Great interview with T. Boone Pickens

[Chris]

This guy has it figured out...

Pickens: Greener U.S. would boost security, economy - CNN.com

 

[Skull Pilot]

And it would boost T Bones stock in wind tech.

 

[Old Rocks]

And what is wrong with that. The best of capitalism is doing well while doing good.

 

[Chris]

Converting trucks and public transportation to natural gas, which we have a huge supply of.... should be the first step.

Then go with Obama's plan to develop alternative energy including wind, solar, conservation, and fuel efficient cars in America.

 

[AVG-JOE]

And what is wrong with that. The best of capitalism is doing well while doing good.

Nicely put, Rocks!

-Joe

 

[dilloduck]

Converting trucks and public transportation to natural gas, which we have a huge supply of.... should be the first step.

Then go with Obama's plan to develop alternative energy including wind, solar, conservation, and fuel efficient cars in America.

I wonder who will be the recipient of all the R&D money for alternative energy ?

 

[DavidS]

I don't care if this man makes a trillion dollars... if he creates 10 1/2 million jobs in 10 years, that would be incredible. Big, gigantic windmills that generate clean electricity and create 10 1/2 million jobs. Pickens for energy secretary.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Jobs won't be created. there will just be a movement of jobs from one sector to another.

There is no need to totally revamp our cars and trucks to run on NG either. A simple switch to diesel engines that run on straight vegetable oil or bio diesel will be a quicker and less costly strategy. Use NG to heat homes. we already have 90+% efficient NG furnaces. Use NG as a "bridge" to geothermal home heating and cooling.

Besides the range of an NG car is about half that of a gasoline car and less than half of a diesel.

NG cars are not emissions free and NG is still a nonrenewable source of energy. Why spend all that money on another energy supply that is destined to run out and get more expensive just like oil?

Sources of vegetable oil are truly renewable and diesels running on Straight vegetable oil produce zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Why go for all the expense of new infrastructure and new factories when we can use the technology and infrastructure we have now and get the same results with a few upgrades that can be implemented much faster and less expensively?

 

[Old Rocks]

Jobs won't be created. there will just be a movement of jobs from one sector to another.

There is no need to totally revamp our cars and trucks to run on NG either. A simple switch to diesel engines that run on straight vegetable oil or bio diesel will be a quicker and less costly strategy. Use NG to heat homes. we already have 90+% efficient NG furnaces. Use NG as a "bridge" to geothermal home heating and cooling.

Besides the range of an NG car is about half that of a gasoline car and less than half of a diesel.

NG cars are not emissions free and NG is still a nonrenewable source of energy. Why spend all that money on another energy supply that is destined to run out and get more expensive just like oil?

.

Sources of vegetable oil are truly renewable and diesels running on Straight vegetable oil produce zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Why go for all the expense of new infrastructure and new factories when we can use the technology and infrastructure we have now and get the same results with a few upgrades that can be implemented much faster and less expensively?

Quite on the contrary, jobs will be created. We have 10 million unemployed at the moment. Creating jobs in alternative energies opens up many new jobs. For every primary job, there are service jobs created that support the primary job.

While I very much like the idea of bio-diesel, untill we get an efficient process using algea, or other single celled creatures, to manufacture it, we cannot supply our fleet in that manner. That being said, plug in electric hybrids, could easily reduce the amount of liquid fuel needed for transportation to half or less of the current use.

Frieghtliner is already working on a diesel hybrid for trucks that will reduce their fuel consumption by over 25%. And here is another fellow that is doing some amazing work with diesel engines;Motorhead Messiah - Fuel Efficient Cars - Biodiesel - Hybrids | Fast Company

 

[Skull Pilot]

Quite on the contrary, jobs will be created. We have 10 million unemployed at the moment. Creating jobs in alternative energies opens up many new jobs. For every primary job, there are service jobs created that support the primary job.

While I very much like the idea of bio-diesel, untill we get an efficient process using algea, or other single celled creatures, to manufacture it, we cannot supply our fleet in that manner. That being said, plug in electric hybrids, could easily reduce the amount of liquid fuel needed for transportation to half or less of the current use.

Frieghtliner is already working on a diesel hybrid for trucks that will reduce their fuel consumption by over 25%. And here is another fellow that is doing some amazing work with diesel engines;Motorhead Messiah - Fuel Efficient Cars - Biodiesel - Hybrids | Fast Company

Every new green job and green industry support job replaces a fossil fuel job and the fossil fuel support jobs.

I'm not saying green is bad but be realistic. And I believe you're right. A biofuel/ electric car is probably the best alternative. But doesn't it make sense to use bio diesel as a "bridge" since it is part of the solution rather than building a new, expensive but temporary NG fuel infrastructure as a bridge that will then be obsolete because NG is just as nonrenewable as oil?

We already pay farmers to grow crops and NOT sell them. We can easily have them ramp up production of oil producing crops. Algae is a good avenue and it won't take too long to get there. But you know that the best plan will be to produce oil from crop and algae sources. there is also some promise in turning animal by products from the meat industry into fuel. We need a multi-pronged approach not a single source.

But why waste all kinds of money to revamp infrastructure when the most logical path would be to use alternative fuels that can be delivered through our existing system? Hell even if we got down to 75% bio diesel and 25% petrol we would be exponentially better off, especially if we got home heating off fossil fuels altogether by requiring geothermal heat pumps in all new construction and upgrading the existing homes. Passive solar building designs, super insulated concrete building techniques, solar hot water are all necessary upgrades.

We have to attack from all fronts.

 

[Old Rocks]

Every new green job and green industry support job replaces a fossil fuel job and the fossil fuel support jobs.

I'm not saying green is bad but be realistic. And I believe you're right. A biofuel/ electric car is probably the best alternative. But doesn't it make sense to use bio diesel as a "bridge" since it is part of the solution rather than building a new, expensive but temporary NG fuel infrastructure as a bridge that will then be obsolete because NG is just as nonrenewable as oil?

We already pay farmers to grow crops and NOT sell them. We can easily have them ramp up production of oil producing crops. Algae is a good avenue and it won't take too long to get there. But you know that the best plan will be to produce oil from crop and algae sources. there is also some promise in turning animal by products from the meat industry into fuel. We need a multi-pronged approach not a single source.

But why waste all kinds of money to revamp infrastructure when the most logical path would be to use alternative fuels that can be delivered through our existing system? Hell even if we got down to 75% bio diesel and 25% petrol we would be exponentially better off, especially if we got home heating off fossil fuels altogether by requiring geothermal heat pumps in all new construction and upgrading the existing homes. Passive solar building designs, super insulated concrete building techniques, solar hot water are all necessary upgrades.

We have to attack from all fronts.

You are absolutely right concerning the need to go at this on all fronts. The use end, developing things that do the same job, using far less energy, on the generation end, alternatives, distribution, and multiple use grids. In the South Eastern corner and South Central Oregon, we have an area with some prime wind potential, geothermal, and the best solar in Oregon. Most of the land is BLM, very sparsely inhabited. It is high desert, and there would be very little environmental effect from either geothermal, wind, or solar, passive or thermal.

If the government built the grid, and charged for the electricity put over it, as well as the rent on the sites, we could let private enterprise develop the geothermal sites, as well as solar, and wind. As far as the use of geothermal heat pumps in building, commercial and residential, that would be an excellant idea. Higher up front cost, but a definate plus on the future heating costs. In fact, I foresee building codes in many areas requiring it.

Solar roofs and plug in hybrids are a perfect combination. Most driving is done within 40 miles of home, a car with 120 miles range on electricity would be more than ample to handle 80% or more of most peoples driving. And this does not require new technology. We allready have lithium batteries that have three times the power per volume of lead acid. And one of our electricians at work drives his sons electric car to work on occasion. It is about the size, inside and out, of a Toyota Camry. It has lead acid batteries in the bellypan, not at all noticeable from the outside, with no interior affects, and gets 40 miles easily at highway speeds. Good pickup, comparable to a strong 4 banger. With lithium batteries, it would easily get the 120 mile range. This car was built in 1994 by GM and Hughes. Why we have not had this offered commercially is a reflection of why GM is nearly bankrupt.

The only limit to what we can do is our imagination and will to do it. After $4 gas, I think we have the latter in abundance.

 

[Skull Pilot]

You know I hate to agree with people so much. It's just no fun.


So cut it out.

 

[editec]

The reason you agree with so many of us, Skull is because basically we are all patriotic americans who want our nation to do well.

This energy problem is so obvious that we are all seeking the same energy indepndent outcome.

We quibble on what the energy product mix might look like, but our goal is the same.

Few of us are technically qualified to determine what exactly is the right combination of energy sources, most of us can definitely agree that some combination of energy sources will be necessary.

 

[Skull Pilot]

I know Ed But you have to agree (lol) that consensus on an issue, especially one such as energy independence, is good but consensus is also boring.

 

[editec]

I know Ed But you have to agree (lol) that consensus on an issue, especially one such as energy independence, is good but consensus is also boring.

True.

Let the quibbling games begin, then.

All you fill in the blank with the scapegoat class of your choice are totally wrong.

American needs to: (select all that apply)

a. Sell off all national parks to China and invest that money in EXXON, )

b. Burn Catholics to fuel our electric generation plants.

c. Ban all cars and make people take the Berkenstock express

d. Build atomic energy plants on the rubble of former public schools which were closed until further notice (we owed it to the children to home school all of them)

e. Harness the unlimited blowhard capacity of Congressional debates.

 

[Skull Pilot]

That's better