Renewable energy journalist Osha Gray Davidson recently released a book called Clean Break, detailing the German Energiewende (translation: energy change). John Farrell points out how the book essentially tells a societal story of how Germans systematically shift to clean energy. From the book: “We’ll definitely get to 35 percent renewable power by 2020,” [Dr. Joachim Pfeiffer, a leading spokesman for the center-right Christian Democrats] said, referring to the next official target. “In fact, we’ll probably reach 40 percent.” …A whopping 65 percent of the country’s total renewable power capacity is now owned by individuals, cooperatives and communities, leaving Germany’s once all‐powerful utilities with just a sliver (6.5 percent) of this burgeoning sector. It’s a good lesson for the U.S., where policy makers often feel that they have to cater to set expectations based on entrenched interests (e.g. utilities and fossil fuel companies), and where the Germans took their inspiration from (in President Carter’s response to the energy crisis). President Reagan undid most of our progress, and the German lead on clean energy is the result … Continue reading Clean Break Inspires Americans to Pursue “Energy Change”