As the furor over the multi-billion dollar bailout of the Big Three continues to consume Washington, the rest of us may be losing sight what the collapse of the domestic auto industry would mean for the alternative energy and cleantech sectors.

It may be true that Chrysler offers hardly any fuel-efficient models and that Toyota is eating GM's lunch, while the slow-to-change Ford is only now starting to bring some of its European fuel-sippers stateside. But let's not forget that some of the most innovative and ambitious alternative energy projects -- the EV1, GM Hy-Wire, and the Chevy Volt -- were forged under the auspices of the big three U.S. automakers.

With that The Detroit News concludes that "much of the privately funded green and energy innovation in the United States will stall or likely never come to fruition if the domestic automobile industry fails." This could not only spell doom for new propulsion systems like fuel cells, hybrids, and batteries, but also hamper other related technologies developed by these same firms including solar, wind and other green inventions.

The report also points out that our national defense would also be adversely affected. Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark noted that "Detroit's automakers are developing innovative electric motors, many with permanent magnet technology with immediate military use. And only the auto industry, with its vast purchasing power, can establish a domestic advanced battery industry."

For more on how the crash of the Big Three can put green-tech at risk, read the entire article here.