When you flip a switch you expect the lights to go on. . . . but at the other end of that power line are dedicated engineers who work day and night keeping the power on to our homes and businesses. It's a bit like the stock market - except these guys play a critical role 24/7/365.

Multiple factors affect the price we ultimately pay: time of day, weather, temperature, outages, fuel markets vs. renewables, weekends and holidays.

What will you learn?

climatecentral.org - by Brian Kahn

2014 sustainable energy trends and facts for the United States. 

Two-thirds of Americans favor increased government spending to develop solar and wind power, and spending more to develop alternative fuels for cars has the same level of support.

The number of Americans who support alternative, renewable energy production has increased since 2013. 

Renewable energy is providing clean, reliable electricity across the U.S. and around the world. It is also growing rapidly, with record numbers of new wind and solar installations in the U.S. over the past few years. 

We can readily continue this rapid expansion of renewable energy by utilizing existing technologies, investing in improvements to our electricity system, and making smart policy decisions that move the country toward a clean energy future. 

 "A Rarely Tapped City Strategy for Boosting Local Renewable Energy," describing how local governments can help the city move towards the development and usage of local renewable energy

The status of Australia's renewable energy with comparisons to the rest of the world. 

An illustration of how algae can be converted into fuel.

A map showing the biomass potential of the US by county. Note that San Diego's potential is high.