So you have more than likely heard a lot lately about how our current administration is addressing the nation’s most critical energy and environmental issues. To quell any concerns and clarify any existing confusion, I have taken the liberty of providing an overview of the Obama-Biden “New Energy for America Plan”, a plan with many various aspects that will confront some of the difficulties that America is experiencing both in the realms of environment and the economy. The new plan will:

Provide Short-term Relief to American Families

• Crack Down on Excessive Energy Speculation.

Eliminate Our Current Imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 Years

• Increase Fuel Economy Standards.
• Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015.
• Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles.
• Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
• A "Use it or Lose It" Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
• Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas.

Create Millions of New Green Jobs

• Ensure 10 percent of Our Electricity Comes from Renewable Sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
• Deploy the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Energy Source – Energy Efficiency.
• Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
• Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology.
• Prioritize the Construction of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.

Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050

• Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
• Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change.

Smart Meters, also known as Advanced Meters, take the place of conventional electric meters. Through a series of wired and/or wireless networks, consumption information and data can be sent directly to utility companies. This eliminates the need for monthly visits by a meter reader, which saves us the gas that would have been burned to visit all of those meters. More importantly, however, this means that utility companies will be able to closely monitor rates of consumption as it rises and falls throughout the day, therefore allowing them to introduce dynamic pricing that is based on simple supply and demand economics. Customers will then be able to track these variable rates and their consumption, with the hope that this will encourage homeowners to use less power during peak periods.

Many major utility companies are now experimenting with the Tendril Residential Energy Ecosystem, or TREE, introduced by the Tendril company based out of Boulder, Colorado. In this automated energy management system, homes are outfitted with items such as smart thermostats, power supplies, and other electronic equipment that are connected to each other and their power supplying utilities through a series of networks. These appliances can then be monitored by both the individual and the utility so that their power usage can be scaled back accordingly. It is a win-win situation for business or home owners and the utilities that supply them with power. Check out Tendril here: www.tendrilinc.com

Fuel cell technology has become more prevalent in the 21st century. So what exactly is a fuel cell and how does it work? In principle, a fuel cell operates like a battery. Unlike a battery, however, a fuel cell does not require recharging  and will not run down. As long as hydrogen fuel is supplied, energy will be produced in the form of electricity and heat.

Fuel cells have many stationary, mobile, and transportation applications. In fact, more than 2500 fuel cell systems have been installed throughout the world, in hospitals, schools, office buildings, hotels, and more. These systems are either connected to the main electric grid in order to provide supplemental power and backup assistance, or installed as a separate generator for areas that are inaccessible by power lines. Cars, buses, scooters, trains, and other modes of transportation have been outfitted with fuel cell systems. Even in the world of Micro Power, which includes cell phones, laptops, and palm pilots, fuel cell technology has proven itself as an effective and efficient source of power.

The benefits of fuel cell systems are many and varied. A fuel cell system that runs on pure hydrogen produces zero emissions. Although some stationary systems use natural gas or hydrocarbons as a supplemental source, even these systems produce far less emissions than conventional power plants. Fuel cells also run extremely quite and contribute to a reduction in noise pollution. Vehicles that run on fuel cells are the least polluting of all vehicles that consume fuel directly. Since fuel cells do not burn fuel, they are fundamentally more efficient than combustion systems. The hydrogen that fuels these cells can also be produced domestically, helping to alleviate our nation's reliance on the import of foreign oil. 

Learn more about fuel cells by visiting this website: www.fuelcells.org