Energy Policy Overview

russell wagner

Any sane energy policy must be an integrated effort, resulting in integrated energy production, distribution and usage frameworks. Point solutions, like those in existence today, will not cut it. To that end, the policy implementation will go forward in phased steps of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 year increments.

The viability of promulgating a comprehensive plan all the way through to the 50 year mark will not be addressed in this document, but personally, I don't believe that a Mega-giganto “Battlestar Galactica” style plan is necessary. Many technologies will have to be developed ad-hoc, as they were during the Manhattan Project and the moon race (Apollo Program). Also, all implementations will, of course and by necessity, be done with respect to SANE concerns for the natural environment. However, any implementation will be executed with the concept of the primacy of the human species and it's survival foremost in mind. The age of radical environmental extremism will be permanently put to bed, with the harshest of legal penalties for obstructionists.

To that end, I propose the following -

1. Use of hardware/software technologies to ramp up efficiency in the use of current fossil fuels, both in production and end use. Fossil fuel is not going away anytime soon, but it is imperative that we make the most efficient use of what we have. CONCURRENT WITH THIS EFFORT -

2. Ramp up government incentives (tax credits, direct investment in entrepreneurial efforts, subsidies, even new Federal agencies) for the following technologies -

• Solar Thermal (NOT photo-voltaic. Let the free market handle that mess.).

• Geo-couple (sink large thermocouple units in existing dormant oil wells)

• Fuel cell power generation (mated to geo-couple).

• Tidal and Hydro-electric (Massive units...no small point solutions!).

• Nuclear, using the French model for production and disposal of reactor waste.

• Massive wind power farms (located where the wind is – the Midwest, Gulf coast, etc.).

As alt.energy output rises, fossil fuel output will become less important, and will eventually drop off completely. When that economic crossover occurs, then H2 (hydrogen fuel) and ethanol (from biomass) can be produced in accordance with the economies of scale (at that time extant) with respect to the alt.energy output. This will hasten the abandonment of fossil fuel usage, as it will be replaced by H2 and biomass EtOH. Right now the ratio of fossil fuel required to produce an equivalent volume of alt.energy fuel is too far above unity (1/1) to be economically practical. (See graph below).

A word about the importance of integrating these efforts. The focus on systems integration, especially with regards to modular approaches, derive from the fact that most efforts of significant scales are composed of a multitude of processes and/or utilize multimodal inputs and outputs. For example, during the moon race, the Soviets built rockets bigger by simply strapping on more and more boosters. This led to the Energia N-1 moon booster, which had 72 rocket motors on the first stage. In an age prior to the development of microchip based computing power, this is obviously not practical. Three launches were attempted, all failed, with the booster having to be destroyed. Meanwhile, Werner Von Braun's' team at NASA developed the Saturn V booster. It had only five rocket motors on the first stage, but all fuel systems, pumps, servos, etc were totally integrated. Good system integration can make the difference between going to the moon, and having to blow your rocket up.

Other benefits -

Stopping the huge flow of money going to countries that do not share our belief in democracy and free markets -- Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Those petrodollars would be reinvested right here at home. I believe that alternative energy would be a future source of economic growth. It would create new industries and American jobs.

I am not a socialist who wants to regulate markets. I prefer a variety of incentives for both businesses and consumers. I also firmly believe in free markets ( we don't have a free energy market today) and I expect that corporations will lead the way on technological innovation, once they smell a dollar.

--Possible Benchmarks--

1) By 2030, reduce U.S. oil dependence by 50%;

2) Increase efficiency and renewables in the electricity and natural gas markets;

3) Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% (probably 30%) by 2030, 50% by 2040, 80% by 2050, and 90% by 2060;