[ASSURAS] Ridding the country of its dependence on oil will largely depend on new energy ideas and inventions and whether they can succeed off the drawing board. That promise of innovation is why Planet Forward, a Web site and TV show dedicated to energy and sustainability, recently held a nationwide contest to determine the country's top energy innovators. The brains and spirit behind Planet Forward joins us for theMIX. Frank Sesno is here to talk about some of those innovations and their potential -- Good to have you.

[SESNO] It's great to be here.

[ASSURAS] We've all covered this, "energyNOW!" I mean, that's our mandate as well. These innovations, there are so many out there, but how would you describe the breadth and the scope of the innovations out there?

[SESNO] Oh, it's really breathtaking. And that's what's exciting about it, because the innovations range from the technology to the policy behind them to the behaviors that they would instigate. And I think that's where you get real hope. When you see the kinds of things that people are coming up with, to change a business model to make something gain traction better, to investigate a new technology to take us into a new energy field. Most of these are not going to be overnight, flip the switch and it's suddenly a new day. We are in this transition phase, as we know. But we are such a remarkably innovative species, to see it unleashed like this is very exciting.

[ASSURAS] Absolutely true, and we're going to look at a couple of your finds, so let's look at one. Some of Planet Forward's top innovators had to do with algae and the production of kinds of fuel. So, one of the organizations that put together a plan essentially created gas, so let's take a look.

[TEXT ON SCREEN] "Green Crude" PLANET FORWARD FINALIST.

[MAN] Once the algae matures in ponds, it's separated from water by a centrifuge... creating a thick algae paste. And that paste gets fed into this test plant extractor that uses green solvents to crack open the algae cells and release oil. The result is green crude, but is it cost-effective? Right now, algae costs roughly $7 per gallon, or $300 a barrel.

[TEXT ON SCREEN] ALGAE OIL: $7.14/GAL. $300/BARREL. CRUDE OIL: $3.50/GAL. $100/BARREL.

[MAN] But Sapphire will open a new 300-acre test plant in 2012, the largest in the nation. By producing one million gallons per year, they predict the price will drop.

[ASSURAS] So, Frank, that's green crude, which is going to become, essentially, gasoline into our cars, which is what I meant before. What do you think really is the possibility that this is going to go into a grand scale? Your opinion?

[SESNO] My opinion is it's got a long way to go, and what they're saying and what they freely admit is they've got to get it to scale. They've got to turn out hundreds of thousands of barrels to bring the price way down to make it competitive. Now, Bill Gates is an investor in this thing, and so they've got some powerful money.

[ASSURAS] That means a lot.

[SESNO] Powerful money and powerful brains behind it. Algae biofuel is very attractive. It roughly can put out 15 times more oil, or the equivalent of oil, as other biofuels -- corn or even cellulosic ethanol. So there's a lot of up side to it.

[ASSURAS] There are a lot of factors in here. I'm going to stick with algae because one of your other findings actually produced a type of alcohol fuel. We've taken a look at this as well, but I want to show that clip, and this is really fascinating.

[TEXT ON SCREEN] "Algae to Butanol" PLANET FORWARD FINALIST.

[MAN] This is our prototype butanol production unit that is currently under construction. It's really as simple as loading algae into this component here, pressing a red button, and three days later you'll have finished butanol coming out of this valve.

[MAN] And since butanol can work with gasoline engines, I can put this fuel into the car and make it go.

[MAN] For farmers and others, maybe, a lean, green revenue stream.

[ASSURAS] So that was fun, I like the little Go Kart, but wait a minute, there's not much leg room.

[SESNO] It's a little cramped, but it's easy to park.

[ASSURAS] No kidding. This goes to viability -- Your thoughts?

[SESNO] Well, first of all, I love this team. This is a team that's working with a professor, Jamie Hestekin, out of the University of Arkansas. And they're like a bunch of detectives. And they are getting into the science of this stuff in such a great way, that they are filling their brains with knowledge while they're trying to crack a code here. They're trying to create this machine -- it would cost about 25 grand. You're a farmer, you have dried algae. You can shovel the stuff into this thing and it will ferment and you'll get this butanol fuel out of it. Their objective here is to work on the pricing of this thing, so there's payback on the unit within about five years -- that would make it competitive.

[ASSURAS] I'm glad you brought up pricing, because we're going to bring up your Innovator of the Year. He is Danny Kennedy. He is in San Francisco. And he is the founder of Sungevity, which actually leases the Sun. Pretty good deal there. Explain that to our audience for us, Danny. Congratulations.

[KENNEDY] Thank you very much. Thanks to Frank and Planet Forward, too. Basically, we're able to lease you a solar system, make it really easier to actually get it. One of the innovations we were recognized for is software that allows us to design and engineer the system remotely through satellite and aerial photographs before even having to come to your house. And then when you get the system on the house, you pay us monthly. Like your electricity bill now, you just have to put no money down, and instead, take on a contract with us for solar electricity.

[ASSURAS] Let me interrupt you, because you said "no money down." And that's the key, because you're depending on tax credits. What happens if that money runs out, Danny?

[KENNEDY] Those tax credits are in law until 2016, and you've heard President Obama talking about shifting the subsidies that the oil and gas boys get towards clean energy. We're pretty confident those will remain. And the other driver is simply economics. The fact of the matter is, grid electricity is rising in cost for a variety of reasons. Solar electricity is falling in cost. And financing it is actually the key. The way it will get ubiquity like cell phones is being able to pay for the service on a contract rather than having to pay for it up front. That's kind of like buying your electricity for 25 years in one hit. Instead, we make it a no-deposit proposition that you can pay as you go forward with the solar lease.

[ASSURAS] Frank is nodding his head. Is that the key? What did you think of this?

[SESNO] I think the idea is a very interesting one because what Danny has done -- and this is what the audience recognized and why the Planet Forward audience voted for this to be the most innovative idea of the finalist ideas that were presented -- is that Danny has tackled both the financing innovation and a technology innovation in one package. But the big thing is, if I want to buy a solar system and panels for my roof, depending on where I live, I'm going to need to shell out somewhere between maybe $10,000 and $20,000. That's a very substantial barrier to entry.

[ASSURAS] The key thing, it's all about cost. Danny, again, congratulations. Frank, very quickly, what's next for you?

[SESNO] We're going to start looking at what smart communities need to do to build and adapt to a changing planet. That's energy, that's transportation, that's technology, that's architecture, that's infrastructure, and we're looking for innovations across the board, and we'll be doing more shows and picking more innovators.

[ASSURAS] We'll have you back.

[SESNO] I look forward to it.

[ASSURAS] Thank you very much to both of you.