Aired 1/6/13

In the year 2000, Germany got 6% of its energy from renewables. That's about what we get in the US today. But today Germany gets 25% of its electricity from solar, wind and biomass. And Germany is not exactly the American Southwest. Perhaps just as impressive and important, 65% of the country's renewable power capacity is owned by individuals, cooperatives and communities. Clean and decentralized. I'll be talking with Osha Gray Davidson about how they did it and what we can learn from their story.

Osha is new to me, but I contacted him immediately as soon as I saw his new book CLEAN BREAK: The Story of Germany's Energy Transformation and What Americans Can Learn from It. As anyone who listens to this show knows, I feel one of the crucial elements in America's sluggish response to many of our biggest challenges is our ignorance about what other countries do well.