Problem:  Most electricity is produced by the burning of fossil fuels.  This has a negative impact on our environment.

Solution:  Wind power can offset much of our energy needs and is already helping to power some communities.

The town of Hull Massachusetts has just won the Department of Energy’s Wind Power Pioneer Award.

Problem: The demand for energy is rising as the cost of fuel increases and there are fewer and fewer viable sites available for new hydroelectric or nuclear power plants.

Solution: There are ways to produce energy that do not consume fuel or produce significant waste products.  Geothermal energy uses the heat from the earth's core to heat structures or generate electricity.

The following article takes a look at the potential of geothermal energy to provide a considerable protion of our energy needs as assessed by a panel of experts from MIT.

This article was reprinted from the MIT website:

A comprehensive new MIT-led study of the potential for geothermal energy within the United States has found that mining the huge amounts of heat that reside as stored thermal energy in the Earth's hard rock crust could supply a substantial portion of the electricity the United States will need in the future, probably at competitive prices and with minimal environmental impact.

Problem: Over 70% of our electricity is produced through the burning of fossil fuels.  The rising demand for these fuels is creating a rapid increase in their cost, which in turn is increasing the price of electricity.

Solution: Many parts of the world have the potential to produce significant amounts of electricity from the use of geothermal energy.  Geothermal energy production does not produce greenhouse gases or burn fuel.

The following article provides a nice overview of how geothermal energy works.  This article is reprinted from the Union of Concerned Scientists website:

Introduction

Heat from the earth can be used as an energy source in many ways, from large and complex power stations to small and relatively simple pumping systems. This heat energy, known as geothermal energy, can be found almost anywhere—as far away as remote deep wells in Indonesia and as close as the dirt in our backyards. Tapping geothermal energy is an affordable and sustainable solution to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, and the global warming and public health risks that result from their use.

In the Western United States and in other places around the world, geothermal energy produces electricity in large power plants. Today, geothermal energy provides about five percent of California's electricity, and 25 percent of El Salvador's.[1] In Idaho and Iceland, geothermal heat is used to warm buildings and for other applications. In thousands of homes and buildings across the United States, geothermal heat pumps use the steady temperatures just underground to heat and cool buildings, cleanly and inexpensively.

About 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, in the forms of oceans, seas, and lakes. Now a new vision is turning the open sea into a vast energy source, by utilizing devices that harness the power of waves and tides. This resource can provide a tsunami of benefits for our economy and environment.

            Wave generators are buoy-like structures that create electricity from the multi dimensional movement of the ocean. Because these generators are in the ocean, they require structures capable of coping with strong seas and corrosive salt water. Due to neutral effects on the ecosystem, this is the primary reason for continued development of an economic design.

            Because of Oregon’s coastline, there is a massive potential for wave and tidal generators. The biggest complication will be in developing a stable, but economically feasible design. This could be the wave of the future, in Oregon’s renewable energy.