A Balanced Look at Technologies with the Potential to Power America

By Congressman Jerry McNerney Ph.D. and Martin Cheek,

Authors of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels
Which sustainable energy sources hold the most promise to free America from the tyranny of fossil fuels? In their new book, CLEAN ENERGY NATION Congressman Jerry McNerney, a renewable energy expert, and technology writer Martin Cheek assess the positive and negative aspects of various alternatives. Here’s an overview:

SUN POWER
The sunshine striking the surface of our planet annually provides more than 10,000 times the amount of energy that all of humanity can use in a year. Harvesting only a fraction of the sun’s power would easily end our dependence on fossil fuels. Currently, solar-produced electricity makes up less than 1 percent of the world’s production of power.

Exciting innovations: * A thermal technology that collects sunshine, through the strategic arrangement of hundred of flat mirrors, and re-directs it to a central receiver linked to a large solar power plant. * Commonplace applications of a technology originally developed for space exploration satellites: photovoltaic cells that absorb direct sunlight to generate electricity.

Drawbacks: The power of the sun depends on the seasonal climate and weather of a location. There’s also the obvious fact that sun power can be produced only during daylight hours. Although sunshine is free, solar energy is not yet cost competitive with fossil-fuel energy.

Outlook: To maximize the potential of sun power, scientists must develop more efficient and cost-effective energy storage systems and ways to transport power in a specific region.

WIND POWER
About 2 percent of the sun’s energy received by our planet is converted into air motion. Today, the U.S. gets a little over 1 percent of its electric power supplied by wind energy.

Exciting innovations: * State-of-the-art windmills, featuring aerodynamic turbine blades inspired by modern airplane design.

Drawbacks: Aside from the inconsistent delivery of wind, ideal wind farm sites are often far from urban areas where demand is greater, thus requiring substantial money to construct transmission lines and substations to bring the wind-generated electricity to customers. Power harvested from the wind must also overcome common misperceptions: wind turbines are noisy (not modern models) and wind turbines massacre birds that get caught in the path of the spinning blades (more birds are killed by farming pesticides and free-roaming house cats).

Outlook: As turbine technology improves and mass production reaches a critical cost-effective level, wind as an energy resource will continue to see major growth opportunities.

WATER POWER
Nearly three-quarters of our globe is covered by this versatile liquid substance. About 24 percent of the world’s electric power is currently produced by hydropower, the force of water. In America, hydropower makes up 12 percent of the generated electricity.

Drawbacks: The massive dam structures necessary to hold back water are expensive and time-consuming to build. They also require continuous maintenance to make sure they are safe from a calamitous failure that could kill people living downstream. What’s more, dams have a severe impact on the environment, often disrupting the local plant and animal ecology.

Exciting innovations: *An invention for an ocean-powered energy source applying the gravitational energy from the rise and fall of the tides. * A novel technology called ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), working on the principle that the sea collects most of the sun’s energy that shines on it.

Outlook: Innovative approaches to harvesting ocean energy are still in their pioneering stages. With enough research and development, however, they might provide an important energy resource during the coming decades.

LIFE POWER
Consider a battery that collects energy from the sun and stores it in a system that creates no pollution, costs zero dollars to build, and recharges itself. This “battery” is green vegetation, the source of all biofuels, which power human beings. Americans are increasingly looking at the biofuels ethanol (an alcohol made from crops such as sugarcane and corn) and biodiesel (a vegetable oil made from crops including canola and soybeans) to power vehicles.

Exciting innovations: * Finding energy gold in America’s garbage: landfill sites featuring a buried web of perforated pipes that collect the methane released from decomposed vegetable matter and carry it to a power station, where it is burned to generate electricity.

Drawbacks: Many farmers are not yet using cost-effective techniques to grow biofuel crops. Money for water, fertilizer, and diesel fuel for harvesting equipment adds to the price of production and makes biofuels — especially corn-based ethanol — less competitive than fossil fuels. Also, critics warn that using fertile land to grow biofuel crops will lead to food shortages and raise prices at the supermarket.

Outlook: Overall, much more research and development needs to be done to implement the large-scale production of biofuels for our nation’s transportation needs. Yet, in the next few decades, life power will almost certainly help America gain its energy independence from fossil fuels while strengthening our nation’s agricultural economy.

NUCLEAR POWER
Uranium, the element at the foundation of nuclear power, can be found extensively throughout the planet. It is 500 times more plentiful than gold. A modern nuclear plant produces about 1,000 megawatts of power to supply electricity to 400,000 homes. The U.S. has 104 operating reactors, more than any other country, and they produce about 20 percent of our nation’s electricity.

Drawbacks: Nuclear energy is expensive to produce commercially. Nuclear reactors typically cost between $2.5 and $3 billion to construct. Then, there’s the public worry over radiation leaks and the dilemma of how to dispose of radioactive waste without hazard to public safety or the environment. Another problem has to do with the threats to national security we face in the post-9/11 world. A nuclear power plant could be an attractive target for a terrorist strike.

Exciting innovations: * A special type of nuclear energy plant called a fusion reactor, which would generate power by fusing the nuclei of hydrogen atoms. If researchers can find a way to do this, safely and economically, we would have access to massive reservoirs of energy.

Future outlook: Although it holds tremendous promise for humankind, fusion power appears to be decades away. In the meantime, policymakers will continue to weigh the benefits of nuclear power against the costs and the dangers.

EARTH ENERGY
Natural hot springs, geysers, and erupting volcanoes give evidence to the tremendous energy supply kept deep within the Earth. Today, the world annually produces about 8,000 megawatts of electrical power from geothermal energy, out of which the U.S. taps 2,800 megawatts.

Exciting innovations: * Geothermal power stations. Usually small, these plants produce low cost steam energy without any toll on the natural world.

Drawbacks: Power plants can be built only in specific regions of our planet where molten rock is near enough to the surface to heat water. What’s more, these stations might trigger seismic activity along earthquake fault lines.

Outlook: With technological advances in geothermal systems, Americans might one day soon safely and economically tap into the energy of the tremendous heat in the heart of our planet.

HYDROGEN
The most abundant element, hydrogen makes up about 75 percent of the universe’s elemental mass. In a gaseous state, hydrogen can be combusted to run turbines to generate electricity.

Exciting innovations: * Technologies using the simplest life forms — algae and anaerobic bacteria — to split water molecules, thus releasing the hydrogen atoms from the oxygen, and to release the hydrogen contained in carbohydrates in the waste at food-manufacturing plants.

Drawbacks: A great deal of money will be needed to construct hydrogen-production plants and also to equip the world’s vehicles with fuel cells or hydrogen-burning engines. Another challenge is public concern about hydrogen’s potential volatility — fueled by horrific newsreel images of the hydrogen-filled passenger airship Hindenburg bursting into a fireball. However, hydrogen is significantly less flammable than either gasoline or natural gas.

Outlook: Despite its many benefits as natural, plentiful, nonpolluting energy medium, hydrogen has to overcome daunting financial hurdles in order to compete with fossil fuels.

Adapted with permission from CLEAN ENERGY NATION: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels by Congressman Jerry McNerney, Ph.D., and Martin Cheek (AMACOM; August 2011; $27.95; ISBN: 978-0-8144-1372-2).

Author Bios
Congressman Jerry McNerney, Ph.D., co-author of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels, was elected to California’s 11th congressional district in November 2006. Reelected in 2008 and 2010, he is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology; the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment; and the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. Prior to his time in Congress, he served as an energy consultant for Pacific Gas and Electric, FlowWind, and the Electric Power Research Institute. He lives in Pleasanton, California.

Martin Cheek, co-author of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels, has been a journalist for more than two decades specializing articles on the latest developments in science and the high-tech industry. He lives in Morgan Hill, California.

For more information please visit http://cleanenergynationbook.com/

Guest posting today from one of our friends in alternative energy. This is kind of fun out of the box stuff today. So we had humor on Friday and Monday we have fresh look at some other ideas. Maybe a trend? Give me a shout if you want more of this type of thing on Mondays.

We have known, for quite some time, that the fossil fuels we use today are a finite source of energy; we only seem to disagree on when those sources will run dry. Alternative sources have been around for quite some time, including electric power and solar power, but none has yet supplanted dead dinosaurs. Presented here are some other fuels,some strange, some downright weird.

1. Trick-or-Treat – University students in England tested a Formula racing car that ran on fuel made in part from waste chocolate from a Cadbury plant. No word on whether-or-not the car was eaten after testing was completed.

2. Gobble Gobble – For turkey-lovers (Ben Franklin suggested, tongue-only-partly-in-cheek, that the turkey would make a more noble national bird than the eagle), the idea of putting a Tom into the gas tank might seem anathema, but viable fuel can be made from virtually all parts of the bird.

3. Starbucks In the Tank – Coffee grounds, which contain a lot of oils, make a bio-fuel that is relatively cheap and clean to produce, comes from an abundant source, and, of course, makes the morning commute a much more aromatic experience.

4. Paper or Plastic? – Both paper and plastic can be made into fuel, and each comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, though the future may show us many new ways to recycle waste products in a green manner.

5. Blow Me Down – Wind turbines have been mounted on vehicles, and they have been used to charge batteries that then power the vehicle. This system works best for those who live in tunnel-free expanses of windy salt-flats.

6. Mulch for the Minivan – Not as strange as it sounds, wood chips and sawdust are prime ingredients of what are called “bio-mass” fuels, which are foreseen by some as the most likely replacements for petroleum-based fuels.

7. Styrofoam – With as many styrofoam cups as we see littering our highways, it would be a nice thing to see if economically feasible methods of converting those cups into useful fuels can be developed.

8. Dung Beetles? – Methane gas, available in all your friendly neighborhood cow-patties, can be rendered into fuels that can run an automobile.

9. Beans, Beans, They’re Good for Your Car – Beans, soybeans in particular, are used to make bio-fuels, and are among the few sources that show real universal promise.

10. Lend Me Your Ears – Ears of corn, that is; ethanol is a fuel already in wide use around the globe, and can be made from crops such as corn, potatoes,sugar cane and the ever-popular manioc (known more commonly as “cassava”, one of the most-eaten sources of carbohydrates on the planet). Henry Ford was using ethanol in his Model T’s as early as 1908.

You won’t be able to run your car on tap water any time soon, but hydrogen (the “H” in H2O) is seen as a leading candidate to replace world dependency on fossil fuels. Stay tuned.

Do you have any other thoughts or ideas that would compliment this list? Comment below if you do!

Source

Engineer Explains Why We Need to Explore Alternatives NOW

Time is running out on cheap petroleum fuels. Recent research states that we have little more than 40 years of steadily decreasing supplies of that type of energy while concurrently its price grows prohibitively high. Then it’s no more cheap oil. Then what?

That’s the question being asked and answered – by Howard Johnson, an engineer and author of the book Energy, Convenient Solutions: How Americans Can Solve the Energy Crisis in Just Ten Years (www.senesisword.com).

“We are running out of oil, period,” Johnson said. “That being said, it’s time to get down to the business of seriously developing alternatives. It is paramount that we develop realistic solutions to the energy crisis from among the multitude of products and systems that are in use, under development, or even latent ideas in the minds of America’s creative genius. We must collect and examine descriptions of fuels and energy systems — past, present, and future — and the many possible and practical ways to replace fossil fuels with renewable fuels or energy systems.”

According to Johnson, new combinations of old and emerging technologies promise amazing new ways to generate, distribute, and use energy of many kinds. The large variety of proven technologies and systems is astounding. There is no single right answer. The astonishing thing is the variety. In the long run, some will flourish while others will fall by the wayside.”

He thinks the U.S. should select new energy solutions based on some or all of the following criteria:

· be comparatively inexpensive to use.
· be developed using environmentally sound, sensitive principles.
· be far easier, simpler and less expensive to implement than systems like the hydrogen fuel cell system.
· be aaptable to our existing infrastructure with minor changes.
· use raw materials we already have or that can be developed here, locally.
· be applicable to existing vehicles with upgrades or conversions.
· be useable with existing IC (Internal Combustion) engines of all types.
· be developed using existing, evolving technology able to be essentially complete within ten years.
· create a system that is a net zero contributor of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
· use evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary changes — a good start to becoming constantly improvable, adaptable systems that drive numerous growing and improving technologies.
· be developed by America-based industry with the many resulting substantial benefits to our nation—social, political, and economic.

“It matters not to a driver what powers his vehicle when he presses down on the accelerator pedal.” Johnson added. “Any power system that provides adequate mobile power economically when that pedal is pressed will satisfy his needs. All of the new systems could replace fossil fuels as the prime energy source for our nation and even the world. We need to develop an entirely new and more efficient means of generating, transporting, storing and using energy that will generate profitable domestic business, good jobs and stop the hemorrhaging of billions of American dollars to nations that hate us.”

Well we can all use a laugh, and why not laugh about our favorite subject? Alternative Energy stand up comedy? What the heck….

Get a laugh out of this routine about where to put 200 square miles of solar panels. What is your vote? Comment below.

Give us your thoughts on where you want to see 200 square miles of solar panels built to save the world…

NEW FORECAST WARNS OIL WILL RUN DRY BEFORE SUBSTITUTES ROLL OUT

At the current pace of research and development, global oil will run out 90 years before replacement technologies are ready, says a new University of California, Davis, study based on stock market expectations.

The forecast was published online Monday (Nov. in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. It is based on the theory that long-term investors are good predictors of whether and when new energy technologies will become commonplace.

“Our results suggest it will take a long time before renewable replacement fuels can be self-sustaining, at least from a market perspective,” said study author Debbie Niemeier, a UC Davis professor of civil and environmental engineering.

Niemeier and co-author Nataliya Malyshkina, a UC Davis postdoctoral researcher, set out to create a new tool that would help policymakers set realistic targets for environmental sustainability and evaluate the progress made toward those goals.

Two key elements of the new theory are market capitalizations (based on stock share prices) and dividends of publicly owned oil companies and alternative-energy companies. Other analysts have previously used similar equations to predict events in finance, politics and sports.

“Sophisticated investors tend to put considerable effort into collecting, processing and understanding information relevant to the future cash flows paid by securities,” said Malyshkina. “As a result, market forecasts of future events, representing consensus predictions of a large number of investors, tend to be relatively accurate.”

Niemeier said the new study’s findings are a warning that current renewable-fuel targets are not ambitious enough to prevent harm to society, economic development and natural ecosystems.

“We need stronger policy impetus to push the development of these alternative replacement technologies along,” she said.

Full Study

With more and more attention being drawn to the negative effects of global warming, renewable and alternative energy systems have become the topic for numerous discussions and debates. This is seen as a good measure by most people but the question is involving whether or not the topic of alternative energy systems is a mere fad that may be stylish nowadays but ignored by tomorrow.

the system are built with the objective of making environment favorable energy systems and making the energy production cost effective. Keeping these aims in mind would be essential and the ground for alternative energy systems not gaining much popularity earlier on could have been due to the fact that most of these systems lean to be quite expensive.

The use of carbon fuels has resulted in raised carbon dioxide discharges which have made some problems related to environmental pollution. As we all know, fossil fuels are not sustainable. Over time, though it may take 1000s of years, these resources would be exhausted due to the high demand for them. It seems that time has come to say bye-bye to crude oil fuels and coal. Alternative energy systems are the need of the hour.

The primary problem is that there is so much mix-up involving alternative energy systems. Some might be surprised to know that there does not appear to be a single accepted definition for the word and this has created a situation where most people don t actually know what sorts of energy could actually be sorted as alternative energy systems. For example at times nuclear energy is sorted under alternative energy but some consider this to be inappropriate.

Wind, solar and hydro power are some of the most common sorts of alternative energy. Due to the enthusiasm towards alternative energy systems, there have been a few introductions to the list of alternative energy systems and people now have more choice when choosing an appropriate one. Architects and engineers now take use of these systems to design more environmentally favorable buildings and this could be seen as an serious measure in incorporating alternative energy systems in everyday life.

The first cost of investing in such systems tend to be quite high but it should be kept in mind that long term gains that would come about due to investment in alternative energy systems should also be taken into account. A greener future is what requires for the sustainable future of the earth.

There are hundreds of firms now that deals with alternative energy systems and it seems that they are involved in a lucrative business with unlimited potential.

What a great day it was last week when the crew from Solar City called me to come check out the completed installation of our solar power system on our home. The First Solar panels had all gone in, the electrical had all been run, the inverter installed, and everything tested out.

Now it was time to turn on the system and show the homeowner (me) that it was working fine. Mark from Solar City showed me the inverter control panel and pointed out how the system was producing power ( although not a lot because it was late in the day on a late fall day) but never the less it was making power from the sun. He then showed me the electric meter on my house and you could clearly see that even though the system was not putting out full capacity yet it was slowing down the meter measuring our house electrical consumption.

He caught me with a wide smile on my face I have to admit.

Please watch the video below to get the details of the system as well as hear a bit about how installing these systems makes guys like Mark feel about their job.

It is pretty cool that these green jobs can be created by solar and other alternative energy options, that give the workers a feeling of doing right in addition to making them a living. We have not done a lot of that kind of job creation in this country for awhile and this sort of thign should be encouraged and celebrated as much as possible.

One form of alternative energy you can use in cooling your home is geothermal energy. This might sound surprising, but you can use the energy found in your own backyard by utilizing geothermal heat pumps. You can save up to 70% on cooling bills.

The bad news is that professionally installed geothermal systems are too expensive. The good news is that there are ways in which you can harness geothermal energy, to partially cool your house, without shelling out a fortune for it.

You might already be utilizing geothermal energy without realizing it. Northern state homeowners often use this renewable energy without their direct knowledge.

This article will teach you how to maximize the cool air that’s stored within your basement.

You need to have a basement, or at least some crawl space beneath your house, for this cooling method to work. You must be able to access the space from within the confines of your home. If the space has a small window or vent, this will help with the air flow. You’ll also need a small portable fan for this one.

The principle of geothermal cooling works this way. During hot summer days, the basement is cooler than most parts of the house. The basement’s exterior walls are controlled by the constant heat trapped a few feet underground, right next to the house’s foundation. The temperature penetrates the basement walls and cools the air trapped inside. You must then distribute the cool from this musty and damp air, throughout the rest of home.

The most efficient way of doing so is to cover your windows with shades or curtains during sunrise, to minimize the natural heating by the sun. During nighttime when the outside temperature falls below 75 degrees, open your upstairs windows while leaving your fan on, to suck in the cool air.

But, once the temperature get higher than 75 degrees, you can turn on your geothermal cooling system by opening one of the windows in the basement. You don’t need to fully open it. A small opening is enough just to let some air through. Be sure to close all other windows in your house except for one. That way, air flows through the open windows. The open window should be the highest one in your house. This will vent out the most hot air.

Your small fan should be turned on and pointed toward the window. This should make the air from the basement move up to the open window, and let the hot air go out. It usually takes between thirty minutes to one hour to circulate the cool air from the basement to the rest of the house.

This method of utilizing geothermal energy might seem to involve lots of work, but your family will benefit from it in the long run. You’ll see your dependency on your air conditioner decrease, resulting in lower energy bills.

————————

There are more ways to cool your homes without the need of plugging into the grid. For information on where to find complete and step-by-step instructions on how to install DIY Wind and Solar Power systems, along with pictures, videos, and diagrams, please visit Bestselling DIY Wind and Solar Power Guides.

For a very long time, scientists have always looked into using solar energy as an alternative way of harnessing energy to meet human needs. Further researches have now given us various machines that function on this type of alternative energy. Today we have prototypes of solar powered cars, solar heated homes and even solar powered heaters. Some of these remarkable machines have now been widely disseminated and are now available for use in many green homes in areas of the world.

In order for our homes to have heated water, running turbines and set to our desired temperature, we need first to harness the energy that the sun exudes. The use of solar panels is one means of collecting solar power.
The sun’s thermal energy is picked up by these shiny black panels providing electricity to any connected appliances that operate on solar power.

A certain appliance can only operate on solar power depending on the power of each grid on a solar panel. These grids are called photovoltaic cells or photovoltaic modules. They are set on the solar panel in a way that they could make the most of the collection of sunlight and then use the acquired energy efficiently. These photovoltaic arrays are now widely produced because of the large demand for it, hence the costs of producing them have greatly reduced.

Semiconductors allow photovoltaic cells to use the heat of the sun and turn it into electricity. Commonly these cells can be seen in certain large facilities, emergency telephones and even in your solar-powered calculators. Now it is becoming increasingly possible to insulate your home and heat your water with the use of this technology, because of the lower cost of creating and maintaining solar panels. Do-it-yourself solar power kits are also available now that can help you generate solar power at home and greatly ease your dependence on commercial power at a much lower cost.

Although the production of solar panels and the use of solar energy itself have reduced in price, it is still relatively costly compared to the use of most conventional energy. So if you are thinking of using solar energy to heat your water and insulate your home, also think about the following tips and reminders.

-Doing a complete study on the solar panels different providers have to offer can be very helpful. This way you can end up with the best solar panel and heating package that suits your energy needs at home and the amount you are willing to spend. What you must look for is the package that lets you heat water, insulate your home and power important electrical apparatus.

-Solar hot water systems can heat different sources of water in your home. You can get it to produce hot water straight from your faucet, and even heat the water in your swimming pool. This is also one of the things you should take note of when inquiring for any heating package.

More on Home Solar Power Systems – Read This First

Is a Solar Energy Home for You?

Have you ever considered the benefits of a solar energy home?

Will your grandchildren will have the energy they need to maintain our current standard of living?

Do you just want to reduce your dependence on non-renewable resources like foreign oil?

Benefits of Solar Energy

Solar energy homes provide their owners benefits others don’t enjoy. A lower energy bill is the main benefit. In order to save the most money, you should keep price in mind on every decision you make if you are using solar energy in your home in order to save money. Compare the price to the expected savings to determine if something is a good investment. If you are doing it to save the environment, you may not care about price as much, but most people want to save money.

A few of the solar energy items discussed are listed belowHere are a few of the things you will learn about:

• energy conservation
• solar water heating
• green energy plans
• solar panels
• solar tubes
• solar lighting

One relatively inexpensive way to bring solar energy into your home is to use solar tubes to light rooms without windows. Basically, what you do is install a reflective tube with a clear cover on your roof to let light in. You can also go with a skylight, but they are much more expensive and don’t work if you have a standard ceiling that is several feet below your roof.

Solar water heaters are very popular when building a solar energy home. They are more expensive than a traditional water heater, but can substantially reduce the cost of heating your water. You can usually upgrade your existing water heater, but it is cheaper if it is installed when your solar energy home is being built.

Solar lights are another easy and inexpensive way to use solar energy. These are typically used outside as accent lights. They harness the suns energy during the day to power the light after the sun goes down. They are very handy and you don’t have to worry about running wires underground to your lights.

Solar panels that generate electricity are the thing that most people associate with solar energy. Usually, you see these panels on the roof of a house. They harness the suns energy and create electricity that is stored in batteries for later use. It is possible to sell electricity to the power company if your home is extremely efficient. I wouldn’t recommend planning to sell electricity though, just focus on trying to get enough electricity to power your house and save a bunch of money on electricity.

There are tons more items, gadgets, and appliances that harness the suns power and help break the dependence on fossil fuels and non-renewable resources. These are a few of the most popular. Put everything together and you can have your own solar energy home!

More on Build Your Own Solar Energy Residence To Save Money And The Environment

Joe Ratzkin asked:

With more and more vehicles roaming and zooming through the streets and roads, it is not very likely that one day we will find ourselves waking up to a foggy environment. Smog would surely fill the air and children would no longer remember what it was like to live in a place where the breeze was fresh and air was very clean.

This has been one of the great concerns of the auto industry. Despite being the culprit behind creating vehicles that would bring about dirt and smoke to the environment, auto manufacturers are now concerned about the welfare of the environment as well as of the people. That is most certainly they have created the Zero Air Pollution which they believe would be one of the best ways to reduce pollution.

Now ZAP, the world leader when it comes to electric cars, have set out to Europe to bring about the good news that would surely reduce the number of smoke belching machines on the streets. Steven Schneider, ZAP’s chief executive officer also came with the batch of vehicles to Europe so as to be able to further discuss the benefits of having electric cars. Though electric cars may not have easy to find replacement parts like Ford parts, these cars do provide a lot of benefit to both man and environment.

“With large car and gas dependent automakers closing plants, gas prices soaring and growing public awareness of the need to switch to alternative energy, ZAP’s global market position is stronger than ever. We hope to forge partnerships with some of the automotive industry’s most respected companies,” says Schneider.

More on Popular Electric Cars Drive to Europe

• Light Pollution: Energy Wasted by Public Lighting | Five Percent … – Is such lighting the biggest source of energy use, or even energy waste? No. … 4 Comments ». You can learn more about light pollution and its insidious …

• Solar energy direct from satellites – The green machine moves in mysterious ways these days, wind power, wave power and now solar power, of course there is nothing new about solar power, we all know that it does not work, if you want to power a calculator then that is fine, …

• Energy Policy Trends, 30 Years in the Making « Earth2Tech – No matter where you go or who you talk to nowadays, the conversation always seems to circle back to the environment, carbon footprints and greenhouse gases. The emergence of this topic feels sudden, and perhaps fleeting, as though it was spurred by a former Vice President’s Oscar run and will fade with the walk offstage. The journey, however, has been a long one, and the conversation is unlikely to change anytime soon.

• Comment on Google Plans to Produce a Gigawatt of Clean Energy … – If coal burners had to pay for the carbon that they pumped into the atmosphere, then renewables would already be cheaper. This is a major flaw in our system. Dumping waste into the commons is basically subsidized by the people instead …

Whether you are concerned about global warming, or whether you are concerned about the national security implications of our dependence on imported oil, getting our civilization un-hooked from its addiction to fossil fuels is an issue that everyone should be able to agree on. And it should also be clear to anyone who is awake that waiting around for government to figure that out and do something about it is not the way to get anything done.

The biggest alternative energy ideas will require vast concentrations of capital to bring to reality. Hydrogen fuel cell cars, plug-in electric hybrids, wind farms, cellulosic ethanol plants, thousand-acre photovoltaic farms, and wave energy projects all require research and development expertise and capital sources that are far beyond the reach of the average citizen.