How to save America; The Energy Solution

Authors note; This is the second in a series of ten (10) articles that I believe hold the key to the future success of our country, and in fact, any country which chooses to adopt the same strategies.
Article 1; The PODs



Tidal Generated Hydroelectric Power and You!!

As I mentioned in my first article, one of the very real prohibitors to growth and sustainability is the cost of energy. From the very beginning of any product's life, various types of energy, and their related costs, are attached to the product and its delivery.

Take for instance a farmed, food product. Their are tractors, irrigation systems, trucks, and bailing/milling/threshing (depending on the product grown) machines. This, of course, is merely at the farming level.
After it is taken from the farm, there is even more trucking, and cannery/bakery/food processing to be done in another factory. This,of course, has left out all packaging related energy expenditures, but you can easily multiply all transportation and factory costs by as many layers of packaging used in relation to the product.
Plastic, paper and aluminum packaging all have roots that start in similar energy usage as the farmed product.
We then have to transfer these products to centralized disbursing areas, and then onto our own local markets. (in some cases, small stores purchase from Costco etc., creating another link in the chain)
The product is then purchased, and taken home by the consumer, adding one last step to the process. We have forgotten to mention the obvious costs of lighting, and refrigeration (or any kind of climate control) and other various energy usage that maintains the products viability.

The added costs, or rephrased, the costs of your product that are related to energy usage, is actually quite a lot.

This is just one product. Just one facet of energy costs that we have in our daily lives.

As I see it, the number one thing that could, and should, be done, is to link all of our energy usage into one common vein. How can we save on energy, and make great gains in eliminating our fossil fuel usage, if we divide our great science minds into solving 1,000 different needs? Large trucks that are used for product transfer, tractors, personal vehicles, etc.
All of these varying conveyances require varying solutions. Why? Because no one solution is big enough to handle their various needs.

Well, here is one solution as I see it. Taken hand in hand with the POD solution, I believe that we could get this country on one renewable grid, one that made the costs of energy nearly free, and also solved our environmental challenges without sacrificing the comfort or development, that we as a species have become accustomed to. (we might even gain a side effect of near limitless fresh water)

This solution I speak of?
I heard of this many years ago, and have a couple of varieties to share with you.


Patent for first installed Hydrokinetic generator

Various links to technologies;

NHA
Lunar Powered Hydro Electric Plant
Tidal Hydro Electric Plant
World's fist commercial scale tidal energy generator nears completion
Innovation in Ocean Energy
NASA's take
Another Great Patent

Unlike ANY other means of renewable energy, it would actually take the end of the world to end this energy source.
We are talking about tidal energy, harnessed in Hydro Kinetic generators.
Using currents that lie deep under the oceans surface, away from storms, and non-threatening to nature.
Using the currents naturally created by the Moon's tidal pull.
Energy that won't dry up, and nearly perpetual.
It would nearly eliminate electrical costs in the long run.

Now, I am no engineer, but those trenches I mentioned in the PODs thread would carry this nearly PERPETUAL energy to all areas of our country.

The most important part, however, is to put all aspects of the grid on the same energy platform. It would be equally important to produce solar and wind energy, if only to help supplement the local grids. Nonetheless, A couple of hundred miles of these generators, places in the Gulf of mexico, the Atlantic seaboard, And the Pacific Seaboard, would allow the costs associated with all facets of our life (as far as energy costs are concerned) to be dramatically lowered. Pollution form coal plants, and the waste from drilling and nuclear sources would disappear in the 30-40 years the grid took to build.

How to pay for this project?

Drill.
Drill every available source, and tax it $1.00 per $1.00. Sell it everywhere, and never look back.
As i pointed out before, in step one, the careers of the voters who work in those industries would experience a lifetime of booming work, that transitioned to their grandchildren in other industries.

For all those that Lament the costs associated with oil, environmentally speaking, I would remind you that drilling is far more efficient, cleaner, and less likely to cause drastic impact when it does. Vehicles burn nearly 80% cleaner than just 30 years ago. Should we change?
Yes! That is what these series of articles are about! But it is about paradigm shifts, while maintaining current prosperity and ensuring future prosperity as well.

In 30-40 years, oil will seem like the dinosaur it's made of.





[edit on 31-3-2009 by jasonjnelson]

What the heck?

WHO JUST BUMPED MY THREAD?

An "excuse me" would have been nice...

Here are my solutions... .ready to go

MIT Algae bio reactor / algae oil
www.youtube.com...

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2 above ground pipelines from the ocean to the New Mexico desert. Set up shallow concrete trenches covered with glass (that you make out of the sand on site) to limit evaporation. Any extra seawater is put through solar distillation and piped to cities as clean fresh water.

100% domestic production / sale only... once domestic supply is met, any extra can be sold on the open market... since taxpayer money would be used to create this algae farm, we would pay cost + x% only. Generally non-profit until domestic production goals are exceeded then any extra is exported for sale, otherwise we run into the "paper trading speculation game" as we have seen recently with our $4 a gallon gas.

So, this resource payed for by the taxpayer will be returned to the taxpayer at cost + operating expenses only. Of course this would be hard to do as corporations and politicians would want to make as much profit for themselves as possible with total disregard for the American citizen as usual so the rules would have to be on the books before even starting construction.

And it is Carbon Neutral, what is spent burning is re-absorbed by the next cycle.... Net Zero carbon from this source.

Secondly - Garbage Plasma For Electrical Generation (Co2 and about 99% less pollution than coal.

www.youtube.com...

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Hey, nice compilation on this thread!

There are many, many different solutions to the energy crisis that will be faced sometime in the future. But that is the problem. No single solution is going to cover the load needs, but implementation of many types would. This society is so used to running off coal and petrol for the most part, that everyone thinks there must be one distinct solution. Most people do not put in much effort to understand alternative energy systems and types, as well as where certain systems would be more advantageous. Most people want a simple solution, that they can wrap their brains around easily. They seem to stiffen to any idea that isn't "ideal." (Even though our current system is far from it).

The technologies you have shown here, as well as a whole cast of others and more conventional alternatives, are all within our current technological limits. When the price of petrol products goes back to where it was last summer the cost component of these technologies will make them competitive economically. Unfortunately thats the only thing the American consumer understands, and in turn thats all the businesses understand.

2cents. Great vids, btw.

reply to post by jasonjnelson


In terms of levelized cost of energy (LCOE), geothermal is by far the cheapest renewable energy available abundantly for 24/7/365. This green energy is also proposed as the free energy source that fuels the Venus Project, a money-free resource-based economy.

www.sciam.com...

[edit on 31-3-2009 by ctjctjctj]

Ah, but geothermal, like wind, is geographically dependent. Sure Iceland can power their nation on it (or was that greenland), but it is simply not feasible everywhere.

Use of geothermal properties are catching on as a heat sink, however. Since the ground is more uniform in temperature during the year it can be used to increase the coefficient of performance for heat pumps, etc.

reply to post by ctjctjctj


I appreciate what you are talking about, however, you have to remember that you are limited by location when it comes to thermal.

Which is why I thought tidal energy would be the best solution....

reply to post by Electromotivation


I agree with you, which is why this article makes more sense if you read the 1st article about PODs.
Cheers!

Yes, this is a bump...

I put it here to keep people from speeding through the neighborhood.

For the kids, you know?

LIke electric said, there isn't one solution that is good for everybody.But there is also nothign wrong with that. Seaside cities should use wave energy.
Or bio energy.

Anyone can use solar energy.Location really isn't limited. What I dont' get is why places like Phoenix dont' take advantage of it.
Funny how places that most need to be green are not.

As far as energy usage goes, what I have a problem with is the media puts so much attention on recycling.
The term Reduce, reuse, recyle has reduce first. And for good reason. The most responsible thing is to not have the resources wasted producting the product int he first place.

Buy less, use less. period.

people need to depend on less, and think about how much they are using.

One of the most overlooked energy absorbers and pollution makers is landscaping equipment. Leaf blowers, lawn mowers, tractors, weed eaters. They are barely filtered.

Look at ALL the lawn around you during your day and it all has to be maintained and quite frequently.

People cut their grass too often, even in winter.

people want a "living rug"

there need to be limits on much grass can be cut. Reduce the emissions, reduce the fuel usage.

Since J. Craig Venter is now attempting to build a single-celled organism from DNA up and algea are already being modified to produce hydrogen, it wouldn't seem unreasonable that we could eventually have "designer" organisms just to produce energy or an energy carrier. Just wanted to toss that out there (semi-random).

But, back on topic, tidal generation is interesting because of the patterns of human development that led to concentration around shorelines, making this more convenient and lessening transmission losses.

reply to post by Electromotivation


I have watched some specials on the algae that produce hydrogen, and some other types of energy... I thought that they were remarkable ideas...

One thing that I have yet to understand is why energy companies continue to use oil, and not put huge capital into this type of idea (tidal generators) ? Even if you charged far less than what we do today for energy, if we were all on the same grid, and it was pollution free and near limitless, we would use SO much more and have such incredible gains (IMO).

This is why, at times, I wonder if there is such a cabal of evil people who seek to prevent us from excelling as a species. The United States used to seem the break from the days of old, a place where a man could use innovation to make ideas, and his labor, pay off. Other than war, I believe this form of freedom to be the most conducive atmosphere for invention and advancement.
But when I write the ideas I have posted in these two articles, I think that if there were to be a monopoly, a grab for industrial power in this country, why not let it be the kind that benefits mankind?
The same companies that produce and refine oil products could take their profits from last year and buy almost every major company available.

Really think about that.

If Exxon wanted to buy Viacom, it would be a joke.

If Shell wanted Disney, and Verizon, and whoever, it could be done on their quarterlies alone.

So why not buy these companies, and reduce the cost of oil, and then people would have so much more to spend on the other companies they own.

Am I speaking Gibberish?

The point is, I think that if we could get on ONE energy type, which could be done if ALL my articles are implemented, we would stand to gain so much as a population.

I am bumping this thread in anticipation of the massive attention my next thread will draw. I would hate to have this thing buried in the rush.