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08/30/2008 09:09:01 AM · #1 |
I have heard and read people saying we need to do this, or we need to do that, on the subject of our energy problems here in the US. T. Boone Pickens seems to have come up with a realistic plan on how to accomplish it. Added benefits are reducing our carbon footprint, creating work in a suffering job market, keep more of our money here at home, adding to our economy.
It’s just a start, but it is a start, and we might accidentally help our world at the same time.
Have a look.. The Pickens plan. |
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08/30/2008 02:04:26 PM · #2 |
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08/30/2008 03:59:57 PM · #3 |
I like this plan, and my respect for the man went up ten fold when I heard about it for the first time. Funny how 4 years can change someone.
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08/30/2008 04:03:06 PM · #4 |
| Add more nuclear plants to that and you have a good thing. |
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08/30/2008 04:15:28 PM · #5 |
I find his idea feasible and economical. From the video that I viewed I believe this could be a good start to reducing our dependency on foreign resources. And eventually our reliance on oil.
Message edited by author 2008-08-30 16:15:58. |
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08/30/2008 04:29:28 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by HawkeyeLonewolf:
Add more nuclear plants to that and you have a good thing. |
I do think we need to look into more clean ways to use nuclear power as well, seeing as they don't billow smoke into the air like many plants do.
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08/30/2008 04:41:35 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by AndyMac24:
Originally posted by HawkeyeLonewolf:
Add more nuclear plants to that and you have a good thing. |
I do think we need to look into more clean ways to use nuclear power as well, seeing as they don't billow smoke into the air like many plants do. |
Smoke billowing you are correct.
Spent nuclear rods, and contaminated garbage, is still a question of where to store.
Sure there is that vault the government built that cost billions to build, but the storage space is not infinite.
Are you ready to have another vault built in your back yard?
Think trade offs.
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08/30/2008 05:51:54 PM · #8 |
| As you say, I think its a good start. I really like the windpower part of the equation. The using natural gas to power cars part is only so-so. Natural gas cars might be an easy intermediate step, and is better than oil, but hopefully it doesn't distract from a better long term goal of converting our vehicle fleet to pure electric or fuel cell which don't have to rely on fossil fuels at all. |
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08/30/2008 10:36:38 PM · #9 |
Like I said, it’s just a start. If you visited the Grand canyon, Zion, or a few other National, and State parks in southern Utah- Northern Arizona this is probably close to what it looked like, unless the wind was from the east.
[thumb]716389[/thumb]
Oh, missed your post Thomas, I might have looked it up sooner..
Message edited by author 2008-08-30 22:46:34. |
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08/31/2008 08:28:13 AM · #10 |
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08/31/2008 09:42:59 AM · #11 |
Its refreshing to see a plan - any plan. Both parties have been guilty of ignoring and tabling this issue for decades.
The free market works best when it is free. In this case it (being the oil market)is not free. It is controlled by a cartel consisting of nations and populations that are hostile to us. We must stop transfering wealth to these people, and be free to deal with them politically and militarily without worrying about our economy.
The best thing about Pickens plan is the assertion that we can solve this. While I am skeptical about wind, solar (currently inefficient), fuel cells (hydrogen does not exist in nature) being able to solve our problems in the short run, we can make a huge dent with other proven technologies.
Nuclear is a proven technology. If we could be like France and commit to producing 80+ percent of our electricity in this way (including enough additional capacity to begin heating our homes/ofcs in this way), we would be well on our way to energy independence. We can also utilize more natural gas and produce synthetic oil from coal and tar sands - all of which we have in abundance. All of this will take investment.
The other side of the coin is conservation and efficiency. If we would gradually phase in a high tarrif on imported oil, the market would respond over time. Cars would become more efficient (no more H2's to take the 3 year old to mommy and me), cities would invest in more mass transit, etc.
At lest this is finally an issue.
Message edited by author 2008-08-31 09:44:56. |
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