In his first 100 days, President Obama has taken bold moves to create a comprehensive resource renewable energy policy to help America reduce its dependency on foreign sources of power, while also responsibly reducing our carbon footprint on the planet.

In addition to allocating money for an updated energy grid, wind farms, solar farms, green buildings and fuel cell research, he also added tax credits for homeowners who wish to update their properties to incorporate wind and solar energy sources or more efficient systems.

resources renewable energy
Currently, taxpayers can receive 30% back (up to $1,500) on new windows, doors, insulation, Energy Star roofing, heating/cooling systems, water heaters, biomass stoves, solar supply panels, solar energy sources, wind energy alternative turbines and geothermal heat pumps.

According to the US Department of Energy, our largest energy resource is petroleum, which powers 40% of our electrical and transportation needs. The second-largest power source is coal (23%), followed by natural gas (22%). Nuclear power gives us 8% of our energy and resource renewable energy comes in dead-last at 7%.

Of the sources renewable energy percentage, ethanol and biomass account for the largest share, providing 3.3% of our power. Next, 2.9% of our renewable energy is hydroelectric, 0.35% is geothermal, 0.07% is solar and 0.3% is wind.

solar energy sources
One of the sources renewable energy options we have is water, which provides ample opportunities to use the density of water to our advantage. The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State and Niagara Falls in New York State are two of the biggest hydroelectric energy-producers in the nation.

As of 2007, the vast majority of our hydropower came from Washington, Oregon, California, New York and Montana. There aren't many opportunities to create new dams, but we can improve some of the systems that we have, particularly to minimize environmental impact. Nevada's Mojave Desert currently houses the world's largest installation of solar panels, which produce 354 mega-watts of power.

generators wind power
Resource renewable energy will likely come from all different sources in the coming years. "I actually think that we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix," Barack Obama said during the primaries. "There are no silver bullets to this issue. We have to develop solar.

I have proposed drastically increasing fuel efficiency standards on cars, an aggressive cap on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted. With more countries industrializing and requiring unforeseen resources, the wind, water and solar energy sources must meet the task of powering up our nation.

Meet T. Boone Pickens, an unlikely spokesman for plant wind power. After making his billion-dollar fortune as an oil baron, T. Boone Pickens has had a change of heart and now actively advocates investing in resources renewable energy to take our energy consumption to the next level.

He's currently investing hundreds of millions on a wind farm in Texas and his hedge fund, BP Capital, is aggressively expanding into the turbine wind energy market as well. He's proposed a plan to wean America off oil over the next decade. However, there are both wind power pros and cons to consider before moving forward.

wind power pros and cons
In looking at the wind power facts, let's first look at the benefits of using turbine wind energy. First off, wind turbines are a clean, domestic source of energy. The wind will never stop blowing, thereby providing an endless source of power if we harness it correctly, with the appropriate back-up generators.

This free source of energy won't cause green house gases, create radioactive waste or emit pollutants either. So far our use of sources wind energy has offset carbon dioxide emission by 2.5 billion pounds and reduced other pollutants by 15 million pounds. Compared to solar supply, geothermal and biomass energy, wind energy is relatively cheap. The Department of Energy predicts that alternative wind energy will cost as low as 4 to 6 cents per kilowatt hour in the coming years.

Wind power pros and cons also look at the sustainability of our planet. Another one of the obvious advantages of wind purchase power is that it does not consume any non-renewable resources or fossil fuels. Many of our resources come from coal, natural gas or oil and harm the environment in pursuit of these energy sources.

alternative wind energy
Rainforests are destroyed, mountains are dynamited, rivers are polluted and wildlife is marginalized. Comparatively, the construction and installation of these turbines creates limited environmental impact.

Even though the towers are tall, the land beneath them can still be used for farming, grazing, landscaping and other functions. Now we must look toward wind, solar and geothermal to remain competitive in the global marketplace.

While it may seem like there are ample positive reasons to go forth with a wind energy alternative, there are both wind power pros and cons in this debate. Critics claim that powering the country off turbine wind energy is simply not feasible.

generators wind power
They point out that areas like the U.S. gulf coast have such heavy hurricane winds that the damage to the turbines would be substantial. Additionally, midwest lightning storms will wreak havoc on wind turbine systems and cold areas will introduce the problem of dangerous ice build-up on the wings.

In some Canadian studies, people living near windmill farms complained of suffering from abominable headaches, although this potential danger has not been clinically proven yet.

What are you doing this July 1st? Join me in shutting everything off, even for just an hour...

At midday On Sunday July 1st 2007

we are asking everyone concerned about the effects of climate change to simply turn everything off for an hour. That is one hour with no cars, mobile phones, televisions, household appliances or any other non-vital equipment. We would also like as many businesses as possible to join in and publicly show their commitment to tackling climate change. Effectively, we want to unplug the world for an hour or at least your little bit of it.

One Hour No Power is not just another event about raising our awareness of global warming; after all, the media has been pretty good at scaring us all silly on that one. One Hour No Power is an event to raise awareness of our collective ability to tackle climate change through our everyday lives.

This is a people powered event for all, old and young, multi race, multi faith, as well as for those of no faith. It is an opportunity for us to come together and publicise an event ourselves, help to shape it, swap green ideas and talk to each other instead of being talked to.

It is up to you how you spend the hour. You could hold a sponsored event for your favourite environmental group, take to the roads on your bike, hug a tree (while stocks last), write your personal green action plan for the coming year or even hold a John and Yoko style love-in.

Visit www.onehournopower.com for more information about how you can join in.

Please help to promote One Hour No Power by circulating this email to friends and family.

Thank You!