Can the U.S. Create Its Own German-Style Energy Revolution? [View all]

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-23/can-the-u-s-create-its-own-german-style-energy-revolution-.html


An oil pump in the Sonoran Desert, U.S. Photographer: Getty Images

InsideClimateNews.org (Phoenix, Arizona) -- From a block away, the house was hardly visible, hidden by a dense stand of native mesquite and palo verde trees and tall clumps of prickly pear cactus. Close up, you could see the concrete block structure, built a half century ago when acres of citrus groves were broken into parcels and replaced by homes.

Turning the site back into desert took some work, Brock Tunnicliff explained, standing outside his house on a typical September morning in the Sonoran desert, temperatures in the mid-80s under a nearly cloudless sky. It also took some courage, because desert landscaping isn't popular in Phoenix. Most people here still prefer a lawn out front and a swimming pool in the back.

For Tunnicliff, who works in natural resource management, adopting native landscape was a logical choice in a desert climate. Bolted to his roof was another rational choice: a solar photovoltaic system that supplies most of his family's electricity needs. He installed the system even though he estimates it will take 12 years to break even on the investment.

"That is the future of energy," he said, pointing to the dark blue panels on his roof.