ouch

According to the New York Times, people in Wilcox County, Alabama spend the highest percentage of their income on gasoline in the country.

think your gas is high?

It's all relative.

just does not understand

No, no, no.

DUDE, YOU DRIVE A CAR THAT GETS 14-16 MPG. Correlation?

forced to go green

Why $120 oil is good.

(should be) all the rage

Tidal turbines. Hell yes.

it grows on you

Kudzu. No longer the scourge of the South. Possibly the savior of the post-oil world?

could've fooled me

There is no gas shortage.

the plan

A recent article in Scientific American outlines a plan where the U.S., for about $10 billion a year for 40 years, can become energy independent and reduce its carbon emissions 62 percent with solar power as its prime source. You may be thinking, $400 billion? Turns out that's what we've spent in Iraq already.

this is good

I never thought I'd see my Prius rendered obsolete, but it may happen in the next few years. Toyota plans to introduce a plug-in hybrid by 2010, which is intended to compete with the Chevy Volt. These cars, along with other developments in the industry, are undoubtedly a very very good thing.

Or, we could simply celebrate Foreign Oil Dependence Day.

necessity, mother of invention

Another interesting alternative energy idea: underwater power-generating ocean turbines. These turbines would collect energy from ocean currents, much like windmills collect energy from moving air.

bold, brilliant

Setting a shining example for all to follow, Britain is set to launch a massive expansion of offshore wind-power, with plans for thousands of turbines in the North Sea, Irish Sea and around the coast of Scotland. The turbines, which can reach heights of 850 feet, could end up meeting 50% of the country's electrical needs. That's a lot of power.

Here comes the sun

Nanosolar Powersheet is very cool stuff. Or very hot. It won Innovation of the Year of 2007 from Popular Science magazine, and is destined to change the world.

It's a paper-thin solar energy collector. The PowerSheet solar cells are created on printing-press-style machines that set down a layer of solar-absorbing nano-ink onto metal sheets as thin as aluminum foil, so the panels can be made for about a tenth of what current panels cost and at a rate of several hundred feet per minute. It's inexpensive mainly because no silicon is used. Which means that it could be used to cover entire roofs or building exteriors, producing significant amounts of efficient energy.

Be sure and watch the slideshow and animation. This stuff is the real deal, folks.

"The potential is huge"

Mark my words. The name John Kanzius will become famous one day.

mpg

This is good. In the face of legislation proposing drastically increased fuel economy standards American automakers are freaking out. Their staunch support of SUVs is withering away as consumers grow sick of expensive gas, forcing the companies to focus their lobbying efforts on taming the energy legislation instead.

I didn't realize this, but the current fuel economy standard for cars, unchanged since 1983, is 27.5 miles a gallon. Light trucks, including S.U.V.’s, pickups and minivans, must achieve a minimum average of 21.3 miles a gallon over each carmaker’s entire fleet. I guess that explains how they can get away with making Hummers that get 10-12 miles per gallon. Under the proposed legislation, cars would have to achieve an average fuel economy of 36 miles a gallon by 2022, while trucks would have to reach 30 miles a gallon by 2025. It's a start.