Ok, so I, like so many of us filling out tanks with $4+ gas, have been thinking about ways to address the "energy problem". I really haven't heard anyone with a broad and cohesive plan to really address it yet... all just "baby steps" in my opinion (or it's "DRILL DRILL DRILL"). Nothing that's going to change anything significantly any time soon. But I've had a couple of ideas that I thought might be worthy sharing. So for what its worth, here's my energy plan.
Short n' sweet: In exchange for being hooked to the energy grid, anyone hooked up must also be able to generate and return to the grid, some portion of the power being provided by a renewable energy source such as solar or wind or both.
The details after the jump.
Since you can't mandate something like this, you can make it optional... but I say those who do not "co-generate" pay a costly premium for the power they do draw. Think solar panels on your roof are too ugly or that turbine is messing up your view? No problem... but how much is it worth to you?
Of course, this would have to be seriously subsidized by the Federal Government and would take some time to build, but the economic and environmental returns would be monumental, and surely faster than the results from drilling. Not only would it provide employment nationwide in an industry that is seeing hard times with the housing collapse, it would significantly lower the production costs of solar & wind, and would also foster new innovations and finally, create American made products to export to the world, returning us to a manufacturing powerhouse providing useful things for people around the world (that do not end up killing other people) and dramatically reduce or practically (and hopefully) wipe out the need for oil, and all of the global economic and sociopolitical benefits that would go with that kind of change.
In the San Fernando Valley (where I once lived), how much energy could be produced if every rooftop had solar panels and were interconnected to the grid? The solar power plant they plan to build in central CA is 12.5 square miles and it will generate 800 megawatts. The San Fernando Valley is 345 square miles. I'm no mathematician, but assuming unpopulated areas etc.. that looks like a good 20,000+ megawatts.
Sure, it doesn't fill out gas tanks yet... but as we continue to refine our electric car technology, this would help to provide cheap and renewable "fuel" unlike energy generated from gas & coal plants.
And speaking of electric vehicles.. I think the first thing we should do to lower oil consumption is switch the entire short-range USPS postal fleet to rechargeable electric cars. just think how much less oil we would use immediately from that one change?
Ok, so I'm not an engineer, or a scientist, or a mathematician, and I'm not running for President, but I think this kind of thing could work, and it would be a good place to start. If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it. If you like it, recommend me and maybe we could get Obama to adopt it. It couldn't hurt.