Replies

IMHO conservatives and the Republican are very, very unwisely wed to fossile fuels.

There are going to be huge fortunes made this decade, with all manner of new technologies. Gas power is a dinosaur, and the asteroid has already impacted. It's history, just not aware of that fact yet.

Electric cars, especially when solar power is effective for providing the charging, will be a true (massive) win-win for American industry. We can become almost immediately 100% energy independent almost overnight.

This will drive down all transportation costs.

Our balance of trade will turn positive.

The price of the remaining gasoline needs, will plummet.

But we need to be first. Not dragged, complaining and shaking our fists from the window of huge gas-powered boats. :)

Let's make small electric rechargable "plug in hybrid" cars with solar capability, a new Apollo Project.

We've certainly got the enterpreneurial drive, and the technological ability.

We just need to start. Full speed ahead.

Let the liberals catch up.

Electric cars, especially when solar power is effective for providing the charging, will be a true (massive) win-win for American industry. We can become almost immediately 100% energy independent almost overnight.

Instead of prefacing your post with an "IMHO" howabout you change your opinion from "humble" to "reasonably well informed" by actually reading about energy consumption in the United States. The suggestions in your post are beyond ludicrous.

Do you have any idea how many barrels of oil the US uses daily? How about tons of coal? How about natural gas? What about propane, butatne and other NGLs? All of this information is readily available. Convert all these forms of energy into to Giga Joules (GJ). Then figure out the energy available from sunlight that hits the surface of the United States every day. Give yourself a 20% efficiency for converting solar energy into electricity. Now figure out how much of the United States you would need to cover in solar panels to displace fossil (not "fossile") fuels. You're looking a covering several entire states with solar panels...like maybe Kansas AND Nebraska. We haven't even discussed the costs of storing the energy, since we happen to need it at night and in cloudy weather too. And batteries are made of materials that are TERRIBLE for the environment.

There is absolutely NO WAY that solar energy will ever be anything other than a niche energy provider.

No Apollo-like Project will ever figure out how to get more energy out of sunlight than is actually IN sunlight.

The reason we use fossil fuels is because they are cheap and abundant. If and when they eventually become expensive in several HUNDRED years, we will replace them with fission or fusion. But once again, it is critical you understand that there is just not enough energy in sunlight for it to EVER replace fossil fuels.

jas3