We live in an incredibly diverse country, in more ways than one. What I'm talking about, of course, is energy diversity.
I've been seeing lots of maps of the US, where the "potential" for various forms of clean energy forms are broken down by regions (county/zip codes/states). Obviously, regions like the desert SW are ideal for solar energy, while off-shore coastal breezes have high potential for producing wind energy, etc...
There is a cool interactive map tool in the NRDC website:
NRDC: Renewable Energy for America
where you can look up existing and planned sites for energy facilities, based on estimated "potential" for various energy forms (such as solar, wind, biomass).
Not surprisingly, the map for advanced biofuels is based on old data, old technology from first generation biofuels, and mainly includes crop residues (from corn, mostly, but also wheat, soybean, cotton, barley, and others). Not sure I would all that "advanced" biofuels..but I guess this is the best data we have until larger, more prolific grasses are grown to scale.
In truth, when I think about our country's potential for energy security, production of clean energy, and planning responsibly for our future, I find such maps hopeful. Speaking as someone with a background in ecology, I also think that we must embrace a diversity of solutions. There is rarely a single right answer to today's complex challenges. However, we are fortunate enough to live in an incredibly rich & diverse country--let's realize our potential and start producing cleaner forms of energy.
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