Guest blogger Tracy Smith is a communications officer for E+Co, an organization which empowers local SMEs that supply clean and affordable energy in developing countries. Tracy has an undergraduate degree in economics and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

By Tracy Smith

A few days ago, my neighbor installed 20 feet of gleaming solar panels in her backyard. She assured me that over the next ten years the savings in energy costs would nearly pay for the panels and besides, she would be doing something good for the environment. I left her backyard thinking, you have to be rich to be green.

But as a member of the clean energy community, I should know better. I know, for example, that throughout the developing world, farmers, teachers, nurses - all kinds of people are installing solar panels on their roofs, lighting their homes with hydro electric energy, powering their equipment with biogas and generally catching onto the benefits of clean energy much more quickly than one might expect.

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