The Solutions Project is an organization first conceived in 2011 by prominent figures in science, business and the entertainment media with the goal of utilizing the combined efforts of individuals in the fields of science, business and culture to accelerate the transition to 100% renewable energy use in the United States.[1] Based on the results of academic research, the organization maintains that America is capable of meeting its entire energy needs through renewable energy sources, and that this goal can be achieved by the year 2050. (The organization defines renewable energy as solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy and wave/tidal power.) Furthermore, the organization claims that the solutions that will be needed to achieve this goal are primarily social and political, not technical, in nature, as most of the technology necessary to bring about the transition already exists.[2]
The organization has proposed what it calls the "50 States 50 Plans" initiative.[3] These are plans developed for each of the 50 United States specifying the precise mix of renewable energy types that, given factors such as geography and climate, would allow that particular state to receive all of its energy from renewable sources by 2050. The organization claims that, beyond the issue of environmental sustainability, a number of significant benefits to society would come about if the initiative were adopted, including consumer energy cost savings, health cost savings and millions of long-term (40 years or more) jobs.
Founders of The Solutions Project include Stanford University professor Mark Z. Jacobson, renewable energy executive Marco Krapels, documentary filmmaker and activist Josh Fox and Hollywood actor and activist Mark Ruffalo.