Germany is undergoing what it calls an "Energiewende," which translates roughly into "a sharp turn in energy," or an energy revolution. MIT's Technology Review recently took an in-depth look at how Germany is shutting down nearly all of its nuclear power plants and is instead putting an estimated $125 to $250 billion over the next eight years into alternative energy sources like distributed solar and off-shore wind turbines. Not only is the nation looking to new fuel sources, but it's also investigating technologies like smart grids that can better manage small power sources, like personal solar arrays. It sounds like Germany is taking the hard road to the next generation of energy, but it's not without controversy — check out the source link for a complete look at the process.