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Clean energy is no longer in the background of the wide angle shot that is the energy industry. Since moving up into the foreground, becoming more visible to the public, legislators, and industry leaders both mature and emerging, awareness of clean energy’s versatility has come to light. One of the great things about clean energy is the multiple opportunities it provides. Popular options include solar, wind, and hydropower. It is important to have these alternatives because each plugs into different natural resources.

Many clean energy alternatives depend on scale, scope and geological specifics to properly serve as substantial energy sources. Across this great nation of ours we have a vast amount of variation in these resources. The Alaska panhandle, for example, would be great for off shore wind turbines, but it would be considered foolish to put a solar panel on the North Slope, there is just not enough sun year round for it to be considered economical. Arizona and California would be excellent producers of solar energy due to their obvious weather characteristics. 

Wind power is a slightly more visible technology due to the great size of wind turbines, typical generators of wind power. There are three main types of wind turbines, but the most commonly referred to are the Modern horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT). Modern HAWTs have blades that can range from 130 to 300 feet in diameter with towers two to three times that in length—most reminiscent of the relics found in the Netherlands. These steel and fiberglass giants lead many to believe them to be eyesores. The great news about wind is it can achieve multiple scales. Small wind turbines are becoming more popular with homebuyers and small businesses looking to become more eco-friendly while cutting bills. The American Wind Energy Association has a great toolkit and small wind market trends analysis to further develop incentive to start wind energy at home or at office.

Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, said in his keynote address at the recent North American Offshore Wind Conference that the energy potential for wind turbines could produce more than 20% of U.S. energy and employ 250,000 jobs by 2030. With more than 10,000 wind turbines producing enough energy to power 2 million home already, new legislation passed to promote wind farm production with the added benefit of new job creation, wind power has a high likelihood of capturing more market and public approval.

Solar plants have been popping up into view suddenly. Solar energy has been in our lives since the dawn of time. It passively heats our homes through our windows and dries our line drawn laundry. Solar photovoltaic panels use solar energy actively by transferring sunlight into electricity and can be used on- or off-grid. Solar panels are typically set up in an installation, or a photovoltaic array, to capture energy most effectively. Microgrids, small scale energy resources, can store solar energy and use it independently from conventional energy sources. The appeal of microgrids, is its ability to switch between its independent stores of energy and conventional means. Mr. Gould over at Cleantech Group has a great piece on using microgrids.
           
Solar energy has also become fashionable while still being functional. REI, the outdoor clothing and recreational gear giant, has made solar to-go battery rechargers available for trips where the electrical grid is unavailable; The Portable Light Project has provided a prototype for a bag that can be worn to gather and store sunlight to be used later during the night. This would improve and elongate work and play times for those where electricity is not available as well as having portable light.

In the broad scope of clean alternative energy, hydropower is considered to be controversial. Large scale hydroelectric dams directly impact the environment around them. While not coring the earth for nonrenewable resources or filling the atmosphere with excessive CO2, large scale hydroelectric dams force flow change in the rivers they gain power from and restrict the supply of river water with reservoirs. Ecosystems, irrigation for agriculture, and populations are afflicted by this source of energy. However, small scale hydropower—considered less than 1,000 kilowatts—has shown prosperity among smaller, communities; typically communities that live off the grid use small scale hydropower. Due to its smaller scale, there are typically no reservoirs and the negative environmental impacts are little. Although they empower communities, these smaller dams do not fulfill all their energy requirements and work best when coupled with other small scale alternative energies.

The opportunity here is to bring back localized energy, thus inciting energy literacy in multiple populations. Here at Focus the Nation, we are excited over empowering people to find alternative energy sources that are right for them.

The Students for a Sustainable Campus members are flexing their innovator muscles over at Ball State University. Recognition goes out to the club's awesome efforts in improving their school's sustainability cred.

Check out the article from university paper, Ball State University Daily News. For more information on the Students for a Sustainable Campus please see their site.