From Grist:
"Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the search giant, has unveiled a plan to move the U.S. to a clean-energy future. The vision: In 2030, electricity will be generated not from coal or oil but from wind, solar, and geothermal power. Energy demand will be two-thirds what it is now, thanks to stringent energy-efficiency measures. Ninety percent of new vehicle sales will be plug-in hybrids. Carbon dioxide emissions will be down 48 percent. Getting there will cost $4.4 trillion, says the plan -- but will recoup $5.4 trillion in savings. The Clean Energy 2030 plan would require ambitious national policies, a huge boost to renewables, increased transmission capacity, a smart electricity grid, and much higher fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles. But hey, says the report: "With a new administration and Congress -- and multiple energy-related imperatives -- this is an opportune, perhaps unprecedented, moment to move from plan to action.""
Link to the plan Clean Energy 2030
The US is a great place for renewables; as T Boone pointed out, there is abundant wind from Texas to Canada. The coasts also have offshore wind. The southern 3rd of the country is great for solar. Recent advances in geothermal allow it to be used in many more places than it has been traditionally to handle the mythological "base-load". Advances in energy storage and smart grid, allow the intermittent nature of wind and solar to be mitigated.
