Zero Is The New Black

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.