Talk of global warming, new technology, and alternative energy is no longer confined to circles of environmentalists and the halls of academia. The threats are real, the technology is rapidly developing and the conversations have moved from those small circles to our diner tables and water coolers. No matter what side of the political fence you stand on we all share the same backyard and it is time to start paying attention to and supporting new programs that sustain our way of living. Here are a few that I have found to be particularly interesting:

The Pickens Plan

There are many campaigns and organizations in the United States that are striving to seek alternative forms of energy and curtail our dependence on imported oil. One of the most recently publicized and promising efforts is The Pickens Plan (www.pickensplan.com). Started by T. Boone Pickens, who founded Mesa Petroleum in the late 1950’s, which went on to become one of the biggest independent oil companies in the world, The Pickens Plan proposes the construction of the largest set of wind farms on earth. The farms would run north to south, down the center of the country, in what is considered the greatest area of potential wind energy on the planet, The Great Plains.

Currently, the U.S. imports 70% of its oil at an annual cost of $700 billion. Of the 85 million barrels of oil consumed per day globally, the US accounts for 21 million barrels (25%), which is quite staggering considering we only account for 4% of the planet’s population. Transportation constitutes the vast amount of this imported fuel. Though a cleaner, more abundant form of transportation energy exists in Natural Gas, those resources are currently being used to supply 22% of the country’s electricity needs, with only 1% going to transportation. The Pickens Plan aims at converting that 22% from Natural Gas to wind farms running down the Great Plains and using the freed up Natural Gas to power our transportation needs. Though the initial investment would be $1.2 trillion it would save $300 billion per year in imported oil costs. Not only is Natural Gas domestic and abundant, it also produces 23% less harmful emissions than diesel and 30% less than gasoline. It is also much cheaper: as low as $1/gallon in Utah and Oklahoma.

Cape Wind

One of the major objections to wind farms is the land they require. Because of this, the idea of off shore wind farms is being researched. In Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Energy Management Inc. is hoping to build America’s first off shore wind farm. On Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound, Cape Wind (www.capewind.org) is campaigning to construct 130 wind turbines to generate 420 megawatts of electricity; reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 734,000 tons per year.

Wave Power

While researchers develop better wind power generators (www.winderapower.com) and where to put them, there are teams and universities that are exploring ways to capture the energy created by ocean waves (www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/hydro/wave-power) and transform it into useable electricity. Currently, wave farms are used mainly to supplement power for desalinization and water treatment plants. However, with increased research funding new technologies such as energy generating buoys, The Neptune (www.alternative-energy-news.info/european-marine-energy-test-tidal-power/), and BioPower Systems (www.biopowersystems.com), we could see wave energy become a major player in our energy needs.

Geothermal / GeoExchange®

Our planet contains an enormous amount of thermal energy. Our buildings require an enormous amount of energy to heat and cool us. Currently we often use a combination of furnaces, stoves and air conditioners to solve most of our indoor temperature needs. They are expensive, polluting and inefficient. So why not consolidate them and give the planet and our wallets a break? How? Geothermal / GeoExchange® systems.

By drawing thermal energy from deep in the ground, GeoExchange® (www.geoexchange.org) technology uses 40% to 70% less energy than furnaces, stoves and air conditioners. With a small amount of electricity, geothermal systems employ a series of pumps to move thermal energy from the ground into your building.

“The most efficient fuel-burning heater can reach efficiencies around 95%, but a geothermal heat pump can move up to 4 units of heat for every unit of electricity needed to power the system, resulting in a practical equivalence of over 400% efficiency.”

With so many applications of this technology, from residential to commercial to industrial, it is a wise and cost effective way to decrease our reliance on oil.

So What Can You Do?

With so many plans, developments and organizations it can be difficult to get your bearings on how you can bring alternative energy into your life. To get involved with an organization, I recommend signing up for free at www.pickensplan.com. The site is full of information and is extremely easy to use and participate in. Many of the other links in this article also contains ways for you to get involved.

As far as tangible involvement is concerned, start looking for local geothermal companies who can consult you on your home or commercial building (such as www.smithfieldconstruction.com or www.geothermalsolutionsmass.com). Investing in solar power for your home and business is another terrific way of saving money in the long run and minimizing your impact on the planet. Because of the amazing advances in solar technology, energy-generating panels are becoming thinner and more efficient (one example is www.skyfuel.com).

Also as mentioned before, the Pickens Plan aims to shift Natural Gas resources to transportation. Honda and several other automobile manufacturers have started producing Natural Gas Vehicles (NVG’s) and are hoping to turn them into a viable alternative to gasoline and diesel automobiles. For more information, visit NVG America (www.ngvamerica.org).

Alternative energy is something we can all easily get excited about because it will directly affect our quality of life and health, not to mention our bank account. The technology that is being developed is moving at a terrific speed and yet still needs community support to succeed. For more information, check out www.alternative-energy-news.info.