"Truth or Consequences"

Very smart move. Boy with all the sun they have out there, If they could harness it, they could power the whole world and then some. The big problem will be transporting it. How do you turn solar energy into a form that you can ship around the world using less energy than you are gaining?

If only someone would invent an electric factory that produces artificially manufactured gasoline they'd have it made.

 

Energon cubes:

 

I hate to be hateful, but you just proved the point. The government did bail out Chrysler and Lee Iacocca by creating a law specifically for the company and by laxpayer funds at risk in the event of Chrysler's failure to repay. If it had not, Chrysler would have closed its doors. No matter the form, the government saved Chrysler from folding. It does not do that as a matter of course for other failing businesses. That is not only a bailout, it is political favoritism and not in the best interests of the country.

 

Not all that hard to do. Given unlimited free electricity, H2 may be a suitable carrier. Hydrocarbons can probably be synthesized as well. Of course, it's not really free because you have to amortize the capital cost of the PV cells or sheeting, or the wind turbines, or whatever. But once you produce electricity there are plenty of ways to store, transport, and utilize it.

Solar is best suited to local use, of course, anywhere it can be produced locally (i.e. anywhere there is sufficient sunshine to justify the capital investment.)

I believe Darell has stated that the income produced from his PV array is greater than the mortgage payments that financed its installation. In other words, it cost him nothing and began paying him as soon as he turned it on.

Which means that at least in sunny areas at his latitude (and perhaps elsewhere as well) we could solarize (is that a word?) the country now.

 

This tread started with the NYT discussion of presidential candidates telling the truth to the voters about the current energy crisis.When are we going to hear from Obama or McSame that an Energy Policy (based on today’s reality) is our #1 National Security & Economic Security Issue?

We can not stake our nation’s future on the consumption of fossil fuels that we buy from countries that finance terrorism. We have 5% of the world population but use 30% of the world’s fossil fuels. Our over consumption of fossil fuel (and cheap plastic shit from China/Walmart) is a National Security issue. Rather than a bailout for SUV manufacturers or dealers, we should invest in a “new energy infrastructure†and a “new American auto industry†based on high FE Hybrids, PHEV and EV. Money should not go to “bailing out†the Big 3, which got us into this mess, but to reward new innovation. Think of the X-Prize and tax credits for early purchasers of innovative transportation technology. I personally would love to buy an American made EV fueled by a solar/wind energy grid.

The USA should be an innovator and exporter of green technology, not a importer of fossil fuel from the Middle East. We should be creating green jobs that can not be outsourced to India. The current political leadership (or lack of) wants to drill our way out of this crisis rather than invest in new thinking. Our Arctic and Coastal Petroleum Reserves are money in the bank for future generations, not something to use up so we can drive our SUV’s to the grocery.

We need political leadership to solve a problem that is the result of 30+ years of no political leadership.