Energy Independence

A guy in Indiana has taken it to heart. Either we want energy Independence or we don't. So far it is more of a campaign slogan then an actual effort to restore America back to some level of Independence. I am not saying that everyone in America needs one of these in their yard, but we need to take our energy needs seriously and take steps to deal with them. Wind generation has been a big push as you can tell by my previous post, but what about the many other forms of energy. What about drilling to meet the needs of today while we hurry to meet the needs of tomorrow with an alternative. At $127 a barrel this guy gets it, and he also has natural gas that he is using.

Indiana Man Operates Oil Well in Backyard, Producing Three Barrels of Crude a Day

What about Solar energy? Back in January of 2005 some of us noticed this: Spray-On Solar-Power Cells Are True Breakthrough. Three years ago solar took an incredible leap forward. In 2006 the US Dept. of Energy reported an efficiency of 40.7% and a cost basis that rivaled current producers of electricity. In July of 2007 we read reports about flexible plastic solar sheets and nano technology. With all this advancement, where is the usage and electric production?

Thanks to its aggressive push into renewable energies, cloud-wreathed Germany has become an unlikely leader in the race to harness the sun's energy. It has by far the largest market for photo voltaic systems, which convert sunlight into electricity, with roughly half of the world's total installations. And it is the third-largest producer of solar cells and modules after China and Japan. Yet Germany has one third less sun then Florance Italy or San Diego California and is producing 14.2% of its power from renewable energy sources. The current technology advances and energy costs may soon push other nations toward this exciting alternative.

When are we in America going to start using the discoveries and knowledge we our gaining to actually become energy independent. We advanced the use of nuclear to the point where the waste is manageable and yet we haven't built a nuclear plant that uses the technology. We discovered water heating through compost piling as reported in 1981 by Mother Earth News and even produced major scale designs for use at universities and technical schools (2005), yet I see no significant commercial applications.

There are so many ideas and possible solutions in part to the problem yet here we are at the mercy of the oil producers. Back in 2006 we put to use a technology that converted almost anything to oil. It has had to fight tooth and nail to stay open despite the obvious value of this technology. Europe has more then welcomed this American technology. And we then complain about American Jobs and Technology going over seas.

Get it together people. $4 dollar a gallon gas is small potatoes compared to where we are heading given our current perspective on drilling and alternative energy.