Kern County, California, with an economy driven by oil and the military, is as conservative a place as you could find. But it's fallen in love with wind and solar power -- for strictly fiscal reasons. If this revolution helps green the planet, well, that's icing on the cake.
The sun is the ultimate renewable energy source, and Jigar Shah believes it's ready for prime time. As the brains behind the business model that made solar power easy and affordable, he should know.