The world faces a daunting task in replacing what’s known as the “cubic mile of oil” consumed worldwide each year. But like any gargantuan task, it all starts with small steps.
To help those small steps grow into sustainable replacements for our dependence on petroleum, this article from Forbes has some suggestions where the most fertile ground in the U.S. would be for alternative energy:
In Texas, for instance, that means wind…
The mountain passes and ridge tops of the Trans Pecos have the highest average wind speeds in Texas. The mountains in the state’s northwest region roll off the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains, and a maze of mountains and valleys funnel the wind into extreme speeds by the time they pass over ridge crests and mountain tops of the Guadalupe and Davis mountains…
Although solar energy varies less from season to season than wind energy, it still depends heavily on local environmental conditions. The town of Inyokern in southern California has the best environmental conditions in the country. Ensconced on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Inyokern covers 11 square miles of Kern County in the dust-choked Mojave Desert. Those 11 square miles receive more solar insolation annually than any other comparably sized locale in North America…
For current commercial processes, the highest concentration of biomass is in the Corn Belt states of Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. But the long-term prospects for biomass are best with non-food based feedstocks such as switchgrass, wood chips and forest residues.
In addition, Alaska and Hawaii have great potentials for geothermal energy.
As you can see, there’s no one silver bullet for replacing oil. But if we use the places best equipped for each area’s strengths, maybe can get kick that greasy addiction.