The Germans have really taken off when it comes from renewable energy sources and has become one of the major players in the set of alternative energy. Under the aegis of nation power feed legislation, the German people has set a record of the world in 2006 by investing more than $ 10 billion (USD) in research, development and the implementation of wind turbines, biogas and cells solar collection. "Feed legislation" permits the Germany German owners to connect to an electrical network with a source of renewable energy and then sell the company to any excess energy produced at the retail price. This economic incentive has catapulted Germany in the position of number one among all nations is the number of solar panels operating, biogas and wind facilities. The 50-terawatt hours of electricity produced by these renewable energy sources represent 10% of the energy of the Germany a year. In 2006 alone, Germany installed 100,000 solar collection systems.
In the United States, BP company has created an Institute of Biosciences energy (EBI) to conduct new research and development efforts in clean burning of renewable energy sources, most prominently biofuels for land vehicles. BP investment is 50 million (US) per year over the next decade. This tab will be physically located at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The University is in partnership with BP, and it will be responsible for the research and the development of new biofuel crops, agricultural-delivery systems of biofuel and machinery to produce renewable form liquid automobile consumption. The University will particularly be spearhead efforts in the field of genetic engineering to the creation of more advanced biofuel crops. The EBI will be also as an important focal point of innovation technology for conversion of heavy oil fuel pollution-free and very effective.
Also in the United States, the battle rages on between the Congress and the geothermal energy Association (GEA). Executive Director Karl Gawell GEA recently wrote to Congress and the Department of energy, the only way to ensure that DOE and OMB are simply not return to their irrational insistence terminating geothermal research program is at a hearing of the Congress specifically on geothermal energy, its potential and the role of federal research. In addition, Gawell goes on to say that recent studies by the National Council of research of the Canada, the Western Governors' Association Clean Energy Task Force and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology all support geothermal expansion domestic research funding to develop the technology needed to use this vast, untapped renewable energy resource. Supporters of geothermal energy, such as writer, were surprised by the small amount of awareness that the public has enormous benefits that research and development of alternative renewable energy source would give the United States virtually both economically. Geothermal energy is already cheaper to produce in terms of kilowatt hours than the United States retains mining coal. Geothermal energy is readily available, sat a few miles beneath our feet and easily accessible through drilling. Only one company, Ormat, which is the third largest producer of geothermal energy in the United States and has factories in several different nations, is already a company billions of dollars per year--geothermal energy is certainly economically viable.
