Submitted by admin_ecov on Mon, 2009-08-10 15:25

It's a vital part of our energy future.

Remember a year ago, when everyone was saying: "Drill, baby, drill?" Do whatever we can, as a country, to meet domestic needs with domestic energy production?

We agree with the idea. We just think they picked the wrong energy source. Green energy isn't just domestic energy, its the ultimate local energy.

Our current model for energy production, with large, remote generators requiring massive infrastructure to reach consumers, is built around the fact that our current energy sources don't make good neighbors. Nobody wants the local coal plant...or the local nuclear reactor...in their backyard. So we build our power plants big, put them at a safe distance, and string miles of high-tension wire to bridge the gap.

Green energy, on the other hand, makes a great neighbor. So It makes sense to keep it close, and keep the infrastructure to a minimum.

This is why Community Green Energy is commited to the concept of Local Green Energy: small to midsize, single-structure installations which are easy to build, fit available space, and don't significantly impact the surrounding neighborhood.

CGE's installations will tie directly to the structures they power, so there will be no new infrastructure to build. No high-tension towers requiring forests be cleared. No new power poles disrupting neighborhood traffic.

While each installation may only provide partial demand offset for the structure it powers, each will take a measured amount off of grid demand. Taken together, within a distributed power grid, the effect will be substantial.

This is the attitude we want to promote: do everything possible to meet America's energy needs. Evey step counts.

making green power a part of the neighborhood.

Local Green Energy is also familiar green energy. One of the goals of Community Green Energy is to make green energy a common, everyday site in every neighborhood. We look for the day when people will wonder why a roof doesn't have solar panels on it, and why a vacant lot isn't being used for a turbine.

America's attitudes are born within America's communities. Green energy is still seen as exotic and unusual, and has been colored by political and partisan overtones, because it's still a fairly rare site. The best way to evolve the sensibility is to make green energy a common site. Bring green energy to the people, and the people will support it.

And support is just the beginning. We believe green energy in the community will promote a more responsible attitude towards energy. If you can't have a solar roof, you can at least switch to CFL lights, or hit the off switch a bit more often, or invest in the more energy efficient appliance. This is how Local Green Energy goes from green to grass roots.

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