[Sharrukin]

I certainly hope we utilize wind power more as well as nuclear. The dependence for energy on something we don’t produce is a vulnerability.

Compressed air storage is a proven technology which we should put to use despite the cost. Nuclear power also needs to be streamlined and states like California which prevent the increase of national energy output should be removed from the national power grid.

[Uncledave]

Compressed air storage is tricky and loses a lot of energy in the conversion process on both ends. One area where you gain with it is with capital costs on the turbine — you can directly drive an air compressor vs. using the gearbox/generator within the wind turbine. A couple of firms are working on this but it’s real on-the-drawing-board stuff.

[BMiles2112]

The dependence for energy on something we don’t produce is a vulnerability.
While I agree with you on nuclear, and wind (where economical), the largest source of electricity in the US is from coal, of which we have an abundance.

[Enchante]

yes but the main dependance on imports is for transportation fuels - electricity in the USA is produced almost entirely by coal (#1), nuclear (20%), and natural gas (largely from US and Canada).....

so the real “dependency” issue comes down to when/if we can move away from imported oil sources for transportation fuels..... which depends upon whether economic and technical issues can be resolved for electric or hydrogen cars, etc.

Definitely I think we should use FAR more nuclear power to generate electricity, but that doesn’t really get at the OPEC issues, it’s more to the question of whether we can/should use less coal (which we have in great abundance).