Almost all inventions are the creation of a small team. Sometimes, it is one monomaniacal man like Charles Goodyear, or a duo of bike repairmen like the Wright Brothers. Who are alternative energy’s inventors? Who will have the ideas? Who will work and work on their ideas until each problem is solved?
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\nWe have had many such innovators already: The creation of bio-diesel from old fryer oil; The lighter-than-air windmill; Green roofs. But what are the next ideas? What are the next trends in alternative energy?<\/p>\n
I think the next trend could be on increasing multiple sources of energy at a small scale everywhere. For example (and my scientist father-in-law laughed at this one and you can too), if we add a second battery to a regular gas-powered car and charge it as we drive around and then discharge it at home, do we not get some extra energy we would have wasted anyway? Or would the energy used to charge the second battery reduce the car’s miles per gallon so that it would be a wash?What if there was a way to use solar energy (like a solar oven) to preheat water going to our hot water heaters, then wouldn’t we use less energy? Sure, it may not be consistent, but I am sure the payback time would be fast especially since 20% to 25% of home energy costs are for heating water.
\nWhat other ideas are there and who will work them to success? As the inventors of the airplane and vulcanized rubber show, a small group with a dream and dedication can change the world. I will be looking for them.<\/p>\n
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