| According to professor Mark Z. Jacobson, who | | | | energy security, space requirements, ecological |
| teaches civil and environmental engineering at | | | | health, water pollution, reliability and sustainability, |
| Stanford, solar technology is one of the best ways | | | | concludes that the best paths are, by order of |
| for America to improve energy security, mitigate | | | | preference: wind, concentrated solar power (CSP), |
| climate change and reduce the amount of air pollution | | | | geothermal power, tidal power, solar photovoltaics |
| linked to disease and death. | | | | (PV), wave power and hydroelectric power. |
| Interestingly, Jacobson's study received no funding | | | | Jacobson also notes that the energy sources getting |
| from any government agency, energy company or | | | | the most attention (clean coal, nuclear, bioethanol) |
| public/private interest group. This paradigm of | | | | are also the ones contributing either the most, or the |
| unbiased reporting on alternative energy technologies | | | | most dangerous, pollution. The paper, which will be |
| leads us to conclude that Jacobson's study is perhaps | | | | published in the next issue of Energy and |
| the only one to come down the pike in a decade | | | | Environmental Science, notes that putting people to |
| that reflects the energy situation in America as it | | | | work building solar, wind and geothermal plants would |
| truly is. | | | | not only create jobs to heal the economy but would |
| This quantitative, scientific study, which appraises | | | | reduce health care costs and provide better growing |
| proposed solutions not only for their ability to provide | | | | conditions for food crops. |
| energy but also their impacts on climate change, | | | | |