Replies

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.

- (blink) Folks must have been like this, when Edison was inventing the light bulb. :)

Comparing the invention of the lightbulb with your suggestion that the US switch all consumption to solar power is ridiculous. There is no physical reason why a light bulb cannot be invented. There is a very simple reason why the United States cannot switch to solar power. The reason is that we use too much energy. You need to learn more about the energy content of sunglight before you make silly suggestions such as being able to use solar to replace hydrocarbons.

If you could find it in your brain to stop ranting for a moment in knee-jerk noodlehood, take a look at this link, and tell me the idea is absurd:

http://www.hybrid-vehicles.net/venturi-astrolab.htm

A full-functional, (plug in) solar car which goes 70, with a backup motor. EXACTLY what I'm talking about. They're starting production.

I said nothing about that vehicle being absurd. I specifically criticized YOU for suggesting that the United States has the potential to switch to a 100% solar economy. It does not. Short of covering several states with solar panels and spending a giant fraction of GDP on storage facilities for batteries for all these solar panels, it is not possible. It would certainly bankrupt the country. Even if you were King of the US for a day and forced everyone to ride around in toy cars with solar panels like the Venturi, how are you going to smelt aluminum or make steel with solar power?

Unfortunately it doesn't have a roof, nor doors, and it costs $100,000, but it's a (very good) start. To make matters worse, it was created by the French. Who are going to ask us to surrender in this market if we're not alert.

It is not a good start. It is about the very limit of what one can hope to ever do with solar power. Once again, you've neglected to notice the main problem: sunlight doesn't have enough power in it to propel a real vehicle without solar panels that would cover about half an acre in New Mexico at noon. The Venturi vehicle is a ONE person 616 pound toy for unthinking greenies to buy to make them feel better about themselves.

Then this one (happily being built by Americans):

http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=0

200+ miles on a charge, can plug into the wall outlet in your garage, and do 0-60 in FOUR SECONDS.

Oh, already being sold - they'll start delivery early next year.

Did you forget to notice that the Tesla is not covered in solar panels? I have nothing against electric cars at all. But you are going to have to come to grips with the fact that the electricity being generated to power all Teslas will come from coal fired electric plants and from natural gas powered electric plants and from nuclear powered electric plants. NONE of it will come from solar power. Have you thought so little about your idea that you imagine electic powered cars' electricity comes from thin air?

Now. Let's discuss why the next Billionaire will be the first person who gets a truly affordable electric car to market.

You seem to have switched your main theme from trying to get the entire US economy to switch to solar to advocating for electric cars. You need to remember where electricity comes from. HINT: from hydrocarbons.

Game over for gas engines. And FREEDOM from needing oil from people like Hugo Chavez.

So some oil companies will need to refocus. Fast.

If they're smart, they're investing in all this technology right now, to get in front of this massive wave.

I think your career in the energy industry has gotten off on the wrong foot. Electric cars INCREASE the need for hydrocarbons and would require scores if not hundreds of new coal fired power plants. Venezuela provides a relatively small amount of the world's energy, and most of their crude is vey heavy and sour. Sadly, though, there will be NO freedom from energy from foreign companies. Every country in the world imports energy or energy products from somewhere (including Saudi Arabia).

None of the oil companies need to refocus. They are doing a great job bring us oil and gas and other hydrocarbons, of which we have hudreds of years of supplies left at current consumption rates.

So cheer up! Oil and natural gas are a tremendously low cost source of energy. We are VERY lucky to have them, and we don't need to revert back to Middle Ages-esque energy consumption based on what we could get out of solar power.

Now go ask your Mom to borrow the keys to her SUV, and be glad that you don't live in some country that generates all its energy from solar power. And pick me up a Big Gulp while you are out....

jas3

Comparing the invention of the lightbulb with your suggestion that the US switch all consumption to solar power is ridiculous.

-

Well. Actually I was not suggesting it was likely or practical to convert America to all solar power. Though it is free. Every bit we can harness, is money we're not sending to terrorist-sponsoring regimes or South American communists.

It's not necessary for America to go 100% solar. What would benefit our nation and our children, and their children, would be for America to become SELF-SUFFICIENT in energy, immediately.

We're paying people, who hate us, and want to destroy our nation.

That's insane.

Like that old adage about the two guys running away from the bear -- and one observes "I don't need to outrun the bear, I just need to outrun you"...

We just need to find ways to replace the energy we import.

After that, why worry? It's then about American jobs.

If 10% of the cars on the road, were to become electric cars of one sort or another, tomorrow, how much oil would that leave on the world market -- and how much would the price for that oil DROP as a result?

It's a win-win.

And it just, could, save the American auto industry.

If they wake up.

(tapping on computer screen loudly)

"HELLO?" "Detroit?" (visualizing Gordon Gecko on the beach, gazing out from the Long Island shore at the morning fog over the Atlantic in his bathrobe in the movie Wall Street)

"GET TO WORK..."

:)