Create. You can submit your idea or solution (preferably a video) around our questions about climate and energy challenges.
Vote. Help us choose the best ideas by rating their viability or discuss the ideas submitted by others. Get the FAQs.
Make it. Your ratings and comment help us decide which ideas are featured on our PBS TV Special. Learn how to make a video.
ActivismAdaptationAgricultureAlgaeArchitectureArtBikingBiofuelsBiomimicryBusinessCampus SustainabilityClean Tech
Climate ChangeEconomicsEducationEfficiencyElectric CarsEnergy StorageEngineeringEPA P3GeothermalGreen BuildingGreen CitiesGreen CommunitiesGreen Living
Topic Page: Renewable Energy
Most of our ideas are focused on one kind of renewable energy, but if you want a catch-all for everything from solar to biomass, this is your topic. Have an idea in Renewable Energy? Tell us
Related Categories : | Business | Engineering | Geothermal | Hydroelectric | Solar | Wind |
Webisodes
From Fryer To Fuel: Making Biofuel from Vegetable Oil
THIS WEEK: Did you know the vegetable oil we use to make our french fries could also power our cars? In this webisode, Planet Forward drops by GreenLight BioFuels’ new plant in Maryland where they’ve been turning cooking waste into biofuel.
Beer as a Model for Sustainable Business
THIS WEEK: Holy cow! This week Planet Forward got up close and personal with some Virginia livestock. DC Brau, the first local brewery in D.C. feeds their organic waste to livestock in the Virginia area. Take a look!
Empowerhouse: Community-Based Sustainable Living
THIS WEEK: How to turn a Solar Decathlon house into a home. GW students Melissa Turley and Jon Fenech followed Team Empowerhouse through the Solar Decathlon. Their innovation? Making it affordable enough to be a Habitat for Humanity home.
WATCH!
A Solar Conversation with Secretary Chu
THIS WEEK: In this week’s webisode, Planet Forward’s Frank Sesno interviews Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu at the 2011 Solar Decathlon! Chu talks about the coolest innovations, and even wonks out a bit on r-values and building materials.
Solar and the City – Team New York’s Solar Decathlon House
THIS WEEK’s WEBISODE: The Solar Decathlon teams are in Washington DC! Check out Team New York’s Roof Pod — it sits atop a sky rise building and helps generate power PLUS: Brendan Owens, Planet Forward’s newest Expert weighs in the use of new building materials.
WATCH!
Solar in the Southern Hemisphere – New Zealand’s Solar House
THIS WEEK: In this week’s webisode check out the New Zealand team’s neat innovations like the hydronic drying cupboard that can dry 6 bath towels in an hour and a half using…water?
WATCH!
Energy Pimp Your SUV – Make it More Cost-Effective than a Prius
In this week’s webisode, we take a look at a video submitted to us by Sewanee’s Eco-Auto Club. The students set out to take a 1998 Ford Explorer with 231,000 miles and transform it into a more energy efficient “Eco Explorer” vehicle. Would you do this to YOUR car? WATCH!
Wind Beneath Their Strings
Here is a new way to deliver energy to those who need it. The women in one small community in Guatemala have wind, they just need a way to harness it. Enter enthusiastic students from the University of Michigan College of Engineering.
Energy Secretary Bill Nye?
Planet Forward met up with Bill Nye at the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards last week. See the first item on his #EnergyToDo list. Tell us yours on twitter. (@Planet_Forward)
LEEDing after Disaster: AIA Architect on Why You Should
Can your community turn tragedy into opportunity? Bill Worthen, American Institute of Architects’ National Director and Resource Architect for Sustainability, sits down with us to talk about LEED certification and how disaster can provide opportunity to build back better.
Rolling out the Red Carpet: First Up, Solar Leasing
Planet Forward is gearing up for the April 2011 PBS special. Take a look at one nominee and find out how you can weigh in on the idea and have your comment appear on national television
New Technology Updates Public Transportation
Erin Parsons and Lexi Combs, Planet Forward members and students at Ole Miss, share an innovation that is making bussing around Mississippi the hot new trend
TV Segments
Verdant Power: Harvesting Power From the Sea
Planet Forward’s Bloomberg West debut featured Verdant Power, an innovative company that is building underwater turbines to harness the power of the tides. See what challenges they face and tell us what you think!
Solar Decathlon: The Race to Build the Most Efficient Solar Home
Peek into the solar powered house designs from Middlebury College in Vermont and University of Maryland. It’s all for the Solar Decathlon competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Building a Green Community
When Greensburg, Kansas was devastated by a tornado in 2007 the residents took it as an opportunity to rebuild as an environmentally friendly town. Watch our latest piece from PBS’ Nightly Business Report.
Planet Forward Announcement: Innovators of the Year
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! Hundreds of submissions, thousands of votes, and now TWO Planet Forward Innovators of the Year! See Planet Forward host Frank Sesno, announce the winners on Nightly Business Report!
Leasing the Sun: An Innovative Business Model from Sungevity
Last month we test drove Nissan’s Leaf…this month, we show you one way you may be able to afford solar panels with zero upfront costs. Check out our piece on PBS’s Nightly Business Report and let us know what you think of Planet Forward member Danny Kennedy’s business model.
Behind the Scenes: Planet Forward’s New NBR Segment
This Thursday, Planet Forward member Danny Kennedy, will show you his idea on PBS’s Nightly Business Report. Check out this behind the scenes reel from our NBR shoots and don’t forget to set your DVRs to record Nightly Business Report this Thursday.
Articles From the Blog Related to Renewable Energy
William Paterson Wins! Sustainability Initiative Boosts School Pride
The students at William Paterson University clearly take a lot of pride in their sustainability initiatives. As a finalist for the 2012 Second Nature Climate Leadership Awards, they won the public voting competition on Planet Forward featuring their innovative climate leadership. The video details how the campus has come together to support the American College …Read More…
Minnesota Goes Green
Happy Birthday, Minnesota! Today in 1858, Minnesota was admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state. To celebrate, we’re going to take a look at what’s going on in the land of 10,000 lakes to make the state turn from blue…to green! We’ve partnered with Minnesota 2020 to get great stories from the north. From …Read More…
Hydroelectric Power
From dams to watermills, hydropower has been used for thousands of years in regions all over the world. But for such an ancient idea, why isn’t it more common renewable energy source now? Read our most recent newsletter
Aloha Alternative Energy
In the past week I was lucky enough to be asked to travel to Hawaii with a good friend of mine over spring break. It was my first trip to Hawaii and I was unsure of what was to come—I knew there would be beaches, surf and sun but what surprised me most when I …Read More…
Would Energy Independence Change Our Lives?
New federal statistics show that, for the first time since 1949, the United States is exporting more petroleum products than it’s importing.
Does your life feel any different? Read
Solar: Does Size Matter?
A key issue for scaling up solar is where to put it: on every home or in huge arrays on the desert? Some businesses, like Sungevity, are trying to get solar panels on every home by breaking down the up-front cost barrier. They partner with financial institutions to spread the cost of going solar into …Read More…
A Few Smart Ideas to Clean Up and Re-energize Cities
More people live in cities now than in any other time in human history–nearly half the world’s population. They are the economic engines of our society, but they are also the source of 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions. We all have a choice in where we live, and a lot of us are moving …Read More…
Innovator Update: Solar is 100,000 strong and growing stronger!
Contrary to some of the media circus’ coverage, solar is doing great. Sungevity’s Danny Kennedy tells us why in this innovator update.
On Houses and Homes: Top 5 Stories Behind Solar Decathlon Entries
We build houses, but it’s the living in a house that makes it a home. Every home — even your home — has a history that represents who lived there and how they lived. The same goes for the houses in Solar Decathlon. While they’re lauded for their innovation, they also use their region’s rich …Read More…
Race for the Green Flag: 5 Auto Innovations to Sustain Our Planet
5. Is Nissan’s Leaf Too Sexy for Your Pocketbook? Tradition is sacred in the sport of auto racing. In the field of innovation, it’s a practical joke. Wireless refueling, EPA approval, and no tailpipe. These features separated the Nissan Leaf from its predecessors in the electric car business, and prompted 16,000 reservations of the vehicle …Read More…
Roadblocks to Residential Windmills
Wendie Holland, 58, a healthcare consultant, was conscious of her rising energy bills and increased environmental impact. In an eco-conscious attempt to reduce her carbon footprint, Ms. Holland planned to erect a 132-foot windmill in her backyard of her residential property in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The wind turbine, designed for residential use, could potentially generate …Read More…
President Obama calls for Electric Vehicles and Clean Energy in his State of the Union Address
During his State of the Union address, President Obama set a new goal: by 2035, 80 percent of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources.
Watch
facebook
twitter