Weaning
the World from fossil fuels:
Why
we can't just jump to green energy & alternative fuels overnight.
1/A
CLEAR PLAN & ECONOMICS OF GOING GREEN
First
and foremost, we do have a need to migrate away from fossil fuels,
but there are serious problems with any attempt to do so with
anything less than a concrete, yet somewhat flexible plan that
utilizes a mix of alternatives such as wind power, nuclear, clean
coal, natural gas and fuels that are not made from food crops. A tax
that would create the funding is not a good idea given the national
debt and the current recession, as it would create a near death
spiral for the western economies. It would not only affect the US
Economy, it would stretch it's tentacles into China, OPEC, Mexico and
many other trade partners and affect to some degree every other
economy in the world as US goods became either too expensive or
incredibly cheap, depending on what was taxed and how it was applied.
It would slow the German and Chinese economies if their exports were
to suddenly lose their market advantage, which is already close to
happening if you monitor the indexes pertaining to China's cost
factors. The strong US Dollar actually has an adverse effect on their
exports globally as the Yuan is tied to the dollar. A weak Euro has
some advantages for Germany in the area of export, but the debt
crisis in Greece and the dangerous precipice that Hungary, Romania,
Italy, Spain and Portugal are on as well as the situations in Iceland
and the United Kingdom do not reflect a shift in the Euro's weak
position for a good time to come.
Thus,
any shift to alternative fuels and alternative energy needs to be a
gradual and well planned shift, not a rapid change of the status quo
as the global economic state as well as the US economy will be
adversely affected by the great expense upfront and the slow tide of
return. This is without considering any sort of waste (which is
inherent in government programs), merely considering that not
everything that will be tried will pan out correctly or as
effectively as it works in the laboratory trial. Additionally we have
a lack of proper infrastructure, physics working against us in the
case of solar and hydrogen power and the aging electrical grid for a
few of the obvious major obstacles.
Let's
face it, can you name or locate one single biodiesel or ethanol
pipeline in the United States? The fact is that delivery of these
fuels as well as hydrogen are hampered by the lack of infrastructure
and all the wishing in the world will not deliver the fuels to market
effectively. A new infrastructure is called for and a plan to roll it
out economically as well.
How
do we get there from here? Careful planning and the realization
of natural obstacles is a good start, but we really have to look at
increasing our output and reducing our foreign dependence to cut
imbalances and begin to shift funds back into the system, as well as
increasing the output via export of national resources, which
requires simplified compliance and lowered cost of compliance and
start up for coal mining, petroleum production, natural gas
production, fuel refining and the production of other natural
resources such as our precious metals. We have the technology
available, but inventors lack the proper conduit and intellectual
property safeguards and this prevents them from coming forward with
their inventions for fear that they will see years of work stolen in
a heartbeat. So, there is a two part answer here: First, we
accelerate production of our natural resources to ease trade deficits
and produce exports which can have a dramatic effect on our trade
numbers in a fairly short order and Second, we use Chambers of
Commerce, Rotaries and other local groups to create incubators for
the inventors and coordinate programs and testing of concepts with
area resources such as Universities. Innovation and production must
be achieved without an undue tax burden and without the current reams
of red tape. Both of these goals can be realized by working closely
with local preexisting resources. The way out of our current state
requires working cooperatively and streamlining cumbersome processes
while putting more people to work.
2/
WHERE DO WE BEGIN?
As
stated above, we must use our fossil fuels, as well as our abundant
natural resources and we must move along a viable and realistic
timeline that makes economic and logistical sense, which is to say
that we have to use what we have readily available first, then move
to what we can build in 3 years, then 5, then 10. Each of these
phases must have a realistic budget and there must be three layers of
logistics: Local, Regional and National and all of these must have a
coordinated plan and communication. Coal does not exist in every
State, nor every region, the same is true for Natural Gas, Shale,
Oil, Gold and every other natural resource.
Wind
power is better suited to some areas than others and Wave power
requires being near the oceans or a larger body of water, just as
hydroelectric power bears considerations of the water's force, volume
and the environmental impact. The best source for this information is
a combination of our maps from agencies such as the Department of
Energy, combined with the local knowledge of the area and perhaps
with incentives for use of private land with revenue sharing, much
like the way an oil lease makes a return for a private owner, even if
there is a corporation that installs the means to produce energy or
resources. The next two layers of the exploration and use are based
in the satellite mapping technology and expert analysis including
subterranean mapping and rock flow dynamics.
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