JB's Secure and Efficienct Energy Plan (SEEP) (an outline)

[JBeukema]

'

• First, we decentralize the American power grid. Each building will use any solar and wind energy it can gather. Any extra energy produced is passed into the local grid.
• Each city (or sector, in the largest cities) will have its own micro-grid. This will isolate the regions in a bottom-->up system that keeps rolling blackouts from spreading in the case of failure of or damage to any part of the system. The regions gather any energy they can using whatever sources are available to them, : wind, solar, geothermal, small hydroelectric dams...
• Each state then has its own grid. Any surplus power from the lower grids are passed to the next grid up, to provide energy to any lesser grids that may experience a deficit, just as each lesser grid passes any surplus to and draws any needed energy from the levels above them. The states operate large-scale solar farms, wind farms, geothermal farms, and any other resources available to them.
• The Federal grid is a series of supergrids capable of drawing surplus from and reinforcing all the lesser grids. At the national level, we construct a number of nuclear power stations. The USA is broken into a grid system that isolates each region from the others to prevent massive failures and rolling blackouts as have been seen in the past. This protects the system form failure, accidents, or attack. Each of these major grids is powered by a series of nuclear racotrs and possesses, in addition to the connections to the state grids in accordance with the system described earlier, a number of 'direct connects' to major metropolitan area in order to ensure that,. if an area experiences failure or requires additional energy beyond the capacity of the levels above it, these nuclear plants can target these regions for power through these emergency and reinforcement systems.
• The nuclear facilities are to be operated and controlled under federal supervision. The state-level systems are to be operated by the states themselves, and the lesser systems shall be controlled by any private companies which seek to invest into the primary or construct parallel systems to serve their customers
• The buying and selling of additional energy shall be conducted between the parties involved (homeowners and cities, cities and regions or states, states and the fed) with prices to be determined by the free market and the negotiations of the parties involved.
• Power plants fueled by fossil fuels shall be phased out over the course of 20 years (timeline to be modified as necessary) as the systems come online.
• Homeowners and other parties will be rewarded with significant tax breaks for being among the first to participate, with the option to cell any excess energy they produce serving as a further incentive. Some individuals already do this with their local power companies, their homes being outfitted with solar panels.

thoughts?

 

[Old Rocks]

What you are talking about is a distributed grid. One designed to pick up all power, whether from a homeowners 2 kw installation, or a 10 gw nuclear plant.

We now have the means to create very cheap, high efficiency solar cells, 40% to start, and going up from there. We have the means to create batteries that can power cars and light trucks for distances equaling that of gas powered vehicles. And be recharged in a matter of minutes.

Both of these advances have been created by American companies.

I propose that in order to get these technologies off of the ground as quickly as possible that we use an incentive program. Starting a year from this January, put a lead time on it so companies can get the products to market, if you buy an all electric, or a plug in hybrid with a minimum range of 100 mi. on electricity alone, at highway speeds, you get a government refund of $3,500 toward that purchase. If you put 5 kw of renewable, wind, solar, or hydro, on your property, you also get $3,500. If you do both, simultaneously, the amount is doubled. That is, $14,000 for the whole system and vehicle. Limit, one vehicle and one system. Make it for two years.

That would create a huge increase in available energy on the net, force the installation of a distributed grid, and, very quickly, reduce the importation of foreign oil. It would also be a boon to the home owner, as he would now supply most of the power for his home and fuel for his vehicle.

 

[Old Rocks]

ZENN claims they will launch EEStor-powered EV in fall 2009 — Autoblog Green

ZENN: Trust us, the EESTOR thing is totally cool, like $700,000 cool — Autoblog Green

EEStor Backer Zenn Motor Seeks DOE Funds to Build in Michigan

 

[Old Rocks]

Beaverton firm will produce cheaper quantum dots | Oregon Business News - - OregonLive.com

Nanotechnology Now - News Story: "Beaverton firm will produce cheaper quantum dots"

Voxtel, Inc.

 

[JBeukema]

What you are talking about is a distributed grid. One designed to pick up all power, whether from a homeowners 2 kw installation, or a 10 gw nuclear plant.

We now have the means to create very cheap, high efficiency solar cells, 40% to start, and going up from there. We have the means to create batteries that can power cars and light trucks for distances equaling that of gas powered vehicles. And be recharged in a matter of minutes.

Both of these advances have been created by American companies.

I propose that in order to get these technologies off of the ground as quickly as possible that we use an incentive program. Starting a year from this January, put a lead time on it so companies can get the products to market, if you buy an all electric, or a plug in hybrid with a minimum range of 100 mi. on electricity alone, at highway speeds, you get a government refund of $3,500 toward that purchase. If you put 5 kw of renewable, wind, solar, or hydro, on your property, you also get $3,500. If you do both, simultaneously, the amount is doubled. That is, $14,000 for the whole system and vehicle. Limit, one vehicle and one system. Make it for two years.

That would create a huge increase in available energy on the net, force the installation of a distributed grid, and, very quickly, reduce the importation of foreign oil. It would also be a boon to the home owner, as he would now supply most of the power for his home and fuel for his vehicle.

So you support JB's SEEP proposal?

 

[dilloduck]

I'm recommending this thread for insomniacs.

 

[xotoxi]

Without delving too deep into all of your other proposals, I would like to discuss the first one...

• First, we decentralize the American power grid. Each building will use any solar and wind energy it can gather. Any extra energy produced is passed into the local grid.

A. What would be the advantage for the owner of a given building to spend money on equipment to capture and create energy? And also to spend money on the maintenance and repair of said equipment?

B. Would there be a mandated requirement that energy capturing equipment be installed on buildings? Or could I just say "I'm not going to hassle with that...I'll just tap into the local grid"?

I personally think that decentralizing something as complex as energy might lead to significant problems. Essentially, the overall cost of maintaining the entire system would increase exponentially.

How much do you think it would cost for small sets of solar panels to be installed on 100 different buildings and then maintained and repaired over time at each of these 100 different locations vs. installing all the solar panels in one location and maintained and repaired all at this location?

 

[JBeukema]

Without delving too deep into all of your other proposals, I would like to discuss the first one...

• First, we decentralize the American power grid. Each building will use any solar and wind energy it can gather. Any extra energy produced is passed into the local grid.

A. What would be the advantage for the owner of a given building to spend money on equipment to capture and create energy? And also to spend money on the maintenance and repair of said equipment?

Same as using energy-efficient appliances. You reduce the need to purchase energy (paying itself off in the long run) and can sell any excess energy you create to the power company. Some people already to this with their homes.

B. Would there be a mandated requirement that energy capturing equipment be installed on buildings? Or could I just say "I'm not going to hassle with that...I'll just tap into the local grid"?

I would not make it mandatory, as that would put out of businesses anyone who could not afford the upfront investment and would be totalitarian and an unjustified infringement upon the liberties of the People.

Decentralizing the gird itself, however, would be mandatory and performed, if needed, with assistance from the Army Core of Engineers and/or American Society of Civil Engineers. We cannot afford the rolling blackouts we've seen in the past- be it technical malfunction or deliberate attack upon our (already weakened)infrastructure. This is critical to the stability of our power grid and our security and stability as a nation.

I personally think that decentralizing something as complex as energy might lead to significant problems. Essentially, the overall cost of maintaining the entire system would increase exponentially.

Not necessarily. I believe that managing multiple smaller grids would be mopre cost effective, easier to manage (just as we have multiple levels of government), and cheaper to maintain or repair if a failure were to occur in any given area.

How much do you think it would cost for small sets of solar panels to be installed on 100 different buildings and then maintained and repaired over time at each of these 100 different locations vs. installing all the solar panels in one location and maintained and repaired all at this location?

I do not have that information. There would need to be a significant study performed tro ensure maximum efficiency, although many people have already learned the benefits- financial and otherwise- of such systems installed in their own homes. of course, nhot all buildings will get equal resultrs, which is one reason it should not be mandatory- those who can afford the investment and who benefit will participate if given enough information and incentive. For those whose structures would not see a long-term benefit, it would make sense to continue purchasing their power.