Clean Energy! Read All About It!

I read a lot – admittedly, not as much as I did before our daughter came along a year ago. However, for a hardworking American trying to build a family, oversee an Earth Day festival, and consult on various projects, you would be surprised. I do what I call “heavy reading” early in the morning (4:30 a.m.); it gets my juices flowing and helps to inspire my day. Because of this, I get asked by friends, students and colleagues, “What are you reading?”

Therefore, I have put together this list (did I tell you I like lists…a lot?) to jumpstart your clean energy reading. In no particular order, here are my Top 5 Clean Energy News resources:

FastCoExist.com – This division of the popular Fast Company magazine focuses on innovations in sustainability, not just energy. When trying to understand the world of clean energy, it is important to keep current with the new systems being created throughout sustainability sectors such as human health, transportation and agriculture. We are all going to need to have a greater understanding of how new devices interact with each other and how we, as users, should interact with them to maximize efficiency. Their Twitter feed is strong and their coverage does a great job of exposing you to the companies and research that are rethinking how we live, work and play.

Silvio Marcacci – I have never met him, but I think he is the most interesting clean energy man on Twitter (@Silvio_Marcacci). I would love to have coffee (tea for me) with him. He is consistently sharing energy news that you will not find in other outlets. (I’ve actually had to restrain myself from retweeting him too much.) I’m not talking about the “we built a solar farm” news. He must read 24/7 (no kids?). He is a writer for CleanTechnica.com, and that might explain how he gathers all the breaking news, but nonetheless, I am impressed by his consistency in sharing stories that matter.

eNewsletters – Yes, I am going to recommend that you get even more email sent to you. Start with the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association’s newsletter. The Environmental Protection Agency has a newsletter system that lets you choose a specialty area you are most interested in following. To keep abreast of developments in higher education, sign up for the Bulletin from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

Twitter Feeds – It is amazing how much of my news comes via Twitter these days. I used to love reading the paper, but my iPad changed all of that; I work and read differently than I did just two years ago. I follow specific companies, organizations and individuals I know are building the devices, making the acquisitions or working on creating the devices/policies that will change how we live. I would recommend starting with ABB, Ceres, the Energy Department and Oceana (yes, water and energy are related).

Get Geeky – Okay, you might find this a cop-out, but I couldn’t narrow it down to just one resource in this category. The content you will find on Solar Power World and Renewable Energy World are both equally relevant and important for understanding how the industry is evolving. You can get in the weeds of solar operations and installation trends with Solar Power World, while Renewable Energy World covers everything from biofuels to wind. Renewable Energy World is a bit easier to digest, but if you want to get even deeper go to Solar Power World and take part in some of their technical webinars.