Then there’s the narrowest car ever, the electric, single-person vehicle, The Tango, made by Commuter Cars Corp. It has the look of a cartoon car that got pancaked trying to pass between two 18-wheelers on the highway.

Ford ended up winning awards from this year’s auto show. The Fusion Hybrid sedan won Car of the Year while the Ford Transit Connect van was selected as Truck of the Year.

The big American EV news: Ford introduced an all-electric version of the Fusion that will hit the sales floors later this year. Ford plans to build 12 to 15 different Fusion models off the same Ford Focus platform, including a gasoline-hybrid and a gasoline powered Fusion.

But, as the New York Times points out, despite all the hoopla over the hybrid Fusion, which should get 39 miles per gallon on a mix of highway and city driving, the car is expensive at $33,000. The gasoline-powered Fusion costs less and gets nearly the same mileage, 2 mpgs less than its hybrid brother.

We’re talking $2.3 billion dollars in federal tax credits handed out by the Department of Energy (DoE) to create green manufacturing jobs in 43 states.

DoE says the credits will generate 17,000 clean energy jobs and provide a boost to 183 renewable energy projects. The 30% tax credit approved by the energy agency is expected to pull in another $7.7 billion in private investment to help companies make:

1. solar cells, panels and arrays
2. wind turbines and microturbines
3. fuel cells for homes and businesses
4. high-tech batteries
5. electric cars
6. energy efficiency upgrades
7. smart grid technology products, and
8. pollution control equipment that captures carbon dioxide.

Some of the tax credits approved by DoE:

• AAF-McQuay, Inc., won $2.7 million to produce more efficient industrial chillers and filtering equipment in Kentucky and Virginia,
• Abound Solar, Inc., won $12.6 million to expand production in Colorado of solar panels made with cadmium telluride semiconductor technology,
• Brevini Wind USA, Inc., won $12.5 million to build a factory in Indiana that will make the gear boxes for wind turbines,
• CaliSolar, Inc. won $53.6 million to build a California facility that will make silicone used in solar cells,
• DuPont won $50 million to produce film coatings used to make solar cells,
• General Electric received more than $92 million to make Energy Star heat pumps, refrigerators, dishwashers, gas turbines, a heat-pump powered clothes dryer and a more fuel efficient airline engine. GE’s also getting credits to relamp some of its manufacturing facilities with fluorescent lighting systems,
• SolarWorld Industries America, Inc., won $82 million to make solar components and materials in Oregon, and
• United Technologies Corp., won $110 million to produce a more efficient jet engine in Connecticut.

All of the Section 48c Manufacturing Tax Credits approved by DoE must be completed by 2014. Roughly 30% of the projects will be ready in 2010.

That’s the warning clearly stated by the new head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), David Michaels.

Sworn in just this month, Michaels wasted no time in raising the specter of more safety inspections and likely fines for up-and-coming green companies.

When Michaels hears talk of “green jobs,” he translates that into “OSHA will have to inspect all these new jobsites.”

In a speech to say hello to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Michaels worried about the current rush to create a green economy. While creating green jobs is a great idea, he’s also worried that “employers who race into this green economy without paying attention to worker safety will blunder into many preventable injuries and deaths.”

Since green jobs are not inherently safer than any other type of job, Michaels warns that when he hears:

• “weatherization and renovation,” OSHA sees exposure to lead and asbestos
• “insulation,” OSHA thinks exposure to toxic materials like isocyanates
• “rooftop solar power,” OHSA sees fall hazards, and
• “wind energy,” OSHA’s worries about lockout hazards.

Take-home for green companies: Make sure you provide workers with personal protective equipment, that they wear it on the job site and that your company conducts regular safety meetings to discuss ways to avoid job-related injuries.

After all, the standard lights of old wasted about 90% of the energy producing heat, not light. The new lights generate more light than heat, so they’re better, right?

But the lack of heat generation by LED lights (light-emitting diodes) creates traffic problems during certain snow and icy storms.

Problem: Traffic lights with LED bulbs are super efficient, but they can’t generate enough heat to melt ice and snow, so motorists can’t tell whether they’re facing a red, green or yellow signal.

Result: Dozens of traffic accidents and at least one fatality have been blamed on snow-covered traffic lights, according to a report by the Associated Press. The death occurred when a driver ran a red light that he couldn’t see and plowed into a car in the intersection that had a visible green light, killing the driver who had a green light.

Police note that traffic laws require drivers to treat broken or obstructed traffic lights as stop signs.

Despite the accidents, there’s no thought of going back to the old lights. Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation told AP that the state saves about $750,000 a year in energy costs alone now that it has switched to LED lights.

Plus, there’s less maintenance. LEDs installed seven years ago are still working whereas incandescent bulbs had to be replaced every 12 to 18 months.

The LED lights are only blocked in certain snowy conditions, when this happens, maintenance crews use compressed air to clear the lights.

So, is the problem with LEDs? Are they a green menace or is it the drivers? Share your thoughts.

That’s the encouraging prediction in a report from renewable energy consultants, New Energy Finance.

The firm predicts that the cost of solar power will be 50% cheaper in 2010 than it was in 2008, while wind power projects will fall by up to 20%  — based on the lifetime cost of a kilowatt produced by these clean, renewable energy sources.

Solar projects will be much more affordable, the research firm predicts, because of the steady decline in the cost of equipment. Also driving capital investment costs down is the falling price for financing, according to a statement by New Energy chairman Michael Liebreich.

The cheapest solar technology is a thin-film system, which is expected to produce electricity as cheap as $3 per watt of installed capacity.

While the New Energy report focuses on major capital investments, other technological breakthroughs are expected next year to bring cheap solar within the reach of the average Joe business owner and homeowners.

Dow Chemical says it will introduce a new solar panel next year that will be as easy to install as everyday asphalt roofing shingles. Dow says it has developed a low-cost production technique to make solar power available by mid-2010. The company hasn’t announced pricing just yet of its Powerhouse™ Solar Shingles, but some expect the panels to be up to 40% cheaper than some rigid solar panel arrays.

While prices for wind energy technology are also falling, the report notes that the overall cost of these projects will be offset by huge construction costs as energy developers try to build offshore wind power installations.

The cost-advantages of opting for a geothermal energy project won’t match the sustained declines in costs for solar and wind technology. The problem is that geothermal drilling costs, which have fallen by up to 50% due to the recession, will rebound when worldwide demand for oil and natural gas production picks up.

The former vice president has of course long been promoting a pro-environment agenda. But he’s also making big money in the process. One of his investments, Silver Spring Networks, just received $560 million in Department of Energy grants to develop smart grid technology.

Sure it might have been helpful that the former vice president was an SSN investor, but Gore’s not shy about his 30-year record on promoting eco-friendly ideas.

As revealed in the New York Times, Gore has been investing in many things green. He’s reinvested the millions he gets from speaking fees into green companies and could be heading for the land of billionaires.

Mentioning Gore’s name to those who think global warming is a hoax typically producers loud howls of derision.

But Gore dismisses his critics. He’s proud of his business acumen. He’s picked a winner in green technology, has invested heavily in what he believes in and is making money, lots of money. He told the NYTimes that in addition to the SSN smart grid investment, he’s also investing tens of millions in:

• carbon trading markets
• solar cell technology
• waterless urinals
• biotechnology ventures
• Apple, and
• Google.

Gore donated the profits from his Academy Award winning movie, An Inconvenient Truth, to his Alliance for Climate Protection and the Climate Project.

Gore’s back in the news because he’s just released a book, Our Choice, which is printed on 100% recycled paper. Again, all profits go to his nonprofit organizations.

Thanks to smart design work and investment in advanced technology, a Massachusetts grocer has won EPA’s first ever, GreenChill platinum store award. Star Market in Newtown has cut its use of ozone-depleting refrigerants by 85% compared to the typical supermarket. The store is part of the Shaw’s Supermarket chain.

EPA’s GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Program promotes use of ozone-friendly refrigerants. Partners pledge to emit 50% less refrigerants than industry averages.

Targeted emissions include the group of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) compounds that not only destroy the ozone layer but also contribute to global warming. Many refrigerants are far more potent greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide (CO2).

Plugging refrigerant leaks and upgrading to new technology saves money and the planet. EPA says if all grocers joined the GreenChill program, the U.S. could reduce CO2 emissions by 22 million metric tons a year, cut ozone-depleting compounds by 240 tons a year and save $108 million a year.

Other grocery chains have recently been recognized for their efforts to reduce reliance on CFC refrigerants. For example, King Kullen and Wild By Nature, two grocers on Long Island, NY, recently received New Partner Awards from the GreenChill program. Like all participants, they agreed to:

• go beyond regulatory requirements to measure and track their refrigeration emissions
• set CFC use-reduction targets, and
• use only ozone-friendly alternative refrigerants in new and remodeled stores.

Some refrigeration equipment manufacturers are also part of the GreenChill program. For example, commercial refrigeration designer Hill Phoenix recently won a Distinguished Partner Award from EPA.

Having a hard time trying figure how to get a start on turning your company green? Start with little things, pocket some savings and then build on that success.

It’s a strategy helping the Chipotle Mexican Grill chain polish its eco-friendly image.

The company started its push to be a sustainable operation by using environmentally friendly materials to build its small retail outlets. The restaurant chain routinely uses:

• paints and sealants with low-solvent content (less air pollution)
• recycled drywall and stainless steel (keeping things out of landfills)
• photocell light controls that balance electric and natural light (more comfortable for workers, customers), and
• highly insulated windows that cut heating and cooling costs (saving money).

That success paved the way for the chain’s just announced plan to use solar power at 75 restaurants and get them off the electricity grid during daylight hours.

The solar panels will turn Chipotle into a power generator. It’ll produce 500 kilowatt hours of electricity from solar power. Once the panels are in place at the 75 eateries, Chipotle will be the largest direct producer of solar power in the restaurant industry.

The solar panels will be supplied by Houston-based Standard Renewable Energy at restaurants in cities with reliable sunlight, such as Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Denver.

In addition to cutting costs, the solar power will generate credits for reducing 41 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.

Chipotle has also invested in wind power. A restaurant in Gurnee, IL, features its own wind turbine. It also captures stormwater to reuse for irrigation purposes.

The restaurant chain’s founder and CEO, Steve Ells, makes the green thing happen for his chain and the eco-friendly, business savvy changes include many innovations in addition to clean, renewable power generation. His commitment to sustainability has the company leading its industry in use of:

• meat from animals raised in a sustainable manner without use of antibiotics or added hormones
• vegetarian diets for animals
• organic and locally grown produce, and
• milk, cheese and sour cream from cows that are free of the synthetic hormone rBGH.

It’s already happening.

As vehicles come in a driveway or parking lot, they drive over what looks like a speed bump or a scale. As that metal plate moves under the weight of the car, its motion moves generators that create clean electricity. Bingo, your customers hand you a green charge of juice to offset your electric bill.

That’s the brain child of a couple of inventors on both sides of the Atlantic.

In America, it’s the MotionPower strip produced by New Energy Technologies, Inc., based in Burtonsville, MD.

The device captures a moving vehicle’s kinetic energy as it slows down to a stop. Normally that energy is lost as heat generated by the vehicle’s brakes. The MotionPower is essentially a “external regenerative brake” that helps a vehicle slow down and creates the electricity for the store owner.

Regenerative braking is a key feature of hybrid electric vehicles that recharges the battery every time you step on the brake pedal.

Take the idea out of a vehicle and it’s a perfect application for a fast-food drive through, the entrance to a hotel, or perhaps a toll booth on a highway. The MotionPower device is getting tests at:

• a New Jersey Burger King
• the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC, and
• the Holiday Inn Express in Baltimore.

In the U.K., supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is working with a similar device — kinetic road plates — in its car parks. These are developed by Highway Energy Systems. Sainsbury expects to generate 30 kW per hour from the energy and weight of cars parked over the store. That’s enough to power each store’s checkout counters.

By comparison, the Burger King expects to use the customer-generated electricity to power various appliances in the eatery. The manager of the test store says he’d like to install more MotionPower strips when they’re commercially ready next year.