Apartment dwellers and other renters may wish to take advantage of such renewable energy sources assolar and wind to power their homes, but feel unable to do so since they can’t make permanent changes to their homes. What they may not know is that many utility companies across the country allow subscribers to purchase renewable power through their existing electric service. These programs allow household customers to purchase alternative energy for an extra fee added to their monthly utility bill. Businesses may also purchase renewable energy for an additional monthly fee.

The Renewable Energy Summit was held in Milwaukee the last week in March. It was nice to see a mix of people that included students, business owners, and of course, out-of-work professionals interested in network and exploring the green industry possibilities. Everyone was interested in learning what hot renewable energy innovations and technologies are out there today.

When I think of biomass, I think of the silver DeLorean in “Back to the Future” where the professor was able to turn garbage into fuel for his time machine. When that movie came out, the idea of using banana peels to power your engine was probably thought of as ridiculous. But today, humans can use all sorts of natural, renewable vegetation and substances.