After writing an article a few weeks back about a city in China where almost every roof is covered in solar, I've come to realize that we're obviously not taking advantage of the square footage above our heads. Everything from collecting rain to growing produce to harnessing the sun could be achieved using our roofs. We're not there yet, but I'm hopeful that change is in the air.

Helping my optimism along is a recent article of a firm in California attempting to take single-purpose parking garages and turn them into functional structures that harness the power of the sun. Already having raised $600,000, Envision Solar plans to take advantage of wasted space above these structures and line them with solar panels. That energy could then be used to either power a nearby building, fed into the grid, or leveraged to charge electric cars. Tesla Motors, makers of the upcoming Tesla Roadster all-electric super car, are also petitioning for a similar setup. Go figure.

Achieving this in the U.S., however, is still a feat, especially with the prices of panels still high and education on the technology still relatively lacking. As the article points out, finding financing in a country like Spain or Germany wouldn't take much convincing. Renewable energy there is like jazz in the 1920s: hot, innovative, and the groove of the moment. The U.S. is stuck still listening to classical music.

If you made it through my analogy, you understand what I'm getting at: We're almost ready to pay attention and take advantage of this big ball above our heads. Almost. The first step is leveraging those structures that can easily push us in the right direction without much hassle for any party. The parking garage is that perfect foot in the door to get us there. The electric car will be the catalyst. The rest is up to us.

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