What We Can Achieve Through Continued Green Energy Research Green energy research is absolutely crucial for the continued survival of our species on this planet. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, we have fueled our economic growth with energy based on fossil sources. Coal and oil have been the basis of our entire economic and cultural development. This needs to change, and change quickly, otherwise we are going to be facing a dramatic crisis. We need to develop new sources of energy which are clean and renewable, and we need to do this while we still have enough of the traditional fuels to make the change. The traditional fuels are running out fast, and even burning what we have is causing serious damage to our environment. There is now no option but to develop sustainable alternatives which produce no damaging by products, and which will continue to energize us long into the future. The importance of renewable energy technologies is no longer in doubt, and the push to develop these now has the backing of all major governments. This backing is necessary to provide the financial incentive for development. Green energy research is being carried out by several cutting edge technology companies, all with an eye on the spectacular financial gains which they could be making in the future. The research can be broadly divided into two separate areas, as there is a need to develop extremely small scale energy equipment for domestic use alongside huge global projects which will need international cooperation to bring to fruition. This combination is what will serve us best in the future. The green energy research which has gained the most press coverage is research into solar photovoltaic technology and solar energy. This is no surprise, as many of the most innovative companies are based in Southern California which has an ideal climate to use solar power. The potential for this technology is unlimited, with vast areas of the globe able to use it effectively. The whole of the world's energy need could be met by solar power alone. The best result, though, will be achieved by combining it with wind power which is often extremely effective in the conditions where solar power is less suitable. The far northern parts of the globe which have little sunshine and cold temperatures tend to have ample wind resources, especially when you move offshore. Major global energy projects featuring wind power in these regions allied to solar power in the hot tropical regions of Africa and South America have the potential to supply the world with more than enough energy to sustain worldwide development. Add on to this the capability of hydrogen to at as a storage facility for energy, and you will see that the possibility is already here, using technologies which already exist, to completely solve the world's energy crisis. This will be the eventual result of the current green energy research.