We find that when charged frequently, every 20 miles or less, using average US electricity, small-capacity PHEVs are less expensive and release fewer GHGs than hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) or conventional vehicles.
But in Georgia, where the main utility says it has the sole authority to sell electricity, small-scale solar power has not flourished because property owners must purchase systems themselves rather than lease them from companies like Sunrun for a monthly fee.
And it could soon mean power produced, quite literally, in your own backyard.Miracles in miniatureThe secret to this revolution lies in "micropower", the generation of electricity by small-scale fuel cells and gas turbines.
FoE, the REA and the Co-op group say that the scheme as it currently stands, which has an overall ambition to supply just 2% of UK electricity from small-scale renewable energy sources (up to 5MW) by 2020.
A feed-in tariff is a rate of money paid by the government to homeowners, business and organisations such as schools and community groups to generate their own electricity through small-scale green energy installations such as solar panels.
Due to the fact that residential sector is one of the largest electricity consumers, small-scale RES have a promising future in this market segment.
Some were used to produce electricity for small municipalities, while others were installed in water-pumping plants.
They can also be used to power warships, merchant ships and oil tankers, or to generate electricity in small gas-fired power stations.
They brought in three twelve-metre lengths of PVC pipe, an array of pumps, and, in the absence of electricity, a small armada of generators.
Faced with sky-high electricity rates, small communities across a country known more for garbage than environmental citizenship are finding economic salvation in making renewable energy.
