THE TEN ESSENTIAL RENEWABLE ENERGY NEWS STORIES THIS WEEK

The BP oil disaster has captured the eyes of billions, and rightly so. However, I am choosing not to introduce this post with a news update on the latest from the tragedy -- you'll get enough while reading the top ten.

Instead, I want to quickly feature a really wicked ad campaign Lexus has started for its CT200h Hybrid -- "The Darker Side of Green." Their first ad truly makes going green seem cool and sexy. Check it out.

Now on to the business.

Here are the Top 10 Renewable Energy News Stories You May Have Missed This Week:

1. Boaters Destroy Oil Booms in Pensacola - The livelihood of Pensacola, Florida’s waterways was put in jeopardy this past weekend, as boaters anxious for a day in the sun destroyed oil booms that had been laid to prevent oil from reaching the beaches.

2. BP Oil Slick Now Threatens 60 Percent of America's Tidal Marshes - New data has been released showing that the massive BP oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is already contaminating one major protected North American Marine Ecoregion, containing more than 60-percent of America's tidal marshes, and is threatening at least two more.

3. Hooters Really Cares about the BP Disaster. Really. - The Hooters Girls want to help absorb oil in the Gulf. Seriously. Through 'Project Pantyhose' Hooters hopes to make 15 miles of boom to absorb oil pouring into the ocean.

4. Nota a Dream: Days Before Blast, BP Engineer Called Rig a 'Nightmare Well' - Internal documents from BP show the company made several cost-cutting decisions which severely jeopardized the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, and were enough for a rig engineer to refer to the project as a "nightmare well."

5. BP Agrees to Set Up $20 Billion Compensation Fund - After meeting with President Obama, the executives from BP agreed to establish a $20 billion escrow account over the next three-and-half years in order to reimburse people whose jobs and way of life have been decimated by the oil spill.

6. Cuba Now Bracing for Oil Slick Touchdown - According to an article published in The Guardian, Cuban authorities have brought in experts to begin planning how they will deal with the BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Slick that is slowly moving South East towards the island nation.

7. Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cars Coming to America - 250 all electric drive Smart cars will be rolling out in the United States in October 2010. They will be leased for just under US$600 per month.

8. Climate Bill Sponsors Bow to Big Oil - In a disastrous move on Tuesday evening, Senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman – the two sponsors of The American Power Act – bowed to big oil and voted against a provision that would have stripped $35 billion in tax breaks that the industry currently receives.

9. Should Obama Put Solar Panels on the White House? - As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico and energy legislation stalls in the Senate; yet, President Obama has an opportunity to do more than use strong words -- he can put solar panels on the White House.

10. Solar Energy: The Community Solution Using a Power Purchase Agreement - Are residential solar installations too expensive? Here's a solution: participate in a community solar energy system as an investor in a Power Purchase Agreement with a facility in your neighborhood. See what is happening in University Park, Maryland.

That's it for this week. Enjoy your weekend, and remember the quickest way to stay up to date with EnergyBoom is to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.