About six months ago, I came onboard at North American Clean Energy (NACE) as a part-time editor that was fairly green to the industry (no pun intended). Though, at the time, I couldn’t have told you the difference between thin film and crystalline silicon PVs (see page 18 if you’re wondering), it seems renewable energy has always been, at least in some way, part of my life.

When I was only ten years old – and I won’t tell you how long ago that was – my parents built a house using geothermal energy to heat and cool our home. Two wells were dug, one to transfer water from the earth to a heat pump, and another to circulate water back to the earth. As a fairly new residential system at the time, it wasn’t without its share of complications. Not only did the wells take a long time to dig (or so I’m told), but the heat pump, which was made of steel, also began to corrode. It was an expensive system to implement as well; though, once it worked properly, my parents say it worked very well. We moved cities a few years later and, unfortunately, my parents never did get to experience the long-term efficiency or financial payoff, which should be substantial by now.

Before then, I spent summers at my grandparents, mostly in their outdoor pool – which my grandfather attempted to heat using homemade solar panels. He attached black panels of plastic piping onto the roof of his home, pumping pool water up through these pipes, and back to the pool again. I suppose this made somewhat of a temperature difference, though if he were still around (rest his soul), he would have been astounded by today’s technology. What he wouldn’t give to have walked the aisles of Solar Power International with me in San Diego this past  ctober, which hosted over 425 exhibitors and was attended by over 23,000 people.

Even in these tough economic times, my grandfather would have been optimistic about the future of renewable energy, if only because of how much the industry has grown since his first attempt at self-made solar panels. Of course, the recent eight-year extension of the investment tax credit in the US wouldn’t hurt either. This issue brings some mixed reactions to the extension, along with our 16-page 2009 Wind Buyers’ Guide. There is plenty to read and plenty to learn about. As my grandfather would sometimes say, ”Just imagine what the future holds!” I’m excited to begin as a full-time editor here at NACE and find out.

Sincerly,
Michelle Froese