Though we still hear a lot in the US about the jobs associated with fossil fuels and many say that replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy is impossible (and might even imply that it is un-American!), many companies are quietly moving forward developing technologies to harness alternative sources of energy. Many of these entrepreneurs may be 'environmentalists' in that they care about the greenhouse gases emitted by fossil fuels, global climate change and the health of the air, land and water. However they are all also business people who are hoping to make money by capitalizing on clean, renewable energy sources as we transition away from dwindling fossil fuels. Add to this the fact that estimates of the number of jobs associated with renewable energy sources are often higher than those associated with fossil fuel industries, and green businesses appear to be the wave of the future.

Though there have been some highly touted failures of companies associated with renewable energy sources (Solyndra), there are also many companies that - so far - have been successful (no different to any other new industry with many start-ups). These successes often come despite the fact that renewable energy development receives far fewer subsidies (direct dollars and indirect via tax credits, e.g.) than the established fossil fuel sector.

Since most of you are not scientists but all of you are (or will be) part of the US and world economies, I want you to investigate the economic side of renewable energy sources. To that end, you need to pick a company that is involved in developing technology associated with renewable energy. The company you pick can be associated with any sector of the renewable energy market with the caveat that the company actually has to be MAKING SOMETHING - companies raising capital for renewable energy don't make anything for example and therefore don't count. Companies working on energy storage (e.g. batteries) are fair game since storage is one of the big issues in implementing wide-scale use of renewables. Though many of the innovators in this field are start-ups, there are some more established companies making big investments in renewable energy, so they are fair game too, just make sure you can separate out the part of their business involved in renewable energy.

You first need to claim your company, just as we did with our endangered species by entering the company in the discussion thread reserved for that purpose. Start a new thread within that discussion forum and use the company you chose as the subject so folks can see what you have chosen - as before only 1 person can claim each company! If someone else beats you to your company, then you'll have to go back to the drawing board and choose another (the early bird gets the worm). Once you've staked a claim to a company, it's time to do some research!

What you will submit will be a powerpoint presentation (as with your endangered species research), and you will submit those powerpoint files in the discussion thread for the projects - that way everyone will be able to see them!! I will have created a discussion forum for the final projects and as above with the topics, you should create a new thread within the project forum with a clear subject (name of company, e.g.) so folks can browse!

Things to include in your presentation

1.Name of the business and where they are based.

2.What sector(s) of renewable energy they are primarily involved with.

3.HOW they are involved in that sector (e.g. if they are in wind, are they making turbine motors or blades or are they buying land or working with land-owners, etc.). In other words, what is this company doing?

4.Is this company producing something that is market-ready (i.e. deployable) or is it just in the development phase?

5.What subsidies (i.e. tax dollars or tax breaks/ credits) are there for the company (a dollar amount)? For that energy sector in the US? What are the subsidies like for fossil fuels in the US? (cite your sources here, make sure you read them!!) If your company is non-US based, you can use any information you can get from the country of origin, if it's not available for US markets. For the sector data (e.g. 'wind' or 'solar'), try to find information for that sector from the US since those are the tax dollars that concern you most directly. Make sure to look not just for direct subsidies, but also those indirect ones - tax credits, e.g

6.Pros of this technology/product (how much energy-generating potential the product has, benefits to carbon emissions, benefits to land, water air, amount of fossil fuels that could be replaced, etc.)

7.Challenges - technical, financial, ecological, social - that the product or business faces.

8.Include all your sources