On a tangent, I think solar has a lot to offer, especially for roofing and home design. I love running solar, but it's a headache that most people won't want to deal with until more bugs are worked out. And it's probably only good for partially reducing our energy consumption. Though we keep increasing the items we are pulling from the grid. Not sure how much more efficient all my electrical power tools are vs the air tools and small engine stuff I used to use, as a starter. Don't forget about manufacturing costs and resources either.
What's the most frustrating with a lot of the "green" market though are all the scams that are clear and some that are fairly hidden for the average consumer. I think stuff has gotten better on the commercial scale, but so many items I've bought have no financial payback and very limited uses. I don't mind that though because I'm either in remote areas, prefer the lack of noise, like tinkering, etc.
Many of the industrial motors we work with have to be purchased at least 2x their previously few percentage less efficient models and are often kept on longer, because they're not as strong as the old stuff (this is mostly hearsay, I admit, but the guys that pay for it and know how the machines run refuse to do away with some of their old motors).
However if you don't have expendable cash, this stuff is a rip off and unless the world is going to have loads of excess cash, they're not going to follow suit either. Even if you give many people a system many aren't or won't be able to keep up with all of the demands and nuisances of what's out there and some aspects can be dangerous.
