The Energy Entrepreneurs: Green power meets the bottom line

BOSTON — Al Gore isn't going to save the world from climate change. (He may not even save his own reputation if salacious allegations about his groping a massage therapist in Portland, Ore. prove true; Gore denies the charges).

But the world doesn't need Gore, or any other global warming "guru."

That's because it already has Khaled Al Sabawi in Ramallah, who's heating and cooling homes in the West Bank with geothermal energy.

And Manuel Aguilar in Guatemala, who's powering Central American jungle communities with sunlight.

And Gynesh Pandey in Bihar, India, who's burning rice husks to light rural villages in one of the poorest corners of the planet.

And Mario Llanas in Santiago, Chile, who's turning prickly cacti into electricity for the world's largest copper company.

There's also Doron Aurbach in Tel Aviv who's using Israel's abundant supply of magnesium to store solar energy; or Said Mouline, who's conjuring Africa's largest wind farm near Tangier, Morocco; or Porfirio Sanchez, who's building do-it-yourself wind kits in the breezy hills of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Green entrepreneurs worldwide aren't waiting for new energy policies or the political will that may, one day, reduce global greenhouse emissions by some arbitrary target.

They are already working furiously to create — and capitalize on — smart ideas that produce clean, renewable energy.

These energy pioneers aren't incentivized by government dictates, nor are they making grandiose promises to revolutionize the global economy. They're simply putting innovative renewable energy ideas to work — one small step at a time.

And, yes, they're also making a few bucks along the way.

This search for innovation and profit is what underlies The Energy Entrepreneurs, a new GlobalPost video series. As our journalists are uncovering across Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, a radical transformation of the global energy system is well underway.

And you haven't seen the half of it.

Each week GlobalPost will be scouring the world for the best green ideas, the most promising renewable energy technologies, and the most successful entrepreneurs now taming sunlight, wind, water, biofuels and the Earth's own heat to bring clean energy to all people, and to all corners.

This original video series combines two powerful human drivers — greed, and the desire to do good — with fresh ideas and emerging technologies that, taken together, might just save the planet from climate destruction.

So take a video spin around the globe with us.

It may not be quite as fun as a lower abdominal massage that Mr. Gore allegedly prefers. But we promise this much: it'll be more informative.

And a lot cleaner.