There is a public Forum for discussions about Pickens plan :
http://www.pickensenergyplan.com
Cheers.

It is a plan, something that our President and Congress doesn’t seem to have. Richard Nixon slowed us to 55 and turned down the heat, Clinton in the spring of 2000 released the oil reserves and both got immediate results, but our President doesn’t seem to want to do anything that might lower the price of oil rather he wants to drill for more oil in protected areas, I assume to make more money taking advantage of the high prices. Even if we did drill that will take years to bring to market and cannot make much of an impact in the global supply, it can only serve to make those who are doing the drilling more rich.

If Nixon or Clinton had invested in alternative solutions we probably wouldn’t be where we are today. Wind Power isn’t perfect but if it reduces our demand for foreign oil, I am all for it.

I think Mr. Pickens (love that name is on to something..and yes he is a genius (great economist?)……
My thoughts are this is a great future money maker, perhaps not as profitable intially as what we have now, but the potential is there.
As well, it is viable…funny thing is, minus modern technologic advances in material, windmills have been around for a long time and were allowed to ‘die out’…yet our current situation brings to light it’s usefullness. It’s my thought that perhaps a fan lke generator could be built (large enough of course) to compensate on those less or not windy days allowing it to fully function Iof course that is assuming they are built in groups). As for infrastructure to tranport this..well, it is evident what we have is in need of updating.. and is actually a must in many places…so why not plan for this now in the under and overhead lines….sure some areas would be supporting other areas for power based on their geographics and usefulness of the windmills…but setting up guidelines to prevent politicaization of that power can stem that from abuse.

Look to the European countries for how affective Wind power can be. On a recent trip to Ireland, we noticed an abundance of wind power turbines….they make enough to supplement themselves and “extra” power to sell to the continental countries. It’s working profitably in other countries, we Americans just have to put our minds (and invest some dollars) to make it work here.

I believe the “Pickens Plan” touches on a larger problem. Mr. Pickens has the benefit of high profile, and also a vast wealth. Innovation is one of the best natural resources of this country. If one comes up with a novel idea (and yes, I believe that I have) that they believe feasible, what can you do with it? The patent process has a multitude of flaws, allowing a minor change in design to enable a corporation to steal the concept. Good luck finding an attorney to fight a patent infringement suit against the giants.
What is needed is a clearing house for ideas, to weed out the crazies or non-viable solutions, that would allow for some pathway for ideas to develop to fruition. Perhaps our engineering community could be involved, with some compensation from the government if necessary.
There are large sources of wasted energy that are currently untapped. To do so would not violate any known scientific principles, but most inventors don’t wish to be ripped off either.

p.s. (not for posting) if anyone with a legitimate engineering background is interested in my alluded to idea, it is ok to give them my email address

At least it is a plan. Coupled with this is Congress inaction to curb the Oil Speculators. They are the ones who are causing the cost of a barrel of oil to skyrocket. I agree that Picken’s plan needs more work to accomplish it, but let’s get it rolling. I support using what is free to use even if he does make a few bucks of it. I would rather he get it then the speculators. At least he would earn it, instead of the paper shuffling Speculators who only line their own pockets at the expense ultimately on the little guy who is try to support his family and get by.

Why not build more nuclear power plants?

Wind wont power vehicles, but will power energy.
How about discussing the use of Sugar Cane for our fuel of the future. 40-50% of cars in Brazil are currently using Sugar Cane as its fuel, with that # surely to rise. Sugar Cane based fuel is a renewable resource and can be grown readily here in the United States. The gulf region from the south of Texas to the tip of Florida as well as on the Atlantic side in North and South Carolina and in Hawaii as well. The government needs to stop its subsidy of tobacco and then turning around and suing the cigarette makers. And in turn offer subsidies for growing sugar cane for fuel!

We need to move away from oil as a whole, and stop looking for other spots to keep drilling and ruining our landscape.Natural Gas will eventually run out and then in 30-40 years we will be right back at this point looking for more alternatives. I saw invest MORE in renewable non petroleum based products. If Brazil can use sugar cane for its fuel, surely America can, if we are the superpower we claim to be!

I believe that Mr. Pickens should make the presidential candidates commit to a sound energy plan for the future. We cannot afford presidential candidates that just avoid this issue and are afraid of committing to a plan. Maybe Mr. Pickens would make a good VP candidate and be given the job of leading the nation to a sound energy policy.

This is a great idea. We need to think of the future. Not keep looking for oil which only pollutes, and costs alot. I think that Wind power along with Solar Panels spread out across New Mexico and Arizona would greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I read an article that suggests taking extra electrictiy produced during the day by Solar panels, and using it to pump compressed air into underground caverns which are available in large areas of the country. At night, the compressed air could be used to power a turbine to generate more electricity.

If check out http://www.evworld.com, you will find that most car companies are developing either hybrid, or completely electric cars. Green electricity combined with an electric car would allow me to tell the oil companies and the Middle East to get lost. I can’t wait to buy an electric car which will be available late next year.

Before you start worrying about the wind not being available all the time Mr. Pickens wants them built in an area in Texas that has what they now call the Arabian Winds at least I think that’s the name of it. This area has constant strong wind currents. Similar to the Santa Anna winds in California that sparks up the fires in California. If he is correct then we don’t have much to fear since it is always windy. I am also sure that there are generators that can store electricity for long periods of time or at least until the windmills start working again. He also talked about building some off shore where it is always windy. Again, it’s not a new plan but what do we have to lose?

The US is going to spend billions of dollars on energy no matter what we do. Spend money now on wind and solar energy, reducing our dependance on foreign oil; put the US at the forefront of these industries, helping our economy in several ways; or spend money on drilling for more oil, putting us further behind current leaders like Germany, Sweden and China.
It seems so obvious – it doesn’t matter if you believe in global warming, if we don’t get serious about alternate, clean, energy sources, we are hastening the bankruptcy of our country.

Resolving the energy crisis is a lot simpler than most people believe (or are led to believe). First of all, get busy on licensing and building nuclear power plants. (And tell those opposed to get lost). Second, get busy on developing electric cars. (Why is it that individual, small inventors can build cars that run 100 plus miles on a charge when are automotive manufacturing giants can’t?) (Are they just manned with “yes”, zombie engineers?) Third, continue the research and then institute “clean coal” technology to increase the use of coal, and last, accelerate the building of wind power generators and solor panels. These five “can be done” proposals would knock off at least 75% of the demand for oil and drastically diminish the outflow of our American capital. America — GET BUSY!!!

Mr. Pickens plan is aggressive. I don’t feel its the best solution, given the amount of transmission infrastructure required and the fact that the wind doesn’t always blow when power is needed. Further you would need the ability to deliver natural gas to gas stations.

I think a preferred plan would be one involving plug-in hybrids that are charged overnight when utilities have excess capacity. This would utiliize current transmission, and could utilitize current generation capacity. Add some nuclear units and you have an energy plan that allows the US to be self-reliant. This plan would require substantially less infrastructure changes and only requires progress in battery technology.

July 10th, 2008 1:42 pm ET
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Mr. Pickens plan is aggressive. I don’t feel its the best solution, given the amount of transmission infrastructure required and the fact that the wind doesn’t always blow when power is needed. Further you would need the ability to deliver natural gas to gas stations.

I think a preferred plan would be one involving plug-in hybrids that are charged overnight when utilities have excess capacity. This would utiliize current transmission, and could utilitize current generation capacity. Add some nuclear units and you have an energy plan that allows the US to be self-reliant. This plan would require substantially less infrastructure changes and only requires progress in battery technology.

He’s has some of it right, some of it is probably wrong but that can’t be proven yet, and there will undoubtedly some unintended consequences. However, he is 100% correct in that we have to change what we have been doing regarding our future energy needs. You have to start somewhere. If he can get us going in that direction, the final destination will likely not be what he envisions, but without a vision and leadership, we will never get their in the first place. Let’s start that direction with what we have and see where it goes.

The wind energy part of T. Boone Pickens plan is a good idea but the portion about converting natural gas to transportation fuel is not.
Converting commercial vehicles to use the natural gas is an expensive process. And it still will release stored CO2

We should build an enhanced national power grid that would allow wind and solar generated electricity to be transported to all areas of the nation. The new power grid could be built along existing utility corridors and the Interstate Highway system. Part of the new power grid should be routed to desalinization plants along the coasts that would convert sea water to drinking water. That water could then be transported in pipe lines installed in the same corridors as the power grid. Both the power and water would rout throughout the nation. Besides insuring a nationwide reliable source for both electricity and water it would provide the raw ingredients for producing hydrogen at the local level. The technology for producing hydrogen from water is very simple.

Converting vehicles to use hydrogen as a fuel is no more expensive than converting them to use natural gas.

This system would not release any CO2 and would make the U.S. totally energy independent.

I think wind is in, but I also think more attention should be focused on Solar and geothermic energy options. There is a huge potential for solar energy collection from space, beamed down to the Earth. Don’t laugh; this is actually doable, and there is some serious research going on in this area. A more down-to-Earth option is government subsidies (or subsidies from tycoons like Boone!…yeah, right) for solar powered homes, and solar “hybrid” homes (those using both electricity from the grid, and from their own solar collector system). There is no “one” solution; the overall solution is an inter-connection of all alternative energy sources.

Our best source of power is the sun. The best method to harness the power of the Sun, is put Solar panels in space and beam the energy to Earth. The U.S. Government is looking into putting solar panels into space. It will require a coming together of private and government money and cooperation. India is also looking into solar power to meet the needs of their growing economy. It is clean and limitless. The problems is getting the material into space and assembled. We need a President like Kennedy, or Reagan to excite the power and the will of the country.

Given current windpower technologies, what mitigation is in place for the noise (blade cavitation and low frequency pulses generated by blades passing by the stationary tower structures)? This noise has caused downwind residents and communities to suffer increased levels of stress, discomfort, loss of sleep, and even, in several documented cases, loss of property values where communities are thus affected.

Bernie Krause, PhD

I don’t mind him making gazillions. I mind that CNN represents him as a near-hero, come to save us from having to reduce our energy consumption.

This will NOT save us from peak oil.

I think that Mr. Picken’s plan seems very interesting. It would be interesting also to hear what others, such as Mr. Gore, think of his plan. I believe that it would be management of our resources than anytime in our history, or a step towards it. We need to manage our resources better, whether we are extremely liberal or extremely conservative. I believe it must happen soon. I would like to see the comparison in costs of managing windmills and other equipment necessary to present day costs. I hope more people listen to Mr.
Pickens.

obviously who ever keeps putting out the rumor that it’d take years to get production out of ANWAR and the rest of the coast has no experience in the oil buisness. In my experience, if ANWAR were to be opened there could be production as soon as the end of the year. The oil industry is very competitive and has the funds to complete such ambitious plans. Not to mention most of the equipment needed is already built and sitting in a stock yard or warehouse just waiting to be boxed up and shipped to alaska asap. So please stop assuming it would take years to get any production as that is just a plain flat lie

I for one applaud Mr. Pickens for having the fortitude to stand and advance the discussion and encourage national debate on the subject our elected leaders have proven too cowardly to approach.
Energy is the life blood of our economy. Its not just our quality of life it is life itself for the US based on how we have constructed our cities and communities for the past 75 years.
Auto makers have been able to mass produce every model of vehicle passneger and commercial with power plants that run on natural gas for 20 years or more. A cheap easy to install adapter allows consumers to safely fill their tanks at home for approx $2 gal.

I disagree that wind is an unreliable energy source or that transmission capacity is lacking. The wind never stops moving, never. The capacity of current wind turbines is far superior to what it was just 5 years ago. And if we push forward with its use industry will be rewarded to increase its effeciency further.
As for transmission, our national infrastructure is falling apart and the next administration can’t possibly miss the need for a national federally funded 50 yr project to rebuild highways, bridges, roads, rail roads, canals, telecom & energy transmission assets.

Bottomline is we have to get a grip on ourselves. American inginuity, entrepreneurialism and technological brain trust will prevail. They must. We cannot survive as a nation or a culture by sending trillions of dollars to people and governments who really don’t like us.

The answers to our problems are in our hands. It is only we who will solve this crisis and only our children who will bear the consequence of our actions.

Come on GM, Ford, Toyota, I’ll buy a natural gas vehicle. Don’t fool yourselves like you did with the whole they won’t buy seat belts or air bags or anti lock brakes or increased fuel economy lies you’ve been telling for 50 years.

We could set up a wind farm in Washington DC with all the hot air blowing out there we would never run out of electricity. I applaud T Boone for stepping up to the plate when we need all the help we can get – non of us can afford to wait ten to twenty years for a solution to the energy problem. Being self sufficient and independent should be our mantra

It’s his money, let him spend it, if wind pwer is fickle combine it with solar. on another Front Nissan mentioned plans to build electric cars,
and lamented that there is need for infrastructure in parking lots to allow commuters to charge up while parked, I say let’s raise the ante and allow for cars to sell extra power back. I’ve heard all the arguments against solar panels on cars: costs too much, not enough power for the investment, the efficiency of energy conversion is too low… Who cares? Offer it as an option. People who care will spend their money on it, Just like t. Boone. Give it enough time and the efficiency will improve, and the cost will drop, before long it will be a standard feature. Then when your car is baking in the lot for 8 hours a day, it might at least do something useful some of the time it’s there. If we’re planning to upgrade the infrastructure lets design it right so that all power lines are two way conduits, to your car and your home.

B. Krause, so are you saying that some downwind folks suffering “stress and discomfort” is worse than the explosion of kids having asthma caused by coal fired power plants?

Yesterday evening, I sent the following email to Mr. Pickens. I think the text will explain my point of view:

Greetings Mr. Pickens.

You and I are not unalike – though I must confess
to not being a legend in my own time, nor an
economic power house.

Understanding that you have invested significant
resources into wind and solar (and assuming you
are an expert in conventional and alternate primary
energy generation) – I’d like you to reconsider
geothermal / hydrothermal [hot rock].

To reiterate the benefits:

1) Can be located on or near any power grid supply
origin – where basalt strata is within 8 km of surface.

2) Has been proven with existing technology on a small
scale basis, with a few plants in operation.

3) Zero carbon and ‘greenhouse’ gas emissions.

4) Closed loop. Water makeup is minimal.

5) Little environmental cost during drilling, near zero after
start-up.

6) Appears far safer than any other current source.

7) Almost immune to going offline due to natural events;
and because of the small footprint and relative
simplicity, sabotage, as well.

I think this covers the major themes. Keep up the good work
for our benefit. Understand that you are a businessman, in it
for the profit. That’s fine by me, so I salute your efforts. If it
makes you another few billions, that the free market in action.

Best regards,

To me, the choice seems simple: Roll out alternative energy now, over time while we can do so fairly cheaply; or later, all at once and at very high cost.
Oil is not going to last, and the reason doesn’t matter. It can be because we run out, we decide we can’t afford the risks of drilling in sensitive areas, or we decide we can’t afford the risks of the pollutants we produce from using it. Any of these reasons will take oil out of the picture. Eventually coal will be in the same situation.
The transition will be very painful if we don’t have alternative energy ready to go when we need it.
Regarding Dr. Krause’s comments above, all energy technologies have trade-offs. We learn to live with some problems until we have a better solution. The Model-T didn’t come with modern pollution control systems like catalytic converters. We lived with it until we needed something better, and then we worked at it until we delivered it. I’m sure we will reduce some of the noise levels down to tolerable levels, but this will take experimentation and we will not get it perfect the first time. Waiting until we do is going to mean much higher costs to all of us, not just at the pump, but in air quality and other environmental damages. Our best bet is to start off putting wind turbines in areas where cavitation and low frequency noise are going to cause the least amount of trouble–furthest away from homes at the beginning. As we learn to mitigate these, then we can start putting them closer to inhabited areas if needed.
So the choice is: cheap and painless now, or expensive and painful later. Which is it?
I personally would guess that we will go for expensive and painful later. After all, why do things now when we can make our kids pay for them later?

What I like about the plan is that the energy produced would most likely be used here and would provide help here. This is also true of his plan to “harvest” solar power in our desert areas.

Producing more oil on our shores doesn’t guarantee anything about our own resources or prices because private companies drilling for the oil sell it on the open market. There’s no guarantee prices will drop if the growth of other nations’ economies further drives demand.

I think it’s a good plan and one that will take a while to implement. Cleaner nuclear power should also be considered on a larger scale here.

I do agree that storage and transportation of energy is a problem. The best thing that could happen is to have an abundance of energy choices that are cost effective for different regions of our country.

I hope oil prices remain high because this will cause us to conserve and look away from foreign production. There’s just something ironic about Abu Dhabi businessmen who have made so much money from oil production buying 90% of an American icon such as the Chrysler building.

Geeeeez doc , What about the stress,noise,discomfort etc when the power goes out! This is the kind of thinking that will drive our society into the ground!
Go T. Boone!
By the way, oil from Alaska or Arabia would still be sold on the world market to the highest bidder, China, which has plenty of cash and demand thanks to American companies that have moved our jobs there. Any one saying we can drill out of this is blowing smoke… Follow the money!

Pickens is smart, he knows energy, especially oil, and he appreciates facts and reality, unlike some other prominent people… When he says oil has peaked, or nearly so, I believe him. He says we can’t drill our way out of this, and I believe this is certainly true. There is a little more oil to be found, here and there, and we will surely drill it eventually, but that is not the big issue. The big problem we face is how to survive in an increasingly oil-starved world, and how to reduce the massive transfer of wealth abroad. Pickens is not the first to advocate wind, but his prominence and credibility will surely give a big boost to the best and cheapest source of energy available during the coming decades.

There is a company called LS9 in Silicon Valley that is experimenting with bacteria that have been genetically altered to provide ‘renewable petroleum’.

Here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece

How come oil companies are not looking into this technology?

Whatever alternative power sources we eventually develop one thing is obvious, the generating facilities will not be local to the areas requiring the most power. It will be necessary to wheel power over great distances from multi-point sources, be they solar, wind, tidal, geo-thermal or whatever may come down the pike. Creating the infrastructure to accomplish this is a responsibility that should fall to the national government. The interstate highway system was built with federal dollars to facilitate commerce and justified as a national defense investment. An “electrical interstate grid” fits that model precisely.

We need to greatly increase research in the area of higher temperature super conductivity and begin planning for a nationwide high voltage direct current distribution system. Breakthroughs in alternative energy technology may come at any time but it will take twenty or more years to physically build a distribution system to take advantage of any high impact technology.

Natural gas filling stations would be required and engines would have to be refitted. Natural gas for cars was introduced in Houston wehen it was very cheap in the early 1990s but it did not gain traction for the reasons above. I think it is better suited to large fleets, eg. Post Office and FedEx.

Still if it replaces some Middle Eastern crude oil and reduces emissions in large cities then I am for it. It is a start.

From the Blogger:

Thanks to all of the many commenters thus far. This is maybe the smartest collection of comments on any item we’ve had since the blog started in February.

For David: Thanks for the LS9 suggestion. Miles O’Brien and producer Marsha Walton shot a story there last week; it should air and run on cnn.com in a week or so.

Peter Dykstra

There isn’t one perfect solution. I really like this plan, and believe that wind power and natural gas need to be part of the equation. But so does solar, nuclear, hydrogen, biodiesel, more efficient ethanol, and drilling for our own oil. All of these are viable solutions that need to be started immediately. Some will reap benefits quicker than others, but we need to pursue all of these avenues until we reach energy independence.

Pickens has a plan. The only thing I’ve heard from anybody else is a wish. Big difference. Huge difference. If somebody else has a better plan, not a better wish, I’d sure like to hear it.

I find myself somewhat irritated by your summary of Mr. Pickens plan. It seems that the media wants to either scream that the sky is falling or dismiss realistic “step” improvements to the existing system because they are complicated or don’t provide and immediate “total” solution to our energy problems. We didn’t become dependent on foreign energy sources overnight and we won’t solve the problem quickly either. Wind and solar can be a positive step. And whoever has the will and resource to implement it should make a lotttt of money. That is what works. Of course, for wind or solar to work you will need to have a hybrid implementation to account for no wind, clouds, or nighttime. That is what the existing gas or coal plants would become. They are already there!! And there will be a large cost to get the power to where it needs to go. Have you seen the estimated cost of the natural gas pipeline from Alaska? It is an expensive business. Also, have you seen the daily cost of the war in Iraq, also expensive? With some judicial government support (not oversight) we might be able to take LA, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Salt Lake, Vegas and a lot of smaller cites primarily off the existing grid. This would maybe reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by 5-10% but it would be a good start. From that infrastructure the system could organically grow to maybe 20-30% over time. In summary, try to educate the public not dismiss solutions because they are not the “silver bullet” that will solve all of our problems.

I “wish” people would read the damn plan. He’s doing wind, because that’s what’s available in that area of the country. He also said that other parts of the country need other solutions. Quite nit-picking him, and give him some credit for getting people off the dime. You got a plan for your part of the country? Put it out there. And I don’t mean a wish – I mean a Plan. Big difference. Put your money where you mouth is, like Boone is doing.

I’m concerned about the depletion of our wind supply. A lot of natural species depend on abundant wind. Raptors like hawks and eagles for example, even some insects. Should we just allow private capitalists exploit our public, world wind supply?

Well I applaud Mr. Pickens. He is not sitting on his rear taking PAC money and pretending there is not a problem, like some other people I know in this country. Any plan is better than no plan at all. Maybe his plan isn’t perfect but with a little tweaking it would be alot more than what we have now. I live in North Texas and can tell you there is PLENTY of wind here we get the wind that rushes off of the Rockie Mountains. So there is no doubt that a wind farm here would be able to create enough energy to last for a good while.

If course the wind idea is a start… of course T.B. Pickens is on board.. he is a business man and knows that this is the future and he can put money into it because soon the U.S. gov. will be subsidizing this. I am just saying it is not all altruistic. Follow the money.. it is really too bad that he didn’t put his money into this sort of thing 4 years ago instead of financiing the Swiftboat people against Kerry. Don’t be fooled Mr. Pickens made boat loads of money under Bush now he sees the wind blowing a different direction. I wonder why he is buying up so much of the water rights in the southwest. Just follow the money.

If you haven’t already you must go to Tboone’ web site and see what he and his peeps are up to. http://thepickensplan.com/

Join the discussion. This is a debate that should be taking place in every work place over every dinner table on every radio station in every gathering of consequence.

No to ANWAR… it will take years to get the oil to the public as a whole. It will take a lot longer than 6 months ( as yes to anwar has suggested) to build, drill, transport and refine the oil in ANWAR and the supply is not that great, maybe a 5-10 year supply. Lets focus instead on solar, wind and sugar cane as alternatives, also nuclear or new clear technology as Bush states. California already has wind farms outside of Palm Springs, you see them as your driving I-10.. I wonder if anyone has came up with an idea to produce a nuclear powered car. The U.S. Navy uses nuclear powered submarines. I bet it’s possible for a passenger car.

Phoenix, Denver, San Diego, L.A., Las Vegas, and areas where abundant sunshine exists should be living solely on solar power. I was in Denver over the 4th of July and the entire weekend from Friday the 4th til Monday the 7th a government building in downtown had 2/3 of the entire building light up like a xmas tree. Talk about wasteful spending. Imagine how much energy was wasted that 3 day weekend.
Why do we need to drill in America for more oil? We don’t need to anymore, we have the technologies to make clean burning fuels, and WHO squashes that advancement, its the Big Oil companies.

Pickens is right on the money.
Natural gas may have some disadvantages, but it is american, it already has a distribution network available in every city, automobile engines can be easily adapted to use it, and I it is cheaper than gasoline or diesel. It also polutes less.
Honda, GM, and Ford have all built natural gas vehicles already. Honda has one available (Civic)
Nobody is saying this would be the ultimate solution, but it’s the only one I can think of that would be this easy to accomplish in the near term.
All that would be required is for our government to instituite an infrastructure program that would install natural gas fueling stations in all major cities. This may be expensive, but can it really be any more so than Iraq?

Without the $0.019 per kilowatt government subsidy, wind energy production immediately becomes unprofitable (power companies are selling a kilowatt hour to resdential customers at $0.038 at off peak times) – so much for “no government funds needed”. Clearly, we need to have wind energy production, along with nuclear, solar, coal and natural gas. No one item/source is going to solve the problem – the question is how much of the cost of the production is going to be funded by tax dollars, and if the subsidy needs to be 1/2 of the retail price of the power, then the technology is not ready for prime time.

t.b.pickens knows his proposal is just a piece of the whole. we need to be pursuing at full speed- solar / wind / wave / river turbines / bio / space & new technology- combined with education / conservation / recycling design / changing habits & yes regulations ,codes, and incentive programs all with the idea of preserving this planet and living in concert with nature rather than against it. mr. pickens should be commended for his proposal.

scientists, business entrepreneurs, architects, engineers & inventors need to expand t.b. pickens plan into an all inclusive global plan ang get moving before it is too late.

You don’t have to be a scientist to know that if we don’t want to find an answer bad enough, we simply won’t find it. Our entire planet is at a turning point. For our sake and that of future generations, I firmly believe we need to consider all alternatives to the energy crisis and keep an open mind. With that said, A PLAN, is better than NO PLAN. As we move forward, we will discover how to improve on “the plan,” tweek it and as we collaborate as a nation/world, “the plan” will blossom. Other men and women in our nation now need to take up the challenge presented by Mr. Pickens. Our country needs to set the pace. Better lives for all that reside on our planet can be achieved. It only takes one idea (like Mr. Pickens) to get the ball rolling, if we all are willing to keep the ball in play.

I just don’t understand why Mr. Pickens and many others say that we can’t drill our way out of this crisis, as if to say that we should abandon any focus on increased oil production. Shouldn’t we pursue anything and everything that will alieviate our dangerous dependence on imported oil: wind, thermal, solar, as well as carbon based fuels?

The article states that Mr. Pickens is not an environmentalist. Yet “can’t drill our way out” seems to put him in the same bed as the tree huggers who would have us all riding bicycles made of recycled aluminum cans. Is his solution agenda or need driven?

jteter – of course Pickens is doing this to make money. if it doesn’t make economics sense (maybe with some tac credits) it is not worth doing. Do you expect him or anyone in the private sector to give you energy or should the federal govenrment just nationalize the energy sector?

I have had a similar plan to Mr. Pickens but am surprised to see it coming from him but I think he realizes something that I have also come to realize and he is trying to create momentum.
We are on the dawn of a new technological age. The country is threatened and currently suffering greatly from energy extortion. Be it US based or foreign-based, or even foreign-based and US controlled.

There is an epic need faced by our country and the technological innovators here will rise to the challenge. The government needs to help spur and support the action. Think of FDR and public works projects. Think of the dams supplying power to this day and how the govt spurred their development.

Like Mr. Pickens, I believe we need to start at power generation, but I believe in a different plan.

Lets look at it with a decompositional approach.
The one source of power that appears to be limitless and even powers the universe is that of the a sun, for us our sun. Without getting into the technicalities of it, I think we can all agree that it is limitless, at least for our purposes. Think of any energy manifestation that derives from that solar. Solar electrical energy, wind energy, tidal energy (though this is more lunar and gravitational in its origin), and solar thermal. These are what we should be concentrating all our efforts on because they are truly renewable.
I also believe that we need to start with the power plants but I think we need a much larger effort than what Mr. Pickens suggest. Something on the scale of PWA or even WWII. We need to build many more power plants and have to set a standard that at a minimum, for any power plant to be licensed to operate, that it work on a minimum level of efficiency and “greenness” equivalent to the Tampa Electric plant.

This must to take, if not exceeding, at least equivalent focus, effort, and funding as national defense. Lets focus our nation-building efforts here for now. I’m not an isolationist. You have to be stupid to be so in this day and age, but we cannot serve the world at large, as an economic cripple.
The idea that any country in Europe, outside of the Dutch, is ahead of us is embarrassing and alarming.

That’s the bare fleshing out of George’s (me not Bushes) energy plan. There will be ample opportunities for exciting investing and development and we can once again bring our nation, and dollar, to the top.
The longest journey starts with the first step. The sooner the government, and us, get moving, the less opportunity there will be for political games playing. What about, Dems and Repubs, Liberals and Conservatives? Can we get our acts together and make this happen?

Very Truly yours,

George Fernandez

While I am still concerned about the depletion of our national wind resources under TBoones plan, I did note a couple of solutions to the problem of occasional windless days problem on CNBC’s recent 3 part series, “Who owns the Wind”. For those times when the wind just isn’t blowing, we could use traditional power sources, coal or nuclear, to propel the blades as a temporary supplement, just as in a Hybrid car. That way the propellers never stop turning. The other suggestion was a proposal for giant, underground electro-magnetic wind resevoirs to tap into in times of wind shortage. I know America has enough ingenuity to solve these problems.

He is brilliant and dead on. Wind power is a reality the fact that the US lags Europe and Brazil in alternatives to Oil does not mean it does not work, it means we are just slow. We have wind power in several areas of the country and you would be amazed how regular the wind is in certain parts of the country (google “wind maps”). He is also spot on when it comes to water, he is buying it up right now.

With gas at or above $4.20 a gallon and oil at or above $145.00 a barrel, my question to you will be, Who is the Energy Secretary of the United States? Yes, I know. But, does any one else know. How can we have an energy crisis in the United States and no one knows who that person might be. Does any one in this administration give a hoot about what this is doing to our country? I for one appreciate what you are trying to do. My hat is off to you, and I hope you make a ton of money in your attemp to fix our problem. Good luck in your quest. BA Brown

Sorry, forgot one thing.

Forget about any additional drilling. It just postpones the inevitable and will give us cause to procrastinate. The urgency of the issue will be gone.

Also, please forget about genetically modified bacteria generating oil. There are no free rides and this will bite us in the gluts sooner or later. Imagine infections or epidemics of oil producing germs or whatever else they can genetically mutate to on their own. God God.

Two other examples of innovations that can come in aid to the rescue, —Silver-Zinc battery technology
—Honda’s new totally electric cars.

BTW, those new power plants should get tiered subsidies or tax allowances depending on the technology delivered/implemented.
Solar converting water to hydrogen through electrolysis seems to me, non-scientific as I may be, as a good alternative that could last forever and be located anywhere where there is space.
Also, for Wind, there are several kinetic means of storing energy that can be studied, for off-wind periods.

In order to help the populace during this time of transition, all public transportation should be subsidized, to an even greater extent that it is.

Mr. Pickens wants to supply 20% of the US energy demand with wind energy. Is anyone at NOAA calculating the effect of withdrawing that amount of energy from these winds? These winds are a significant part of the circulation that defines climate in North America. Will changes in
wind strength near ground levels cause disruptions of air and, more importantly, moisture circulation?

I like wind power and hope it will be deployed as fast as possible, and I also hope the grid is updated and maintained. Pickens is a practical money maker with a shrewd eye – he just misunderstands timelines.

Wind turbines are facing 1-2 year backorder periods, and he’s talking about installing 20-30 years of industry output even with growth. In 30 years, if large new domestic gas deposits are not brought to market, that 20% of natural gas will have been lost to depletion. In other words, his solution will just make up for natural gas depletion, not free it for use as transportation fuel.

We still should press on with it however.

DK

Wind depletion is a serious problem, and should definitely be taken into consideration when finalizing TBoones plan. We should look at more abundant sources of energy in our world, such as Internet. There is an endless supply of internet–in our homes, offices, even in your coffee shop. Once scientists develop a plan to turn this Internet into fuel, our crisis shall be no more.

Rick,
Wind power could be installed in a wind corridor that stretches from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The system would be designed such that not all areas may be recieving wind all the time, but some of them would always be receiving wind. When and if the wind stops blowing there could be a transfer switch that automatically transfers to a backup natural gas generator that would supply electricity until there is more wind. This would drastically reduce, but not entirely replace natural gas electric generation.

T. Boone Pickens has the fortitude to spend his own money, step forward and speak directly to the American people about our energy crisis while our present executive administration is busy editing scientific research papers on climate change.

Yes he is doing this for a profit but he is also doing this to help the American economy. I believe in his plan. The numbers may not be exact but you can bet he has a team that has been researching the feasibility of his plan.

Mr. Pickens is taking action, I am eager to see the details of his plan over the next few weeks as he promised.

There seems to be a for real additive for gas and oil for the reduction of emissions, this is called ETHOS with a link of http://www.theGasSecret.com I believe this could be added to fuels and oil at production. The manufacturer states it will increase mileage of up to 25%. I do not have the numbers to give you the exact savings and the added aide to the environment. This in my way of thinking helps with two of our responsibility to our fellow Americans and the people of the world. WE AS A NATION MANDATED THAT THE FUEL PRODUCERS PRODUCE LEAD FREE FUELS AND THE AUTO MANUFACTORS PRODUCE VEHICLES TO BURN THESE LEAD FREE FUELS. The next step is to mandate that this type of additive be incorporated at the refiners. While I am on this there also is a system that can be added to any vehicles and connected thru the cars battery using a electrolyze process and use water that has been broken down to it’s components of HHO and the car burns in part hydrogen and the exhaust of this product is water. Use this link video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2238805429946487167.
In conclusion lets as Americans get back to doing what is needed to control of America’s own destiny

I hope President Obama listens to this man, T. Boone Pickens. He’s worth listening to because he is the first oil man to advocate something other than drilling for more oil to fix our gas price crisis. Shame on Bush and Cheney for all their greed-driven deceit and anything-for-business-profits policies that have bankrupted America.

Nuclear powered cars? I don’t think so. True, the navy does have reactor powered ships and subs but they also have nuclear physicists onboard. Can you imagine what would happen if you were to get into an accident in a car filled with uranium? I think I would name my car, “The dirty bomb”.

All these ideas have good points and bad points. Solar is great during the day on sunny days but that energy can’t be stored for night or cloudy days. Sugar Cane is basically the same as using corn, your still burning fuel which generates pollution. Wind is great when you have it, but there is no place in the world you can get wind everyday.

His plan is decent; I wouldn’t say it’s perfect. Until the technology to store and transmit power long distance is created, we should look at all of the options and implement nuclear power where it makes sense, put up wind turbines where there is wind, use solar to supplement power during the sunny days and rely natural gas during the evenings. Urge US auto makers to start mass producing hydrogen cars and the automakers can install hydrogen filling stations so not only do they get the profit from the sale of the car, they get some residual profit for it’s fuel. The foreign automakers would follow.

I would caution anyone, don’t think that one technology is the savior. Look at the holistic solution using the technology we have to reduce our reliance on oil and reduce our emissions.

How are we going to produce these massive wind powered systems? Oil. It will take oil to produce them, oil to transport them, and oil to repair them. We are never going to be able to sustain our consuption of oil with systems that will consume a large amount of oil themselves. The special alloys needed to make them will need oil. There is no way to get away from oil until we find something else that will allow us to produce these systems without it. We need to stop trying to figure out what will produce enough energy and focus completely on what will replace oil itself, if there is anything. We’re going to be in the dark with no food eventually so it doesn’t matter, but if we want a shot, alternative fuel is the way.

The sun is great, we have to explore that for obvious reasons, mainly because it is a continuous source of free energy. But as far as finding new ways to produce energy, it is futile. We have enough oil for another forty or fifty years and then what? Corn? Wind? Most likely not. With the way we drive our cars and transport everything, its unlikely that in that short of a time period we will find a way to live without oil. We waste oil every time a Nintendo Wii is shipped to a child in Indiana, when the oil could have been used to create the wind systems we have so much hope for. It’s depressing, but its life. We think that we can overcome obstacles that we created ourselves and we cannot. We are the result of evolution and we are no better than what we were created from. Humans will die off, whether or not its our fault does not matter, because it was going to happen. Let’s just be happy with the good run we had and try to make the best of the hard times that are right in front of us.

Dave.
I’ve heard this wind corridor idea proposed before but there are some obvious problems. What happens on the east side of the corridor if we begin consuming the wind on the west side. Of course, an unintended consequence could be the reduction in the number of windborn tornados. And worse, with a solid line of windmills north to south, couldn’t the wind just escape and divert around the extreme north and south ends of the coridoors, drastically increasing Mexico and Canada’s wind problems. This needs to be thought through more carefully.

Won’t somebody, please, think of the birds?

We should use whatever source we can- thermal, solar, wind, tidal, etc. There are many retiring baby boomers who have the skills necessary to attack this problem. Not all of us want to play endless golf, cards, or lay on beaches. Many would love to be productive, and get some issues cleared up for our grandchildren.

Why are we still relying on OPEC oil and poluting?

HE IS NOT GENIUS NOR FOOL . JUST A MAN WITH A PLAN THAT WILL WORK TO ELIMINATE SOME OF OUR OIL DEPENDENCE. THAT IS BETTER THAN ANYTHING OUR GOVERNMENT IS DOING.
BOONE IS A MAN OF ACTION AND LIKE MANY OF US HE IS TIRED OF THE POLITICS OF OIL. I HOPE HE MAKES A LOT OF MONEY FROM THIS. I LIVE IN THE ARIZONA DESERT AND WE SHOULD HAVE WIND FARMS ALL OVER THIS STATE. WE HAVE PLENTY OF WIND TO HARNESS AND CONVERT BUT LITTLE STATE MONEY TO FUND SUCH THINGS. WE CERTAINLY HAVE PLENTY OF SUNSHINE TO POWER WITH SOLAR BUT SAME CASH PROBLEMS.
I SAY GOOD LUCK TO HIM.

I am both skeptical and suspicious when an oil baron says he wants to advance the cause of alternative energy (for whatever reason). Most people don’t know that both Edison and Ford (no less) wanted to develop electric vehicles way back in 1912 (read the book “Internal Combustion” – by Edwin Black), but they were thwarted by both business conglomerates and consumers, who only wanted gasoline engines. Also the original Diesel engine was designed to work on bio-diesel (I.e. peanut oil, not petroleum based diesel), but the new oil barons didn’t like that, and made manufacturers change it to only work using the current form of oil-based diesel (want to guess why?). Also, Diesel ended up face down in a canal some short time later. So why should we trust the ‘usual suspects’ or any large corporation or entity that would like nothing better than to create a new monopoly and/or influence the government to help it do this (as Mr. Pickens is now trying to do with his new TV commercials, asking viewers to contact Congress members on his behalf).

Wind energy is just one piece of the puzzle. We will still need oil, natural gas, nuclear, biofuels, etc. to meet our ever-increasing energy demands, especially on a global basis when considering the burgeoning economies of India and China.

As a Civil Engineer bored with my job, but inspired by the future in alternative fuels/energy – Where can I send you my resume’? I’m so interested in alternative energy that I’ve taken it up as a hobby of sorts on the side, and turning this into a career would make me, well, one of those lucky few who land a career in something in which they actually have a passionate interest. Our country has overcome higher hurdles than this in the past, and it is time for us to join together and push for newer, cleaner, less expensive energy to continue enjoying the standard of living we have come to love here in our great country. There is not one single source of energy out there that will solve all of the current problems, but a widespread, sensible plan like that of Mr. Pickens is by far the best I’ve seen yet.

Recently there was an article about a company from Spain announcing plans to build these large windmills in Texas. This will bring economic profitablity to the local area, but why aren’t there American companies investing in our long term energy change? Has it gotten impossible for Americans to be ‘completely’ responsible for all aspects of a program? Green collar jobs are the one bright light for our manufacturing base. I am glad this discussion has started. In the ‘up front” planning of wind, solar and other alternatives Americans should get off their duffs and use their intellectual genius again to the advantage of their fellow Americans.

We have a fine infrastructure for moving natural gas around the country. As for uses for wind power when it is not needed how about making hydrogen and then combining the hydrogen with carbon dioxide to make methane. Just for your information utility natural gas is 90% methane. I think there will still be a market for biodiesel for the heavy lifters such as trucks, marine activities (boats), farm equipment and construction equipment. And if you have too much methane, then make the surplus into methanol for biodiesel.

You said it all when you said he has a plan. No one else in this country has ,including the people we pay in Washington to do this kind of work. I hope he does make some money with this because it will have to benefit the country . I don’t think it is a perfect plan but lets get started and refine it as we go. I don’t usually sign up for anything but I have for this because its the only game in town . And I think it would benefit this country and everyone living it it. For those who object to Pickens making some money I can only say we are all free in this country to make as much as we can and if you get off your butt and apply your self you can makes some to. I’ll bet Pickens would probally help you.

If the 30% Federal R&D tax break did not exist, Mr. Pickens would not be doing this. I remember in the mid Eighties when Wind Power projects enjoyed a healthy tax break. When the tax deduction was removed, people couldn’t dump their wind companies fast enough. Suppliers got stuck with huge bills as wind entreprenuers creatively bunkrupted their companies. I was part of that.
There are a lot of technical reasons why wind power doesn’t look good as a major part of the national grid: Reliability, transmission, environmental impact, and high cost and maintenance, are a few.
Mr. Pickens has an army of sharp advisers, so is aware of these issues. If he is in this for the long haul and not just to make a quick buck, I wish him all the best.

I strongly support oil independence for America. However, natural gas is not going to be the eventual answer, it is a start, but it will not be able to replace gasoline. Biodiesel made from the membranes of microorganisms, more specifically the cyanobacterium Anabaena, which are primary phototrophs that form heterocysts allowing it to use nitrogen from the air. These microorganisms can be genetically modified to secrete organic compounds that can also be useful for the extraction step necessary to remove the hydrophobic lipids from the proteins and DNA. Because the growth rate of these bacteria is so high, 1 hour doubling time with optimum nutrition, this becomes more feasible in the large scale. Biodiesel combined with hybrid electric engine technology will be what finally frees us from this terrible dependence on foreign oil.

Wind depletion? Wind depletion? You idiots raising that as a concern obviously have no clue what percentage of kinetic energy of the wind is actually transferred to the wind turbine and converted into mechanical and then to electrical energy. I suspect it’s somewhere in the neighborhood of .000000000000000000000000000000001 percent.

Go back to grade school.

Using natural gas to generate electricity is very efficient. Using it to power an automobile isn’t. There’s always going to be some waste. No energy conversion is perfect -it’s The Law (of Thermodynamics). But his idea has us swapping a technology that is 60% efficient (gas powered co-generation power plants) for one that is about 20% efficient (natural gas powered automobiles. Why not build the wind turbines, keep the power plants and switch to plug in hybrids that can run for the first 20 miles on battery power? Most people don’t drive more than 30 miles a day. A 40 MPG plug in hybrid would use a gallon of gas every 4 days. An 8 gallon fuel tank would give you an almost 350 mile range and an average driver (12k miles per year) would need about 110 gallons of gas per year. You would also spend something like $250/yr for the electricity to travel those first 20 daily miles. Even if gasoline stays at $4 per gallon, the cost to fuel/power a car drops to something like $700/year. It would cost almost $2,000 to travel the same distance in a normal 25 MPG car.

From the same dignity-less slimball who bankrolled the Swiftboat Cowards for Lies, comes a $70 Million dollar campaign to convince you to help him make more money.

I reject this idea on source alone. If he thinks it’s smart, it’s got to be a nightmare for the American consumer…. that’s how he got all that money in the first place.

Unfortunately his plan isn’t about bringing wind energy or solar energy to the market because it won’t make him enough money. What they are failing to mention is that along his powerline he plans on putting in from the panhandle to Dallas/Ft. Worth is a water pipeline. He has called water the next black gold. What he wants to do is sell water from the Ogallala Aquifer to the large cities in Texas. That aquifer is the only supply of water people in the panhandle and in 3 or 4 other states have. He doesn’t care if he dries up the aquifer because he will be laughing all the way to the bank.

You guys should really look into this to see what his real plans are and he is going to us eminent domain to get his plan rolling. Nobody wants to sell him their land for the easement or so he can get more water rights so he is going to use eminent domain to make sure he loads his pockets full. T. Boone is not liked at all up in the Texas panhandle.

Great to see someone in the private sector stand up to the plate. Like he says, it’s a partial plan and it’s a good start…….

Let’s get more of the private sector involved- we don’t need politicians- they are useless….

Bob

If you want to be serious about a long-term energy solution, you have to go after the internal combustion engine as we know it. As long as our means of transportation is less than 30% efficient, no power source is going to remain sufficient for long. Electric transportation is nearly three times as efficient as internal combustion, so it’s a win even after we allow for the deficiencies of the power grid.

The power grid’s been overdue for an overhaul for about 20 years, so the cost of that upgrade is just something that has to be paid if we don’t want to regress to third-world status, so no whining on that.

Lastly, there’s a huge efficiency improvement nobody seems to be talking about in geo-exchange environment management systems, which can halve the amount of energy consumed to heat and cool buildings. Not only does this offer huge energy savings, its adoption would entail a huge amount of retrofit work, an investment in the US economy that would be guaranteed to yield a payback, a double-win scenario.

Wind can be an important contributor to our national energy budget, but fixing our egregious inefficiency would correct the supply/demand imbalance in the energy markets in a more durable way. Pickens is still hedging for a solution he can make a killing on, and we should never forget that about him.

We need to develop alternative sources of energy and the Pickens Plan could be the start of a national program to do just that. We should have started developing other sources of energy after being manhandled by OPEC in the 1970s.

Wind won’t do everything, but we have to start somewhere. The big wind turbines can kill migrating birds, Monarch butterflies, etc. and solutions must be developed to prevent the decimation of our natural wildlife by the wind turbines and transmission lines while providing green energy.

Drilling in ANWR or in costal waters just give BIG OIL more barrels to sell overseas…to China, India, etc. and does not increase the supply or oil for customers in the U.S.A. Current policy/law allows this and capitalism encourages BIG OIL to sell to the highest bidder, not the poor working folks here at home.

Sorry Gene, you are off by about 9 zeros according to Dr. Leonard Suznik, the Danish Aerobotanist. You are correct that one turbine consumes a small amount of our world’s wind supply, but multiply that by thousands of turbines in that “coridoor” and millions of operational hours and we could be looking at a very still, windless summer. On top of global warming! Perhaps TBoone, being the capitalist that he is, is investing heavily in fans. The oil is nearly gone, let’s not use up our wind supply as well.

1) American oil for lubricants, asphalt, plastics, ect, ect

2) Nuclear for home and business power (a more constant energy source then wind)

3) Wind for electrolysis to make hydrogen to fuel our automobiles

Boone Picken’s track record is great for mystifying retoric, but not good in terms of results. A few years ago he was bringing water from the Pandhandle to the Metroplex. I wonder how many people invested in that venture and have gotten rich? Now it’s wind. I like Mr. Pickens a great deal the few times I met him, but he reminds me too much of Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man who always went where the people were as green as the money. Great comment to the librarian’s little son when Hill got exposed, “I always think there’s a band, kid.”

When will we get this straight, were going to allow one of the biggset individual oil raiders to control the electricity too…..dang lets try CO-OP power that the whole bunch of us benefit from……..

A wind mill owner once said.. For the first five years she turned for the bank, now she turns for me. Mr. Pickens has the long view that he will make a great deal of money, and as much as the wind blows in rural TX and OK, I bet he will. At the same time, he helps the economy with new jobs and manufacturing, and puts a few billion MWHrs into the gird. Shame our politcal leaders do not have a clue on what to do.

He is doing the right thing, but I would like to see him add some solar thermal capacity for calm, sunny days; even for windy, sunny days.

Wind driven energy would be a good way to use some of
that BLM land that sits there just driving up the value of
private land beyond any practical use. We need to get BLM lands
freed up for solar and other energy uses too. I can buy into it!

It’s a plan. And i believe someone out there will think of a way to stop our dependance on overseas oil. There is a way. Americans for the most part have gotten lazy. We just set back and grip. We do nothing to try to come up with a way. For the most part I think about 80 to 90% of Americans are “couch potatoes” so to speak. Just sitting back and watch the world go around.

Here’s the real skinny. We used to walk more often. We used to live close to where we work. We used to commute more. We used to bring our lunches to work. We used to eat at home every night.

Our McCulture is our downfall. We need to be more patient. The advent of cell phones, pagers, the Internet, cable TV, all of it, is what is making this a more difficult “I WANT IT NOW” country.

Travel to Ireland, Germany, Scotland, places that have beem around for centuries and have fallen and risen again. They have it right. Travel to really cold clmates, like Denmark or Finland….they know you live close to where you work.

Why must some individual drive a large SUV, have no one to commute with, drive 25 miles each way to work and then bitch and moan about gas prices? Of course they’re drinking their $5 Starbucks coffee and yapping on their phone.

That’s the culprit.

DO THE MATH, PEOPLE.

You would need 73,000 wind turbines to produce HALF as much power as the gas-fired power plants in the United States.

Phase I of Pickens’ Pampa Wind Project will have 667 wind turbines.
Hey, it’s a start.

Before we cover the Great Plains with many tens of thousands of wind turbines, wouldn’t it be prudent to do an environmental impact study on wildlife and weather patterns?

All other energy sources have to jump through environmental hoops. Wind should not get a free pass.

Rick, Ok, I took 9 zero’s off. So it’s only .000000000000000000000001 percent. Big whoop.

I hear people complaining about the wind not blowing all the time, too much noise, too far to transmit. The area that has the best wind around is a strip that goes from Texas to Minnesota. So, who thinks that all the wind in that huge area will stop all at once? Conditions will vary, but this is really good.

This past weekend I drove past a windmill (one of the huge 3 prop turbines) on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I rolled down my window and could not hear the windmill.

Many of the thoughts on solar are good. What about Nevada where the government owns about 80 % of the state. Lord knows that desert land could be used for something productive.

I also like the geothermal proposals.

All of these ideas need to be funded and investigated in a short period of time, a sense of urgency.

I don’t agree with opening additional areas for drilling. That is like pulling money out of your 401k to pay your monthly bills. It does not make sense. Believe it or not, there is a finite amount of oil out there.

The point is there are many possibilities out there, but we have to try things, that is how we learn, get better and make new discoveries.

We have got to modify our behavior, if not for us, for our grand children.

The primary reason for no energy policy from our ‘beloved’ government is because too many people would lose money. Better gas mileage for vehicles manufactured in the US? Forget it. Hurts Big Three Profits. More nuclear power? Forget it. Oil, coal, and gas companies would lose profits. Wind power? Maybe, but the tree huggers are more worried about migratory bird routes.
But maybe the biggest culprits are the American people who expect returns on investments from their stocks, 401Ks, and funds that invest heavily in energy. As long as investors require, no demand is a better word, that they get their precious little dividends, no huge investment in self-reliance is going to take place.
Sure, T. Boone Pickens smells bucks in this – but at least he is presenting an alternative to the gridlock in Washington. Our Congress is a mess. An effective energy policy? Forget it. Lobbyists have already taken care of that.

Wind power is happening right now, with or without the legendary investor. At a reunion of my in-laws who live on the plains of Colorado a few weeks ago, they said a company was making investments in wind power, leasing up farmland, and the only catch was that the company wanted 20,000 acres in one vicinity, before they would ink a deal. I guess 20,000 acres is to justify the expense of the transmission or maintenance infrastructure. They are about 50 miles from the nearest city.

“We should build an enhanced national power grid that would allow wind and solar generated electricity to be transported to all areas of the nation.”

I disagree, Mr. Roark.

With the recent Great Lakes Water Compact assuring that the fresh water from the Great Lakes will NOT be piped outside that region, it is only fair to keep any electricity from wind and solar generation in the states which produce it.

Let the electricity rates in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and the other states best suited to capture electric be reduced with the upcoming burgeoning supply, and do NOT allow this power to be transmitted to the Great Lakes region.

Thanks for setting the precedent, midwesterners! Now it’s about time you began paying the piper for using the gas and oil produced in the southwest and gulf coast states during the past several decades.

The south NEVER should have allowed you to have any of it to begin with. You selfish pigs!

It is astounding to me that a man presumed to be as learned as Pickens, with the resources available to him to research the issue, makes no mention of solar power. I live in the southwest, where, as it turns out, DOE currently has a research initiative going to develop and sustain more solar power. Solar does not suffer the shortcomings associated with wind, and at first cut, seems to project as no more expensive than wind. One has to wonder why Mr. Pickens is not touting the potential of solar power, given the promise of the newest generation of solar cells and collectors.

Actually there is a terrific way to store MEGAWATTS of power.
During the day time, use the wind power to pump water up to a large water tank. (like a lake) from a lower water source (like the ocean). then when you need power, just let the water run down hill, and use hydroelectric.

I’m all for solar and wind and I like the fact that someone has a plan. But like in the article there are significant limitations to solar and wind. One it is extremely location specific and when it’s cloudy or when there is minimal wind there is no electricity, so then what. Listen we all want to keep our money as fast as possible. So what I think Mr. Pickens should be looking into is helping a revolutionary energy company in New Jersey called BlackLight Power, Inc. He should be helping to accelerate it’s revolutionary alternative non-nuclear, non polluting, and cheap energy producing source to all the power companies asap!

At last someone has nailed down the real problem and has a plan to get us going in the direction we need to go.

most of these ideas have been tried on the simpsons. the only real economical power producing ideas are from dams, wind turbines, and nuclear power, all of which are limitless. Nuclear last a reallly really long time, wind has been here for almost 4 billion years. If you have ever been to Germany near the french border there are thousands of wind turbines there generating power for millions. everyone here is worried about birds dying by running in to them well if that bird is that stupid to run in to a GIANT fan then too bad. Put a wind turbine in each neighborhood and see how low the power goes, i bet that if that was to happen that the power costs would go way down, you would still need traditional power generation plants but there are ways to back feed the wind turbine power back in to the grid and vice versa.

Does someone think that these wind turbines take the wind away and make it non existant what a tard. This is the most profitable idea ever. THere is a man in east texas that put one up in his front yard for 10000 and in about three years he earned his money back and has been feeding it back to the grid, the power company pays him for his power. see how good of an idea it is. Its not an eye sore people ” i dont want a windmill in my back yard” get over yourself you will be saving thousands of dollars on energy usage by doing this so you can get yoru nails done. Get with the program

We seem to know that Congress is no longer up to the task of fixing problems but, we seem to fail an understanding – why. I’m wondering if perhaps the right questions are not being asked of the right people? For example, it is far more normal today to hear from a left-leaning or right-leaning organization. Isn’t there anyway possible that Congress could fund some independent group of economists where the result is presented with a single voice?

I would just like some basic questions answered. And, where relevant, I would like those answers to be taught to our children in school. For example:
1) What is the life-expectancy of each energy source?
2) What is the percentage of those life expectancies as compared to the expected life of humanity on Earth?
3) If we were to move more rapidly to energy sources with longer life-expectancies how would that affect the human condition and perhaps human life-expectancies if any difference?
4) Who benefits financially from not moving more rapidly to energy sources with longer life-expectancies?
5) Mathematically, how relevant are existing energy sources? Are they simply round-off errors?
6) If we extract all oil, natural gas, coal and whatever else that can be extracted and burn it, how will that affect the natural processes of the Earth?
7) If building codes were changed so that every new home was required to be a zero-energy home, how much would the total price differential be over similar sized homes of today?
Who benefits by not moving to zero-energy homes and why is it beneficial to everyone?

As far T. Boone is concerned, it’s great that he’s found a way to make money on Wind. But, the natural gas thing is a non-starter for me. It’s still extracting and burning on a massive scale over a short period of time. Whether this is good, bad or indifferent I haven’t a clue. And, answers from Congress are not united in one voice.

In the old days, the media used to dig into this stuff. Now the media seems to care more about the dominance of online talk radio and whether Britney Spears has her pants on or off. You need to stop and smell the roses!

There is a collective Deep Throat out there that will destroy “extract and burn” in its tracks. There is a collective Deep Throat out there that will destroy the myth of carbon-trading. There is a collective Deep Throat out there that will, probably, destroy biofuels as well. We just have no media willing to step up to the plate and dig deep enough to hit the Pulitzer Prize of the 21st Century.

As one of the pre-eminent oilmen on this planet, I think that whether or not his plan is the “answer” or not, he’s signaling that oil’s run is coming to an end and we’d better figure out some answers for it’s replacement. Without readily accessible energy human civilization as we know it ceases to exist.

Just briefly reading through some of the comments on record scares me. The utter scientific ignorance (both pro & con) astounds me. So my comment(s) would be: first the people who care should educate themselves on the difference between energy and power and then consider that the principle problem of energy storage needs to be addressed first. Mr. Pickens plans are viable and at a minimum are a start forwards toward a solution. Those that propose more fission plants should consider where exactly they would suggest placing the spent fuel, most knowing people would not want the waste any where near THEIR family.
… just some comments from a physicist who has been in this field for 30 + years

Since we pride ourselves on having a free-market economy, if Mr. Pickens becomes even more rich from bringing wind power to the forefront of our energy system, then good for him. Very few downsides to wind.

Coal, on the other hand, is a bad idea. While there may be such a thing as “clean coal” the mining of it is anything but clean and ALWAYS has a bad impact on the environment. More coal means more mountain top removal which means more spoiled ground and surface water which means long-term bad affects for the people who live near them. Use of coal should be reduced, not increased.

Drilling for more oil is like telling a heroin addict his treatment will be more heroin.

Increasing the number of nuclear power plants is not a horrible idea.

But what I really don’t understand is why utility companies are not developing programs to put solar panels on homes to relieve some of the demand. Even small arrays that could be used to drive even a small subset of home appliances would be a help.

Windpower offsetting natural gas is a good idea. It’s a start to moving towards renewable energy in large quanities. However it still doesn’t help the environment, and many people will find that their bills will go up if theyre using gas ranges, heaters and things of that sort. If all goes well for him, Pickens will make a huge amount of money off of these windmills. 20% is a huge amount of renweable energy. If the US is to move towards energy independence and renewables on a large scale, the government needs to step up what theyre doing in terms promoting this technology. This will effect the lives of all Americans. It will lower gas prices which will reduce food costs, and costs in general will go down. This means more spending money, and the economy will do better. In addition, large scale production of windmills and renewables will create jobs. And this is only the beginning! At the same time, cities, and citizens will find ways to go green. This can be done by installing solar panels, windmills on bridges, and as nanotechnology and new materials become cheaper to produce, these machines will be efficient, low cost, and will benefit everyone. There are people willing to research, develop, and sell the tech., if only the government would now increase support for these things and provide incentives (aren’t gas prices a good incentive already?) like they do in some European countries, renewable energy would be a lot more popular. The incentives would encourage people who don’t have money to buy solar panels or windmills, to invest in these technologies. The government would then benefit because they wouldn’t have to deal with the Middle East so much, we’d be more independent! If Americans would just stop whining so much about solar panels looking ugly, windmills killing birds,this and that, and just stop being such babies, we wouldn’t be in such a crunch everytime we go pay for gas!

Anyways, that’s my long rant.

Mr. Pickens is not a genius, he is just a real smart, practical thinking American! He HAS a plan that can be of help. His plan may not supply all our energy needs, but it can supply a goodly part of it. If we could get off our butts and get some other sources in place we might have a chance at surviving as a Nation. We can and should develop more nuclear power and solar power. And we need to get after it!
And I would not even think about Mr. Pickens getting into politics. One has to have a few screws loose to get into that mess. What we need is a lot more people (men and women) who can put into practice something that will work!
Think where our energy needs could be if we had spent the funds used in the Iraqi War to use here in America.
Respectfully,
Duke Johnston

Some people don’t seem to understand that wind blows counter to load demand (It blows greatest at night). Wind is not a cheap power source, transmission lines are very expensive, and since windmills only operate about a third of the time, the transmission lines must be over built by a factor of 3. Also the mechanical components such as the gear boxes wear out often.

Texas has had a number of issues with there wind farms. They rely on only a fraction of what T. Boone suggests. Yet even in west Texas the wind is variable and extremely hard to predict. This causes days that the wind drops so sudden they have to drop customers.

http://www.compositetechcorp.com/index.htm

Renew solar, wind credits
The industry is threatened without an extension

Published: July 8, 2008 12:00

Across Oregon and the rest of the nation, uncertainty over the future of federal tax credits for solar and wind power is prompting the renewable energy industry to delay or abandon projects for fear that the incentives soon will disappear.

Last month, Congress failed for a depressing 10th time this year to extend vitally important investment tax credits for solar and wind projects. The credits, which are critical to the future of a renewable energy industry, are scheduled to expire at the end of this year.

The credits should have been extended as part of a major renewable energy bill that was approved in 2007. But Republicans culled them from the herd after oil companies protested a plan to pay for the credits by rescinding a sliver of the massive and unnecessary tax breaks that Congress granted to those oil companies in the 2005 energy bill.

The Democrats are not without blame for this mess. House Democratic leaders myopically insist that any extension of the credits be paid for by either trimming another budget item or adding revenues. Democrats are banking on this “pay-as-you-go” rule to establish their credentials as the anti-deficit party in the fall election, but they should make an exception, if necessary, for solar and wind tax credits.

A recent House bill would have left the oil companies’ profits untouched and instead offset the $17 billion in tax incentives by closing loopholes in offshore taxes that benefit hedge fund managers. But that proposal also ran afoul of Republicans who fear such “tax increases” might set a precedent that could threaten the extension of President Bush’s first-term tax cuts.

Congress needs to stop dithering and approve long-term extensions of solar and wind incentives. The credits are necessary to ease the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels through the development of green, affordable power, and they are especially crucial to Oregon and other states that have committed to providing a growing percentage of power from renewable sources in coming decades.

Tax credits have proven a major factor in the development of the nation’s renewable energy industry — and their absence also has proven a powerful deterrent. For example, solar energy thrived in the late 1970s under President Jimmy Carter, and then did a fast fade after Congress allowed tax credits to expire when oil prices eventually dropped.

Current credits can amount to as much as a third of the cost of commercial projects. Without them, there is little incentive for investors to take a chance on renewable energy projects.

As the Dec. 31 deadline for credits draws closer, companies are scurrying to complete existing wind and solar projects and have put a hold on new ventures. Meanwhile, some large renewable energy businesses are looking to overseas markets.

Congress is running out of time. When lawmakers return from the Fourth of July recess, they may have only two three-week sessions left in which to deal with the issue before the end of the year.

Senate Republicans should rethink their obstructionist strategy and heed the pleas of traditional business allies, who will be hurt if the credits are not extended. More than 400 companies recently sent a letter to Congress urging passage of the tax incentives. Signers included heavyweights such as AT&T, General Motors, Bank of America, Time Warner, Archer Daniels Midland, Cisco Systems and Oracle.

Congress should approve a long-term extension of both solar and wind tax credits. Failing that, a short-term extension would at least buy time until a new Congress and president can get it right.

Copyright © 2008 — The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA

every area of the country has an alternative energy source to contribute to the grid. coastal areas can have underwater turbines harvesting tidal energy. mountain tops and the plains have wind. mountains and piedmont areas can harvest hydroelectrical energy. desert areas can have solar panels. i don’t even have a problem with nuclear energy as long as controls are not bypassed. i’m sure there are other sources we could use. it has to be a multi-pronged attack. there should be energy entering the grid from somewhere at any given time. admittedly the infrastructure needs modernizing to efficiently share energy over long distances, but isn’t it about time we do that?

If T. Boone Pickens told me that the sun was going to start shining at midnight in the depths of all our coal mines, I’m sure I’d be on my computer buying stock in sunglasses. The man, if not actually prescient, is close enough for me untill the real deal is found.
Enough said

Wow, you people can’t read. He has said that after all of his plans are complete, which includes putting wind turbines from Texas to Canada, this will only replace 20% of the power we currently produce. Wind is not the answer and neither is solar energy. They are too expensive and don’t produce enough energy. Somebody will come up with a viable alternative, in the meantime coal and natural gas are the cheapest and easiest to obtain sources we have. Plus how is this going to lower gas prices?!!! When was the last time you took your house to the gas station and filled her up?

This is a ploy by T. Boone Pickmypocket to get his water pipeline from the panhandle to Dallas. He has been blocked because people won’t sell their land to him for a pipeline to be built. The ONLY way he can get a water pipeline is to have electrical lines running above it and he can do this by eminent domain. This bill was just passed by the Texas Legislature. This isn’t because he wants wind generated power, he wants to make money off of WATER, NON-REPLACEABLE WATER!!!! From the Ogallala Aquifer.

Google T. Boone + water if you don’t believe me.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

From many decades in the supposedly fiecely competitive busines world I can tell you a single plan is worth a thousand “observations” and “speculations”. You can’t move forward without picking a direction, and you can’t learn you’re moving in the wrong direction until you take at least one step toward somewhere.

So as you said, this is at least a plan. I’d say, “a plan?”, let’s jump on it.

- Greg

Boone Pickens is a Desparate Old SWIFTBOATER Who knows that Republican Big Oil Policies of Raping the land and making us Oil-Dependent have finally caught up with the GOP.
Now at last he , Cheney, and his money-grubbing Oil gluttons,
realize thy are poised the LOSE THE ELECTION- so he wants
at this late date– to push Wing Energy.

“WHEN YOU HAVE THEM BY THE (gonads), THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS WILL FOLLOW.”

Sure, Boone, Of Course I believe your committment too a Brave New World—Born ONLY of POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY>.

THIS SWIFTBOATER Is SLIM PICKENS WHEN IT COMES TO HONOE AND CREDABILITY!!

To the poster who said “nuclear powered cars”, that completely idiotic and not what was meant. Build more nuclear power plants and use the great amount of electricity for electric cars. All while investing in energies like solar, wind, etc.
Nuclear power is our best bet for now, unfortunately most people aren’t educated enough about it. Nor do most people think to look at other countries other than the united states, and see their nuclear programs. There are plants which use old warheads for energy. We’ve got lots of warheads..
Usually, the first step to solving a problem is education; not just about the problem, but all options and possible solutions.

One really must applaud Mr. Pickens on more than one level – First to me being the fact that he is a very wealthy man, who made his fortune in OIL. For him to turn to the American public and say, “Hey ya’ll, we cannot drill our way out of this” well, the American public would be very well served to sit up and take immediate notice. Second, to actually have a PLAN. This has been noted many times in these blogs so far, and it is certainly amazing. A man, a plan. That is such a better beginning than anyone in Washington can offer at this point. McCain and Obama better listen closely, because what is evident in this blog is that American’s are ready for any type of solution. I do not think this is because we’ll naively latch onto any thing offered to us, I think it is because we are all suffering, and the constantly rising price of gasoline and diesel fuel is hurting each and every one of us. Not only at the pump, but in the grocery store, in our utility bills, even one’s as simple as water because our cities and communities are struggling to pay their own rising costs of fuel and are passing the deficit onto consumers of water and trash service. America is heading towards a second great depression at this rate. Wages certainly are not keeping up with the increase in everything else. Now, back to Mr. Pickens, again, a man, a plan. I’ll sign onto this one because Wind is renewable, is readily available in the target area of the country. Having lived in southwestern Oklahoma for most of my life I can say that the wind blows fairly regular at rather high speeds. I can also say that outside of my community someone in the past few years put up a small wind farm, it’s causing no harm to our environment, our wildlife and such are doing quite well and no major notice has been found in our weather. It’s all pretty much the same. Mr. Pickens is definitely not the first to come up with the idea of harnessing the wind for power sources. There are wind turbines in California that have been farming the winds for many years now. Mr. Pickens is an extremely intelligent man with an eye towards the needs of our country and its future. He has faithfully given his money to colleges throughout the country to help fund higher education in many areas. He is now saying that it is time for this country to wake up and pay attention, oil is no longer where we need to be focused. We may be well served to listen, and he’s telling us for free. For those who have a problem with the idea that he might make a dollar or so more along the way, well, back to basics folks, that’s what makes America the greatest country in the world. Come up with an idea and then sell the heck out of it, you can make piles and piles of money as well. Will you however, be as determined to lift up the country in the process, and donate as much as possible to lift others up along with you? That’s what Mr. Pickens has done, is doing, and will continue to do into the future.

For everyone who is dimissing this plan just because Picken’s came up with it. I say step and put your plan out there or point me in the direction of the great leader that we have somewhere who has a plan ANY PLAN for this problem. Both Republicans and Democrates, Liberal and Conservative are just sitting there twiddling their thumbs. We have become a county of do nothing complainers, everyone blaming their problems on the other side or another country. Either get on board with the people trying to help or get the hell out of the way. If you don’t like an idea then either come with your own, find another you can get behind, or shut up. I don’t think Picken’s is a hero but at least he is trying something. This is the kind of creative thinking that will start to get us out of this problem.

If T. Boon. Pickens has ever been far wrong about the energy market or exploiting resources for profit, I’m not aware of it. He is investing his own money in this project and he doesn’t do that unless he plans to make a generous return from it. If there is one thing he has never been accused of it’s being a tree hugger.

Wind machines exclusively drive “induction” electric generators. Induction generators can only “beat against” (translate: “piggy back”) a much larger synchronous generator system. The percentage of induction generators that can be added to the synchronous A.C. power system of any region before instability ensues is limited. Wind power can assist, but it is not the answer to our energy prayers.

Claude Harvey, Electrical Power Engineer

I still drive my 12 year old Ford Expedition SUV. 11 Miles a gallon and Proud of it. But, I now only drive it 6 miles a day. Three miles each way to the bus stop. I tank up about once a month.

Public transportation is now starting to make “ECO” since as in “Economic”. Those of us in Denver feel sorry for the rest of the country. The bus I ride is often now ¾ full. I’d think it would be much more given that the price of the monthly bus pass is paid for with the cheapest monthly parking downtown.

I think I know what keeps the number of riders down. I felt “poor” when I started riding the bus. Like I couldn’t afford my executive parking place and fancy car. But, I felt that it was my part to “walk the walk” and stop pouring money into the Middle East where it causes trouble like pouring money into an Heiress’s pocketbook.

If the price of gas keeps going up, I’m switching to my bike, which will make me feel like a poor guy. But I’ll continue to feel patriotic as I’m putting less money into the middle east where it just keeps things boiling.

And, Oh, Yeah, for those of you wondering, the Expedition is REALLY necessary for those few times a year that 6 to 8 of us want to skip the first five miles of four wheel drive road when we are mountain climbing. Otherwise, I’d swap it for something else. And, I’m a number cruncher. In Colorado it makes economic sense over a scooter!

As long as oil rules the economy then Wind Power and solar power will never take the lead. We have far too many oil men in power in business, and on Capital Hill. This is what the US gets when they put all of their eggs in one basket. So Mr. T. Boone Pickens, how will you convince all the oil Mongers that you have a good plan? How will your plan work, and not cause the economy to flat line? We can only put up so many wind mills, and and solar power will take many years before it is profitable. Besides this, I really like to see you convince Beverly Hills California that putting up these monster wind mills wont depreciate their homes value, as the same goes for any where that you might put them. They are a eyesore up close. Solar doesn’t look that much better either.

By slowing the wind, the cold air from Canada will reduce cooling of USA.
Past the tipping point, runaway Heat Waves, Tornadoes, Hurricanes.
Not only asphalt, but also the concrete will melt. Birds will be fried in flight.

Before it is too late, and USA ends in a heat wave;
Please have NASA Jim Hansen computer petafloppy this !

The U.S. can either invest billions of dollars in offshore drilling in the Pacific and Altlantic intercontinental shelfs. Or take the same money and invest in alternate energy (wind, solar..) The first option will take 5 years, pollute our countrys shoreline, and will only bring the price per barrel down a couple cents. The second option is a true investment into the countrys future. Wind is definatly a good idea, but needs to be a part of a much larger energy package. I belevie that todays crisis of 130+ barrels is caused by Speculation in the commodities markets (agree with tomtom). Current supply demand ratios, compared with those of 5 years do show an obivios tightening (due to demand from inda and china) however they do not justify the huge increase in Price per barrel. The unregulated Commodities/Spectulation market is 100% to blame for our current price at the pump!

While Peter Dykstra’s first two points in his “2 cents worth” were right on the mark, the other two appear to be at least party based on misconceptions, misunderstandings or both.

Peter’s third point was “3. It may be a plan from a shrewd, battle-tested business tycoon, but it’s probably not as easy as it seems. Wind energy gives out when the wind stops blowing, and there’s no existing technology to store it in large quantity. Wind-dependent power plants would need a robust backup system. We’d also need a much better electric transmission infrastructure than we have right now, in order to move the wind power from the Great Plains, where it’s available, to the population centers, where it’s needed.” None of those points are entirely true. While wind energy does indeed give out when the wind stops blowing, there is no need for technology to store it in large quantities. Instead, two technologies — active grid-wide load distribution and quick-start backup power sources such as aero-derivative gas turbines — make much more technological and financial sense that attempting to store massive quantities of electricity. Luckily, most weather is localized, so when it is calm in southern California it may well be blowing up a storm in Seattle. This diversity — and the probability that the wind is blowing somewhere — is what makes load balancing possible. Yes, that means building more wind turbines than would theoretically be needed if the wind always blew in a consistent, predictable manner, but wind power project across Europe and elsewhere have shown that the system is feasible and economical in spite of that limitation. If the country is hit by a huge calm weather zone at the exact time when peak load occurs, gas turbines and other technologies can be used to fill in the gap. Before someone complains that using gas turbines undermines the rationale for replacing gas-generated power with wind, please consider that most of the time the wind does indeed blow in many places across the country. With enough wind turbines, a net reduction of 20% in natural gas usage is obtainable.

As for the need for grid improvements — those are a business expense, not a roadblock. Already much of California’s power is shipped down from hydro dams located far to the north in Canada. Similarly, power plants in the Midwest are supplying the Northeast. In Russia, power is wheeled many times farther than the distance from Iowa to NYC. The technology is proven and reliable; it’s just a question of making long-term infrastructure investments that will eventually be needed anyway.

Peter’s fourth point, “4. Wind as a main power source would have an uneven impact in replacing natural gas. About half of California’s electricity comes from natural gas. In Ohio, it’s about 2%,” misses the point entirely. To reduce the nation’s total usage of natural gas for power generation by 20%, built wind towers where the combination of weather (wind patterns) and geography (distance to users) is greatest. If it does not make sense to build them in Ohio, then don’t! That still leaves 49 other states to choose from. Also, even a 2% reduction in natural gas usage in Ohio would be preferable to a 0% reduction.

One of the false arguments used by opponents of a more rational energy policy is that whatever solution is under consideration does not solve 100% of America’s energy problems or is not absolutely perfect and without downsides. Those arguments are as facetious as they are dangerous. The correct question to ask is not whether wind or solar or any other single alternative will solve all of our energy problems but whether they will make a positive contribution. Cutting our dependence on foreign oil by 10% is immensely preferable to not cutting it at all — or having it increase! Similarly, while every energy technology has some drawback (windmills can harm birds; producing solar cells can itself involve processes and chemicals that harm the environment), the question we should ask is not whether a given technology is perfect but whether it is more advantageous than continuing to rely on dirty and increasingly expensive fossil fuels.

What makes Mr. Pickens’ foresight so good is that he pays attention with what is going on in the world. Unlike most average Americans, he concerns himself with what is developing in other parts of the world and how that comes into play here at home. His predictions for wind power is nothing new, for years people have wanted to place huge windmills off the coast of New England, except that stiff well monied crowd of Martha’s Vineyard have be NIMBYs, because they’d rather have their private view uncluttered, rather than have a wuid farm off shore that could take up as much as 30%+ of the power needs for the entire state. In otherwords, the Well Heeled are simply selfish, self centered heels because they have the money to PAY for HIGH priced energy. Why should others have the right to pay less for energy if it spoils their view of one of the best places on the planet for a true wind power solution for high energy prices. Face it folks, if we don’t convert to something other than oil for energy, we are going back to the 19th century for commerce and living. BTW, the next hot button is animal waste generated by large animal stock yards, where millions of tons of waste lie pig dung could be converted into methane gas, instead of fouling the land and water near the feed lots as run off. You want in on the next energy source of the future? Think animal DUNG!

After all the oil barrons raped ENRON, they built wind farms so the Republic of Texas could be the first state to go off grid. The money was used twice,so we could sell the excess energy back to the poo folk.
And if we take this sceanario one more step when Conoco was purchased to squelch access to Copper,to kill the Solar Industry
the first time-who do You think purchased it.Now Cell panels the last
3 weeks can hardly be stabilized at market prices. So,who
is fooling who.This is not about change, preserving the Planet in any
manner, this is about raping other industries which the oil companies
isolated ,humilated and stifled all growth in,outside of NASA.
So now these Oil assets which are purely based on Greed, Money and more Power fail to realize that the motivations are transparent even unto God. The Earth purification and changes are for Men exactly like this,with these motivations to fatten their wallets further,and
no humanitarian motivations.

I work in the renewable business in ocean energy, which is in its infancy here in the U.S., but in EU is much farther along. Governments there are extremely proactive with subsidies and permitting; this does not exist in any meaningful way for developers here. Interior just released it’s draft regs for offshore/OCS alt energy – two years late.

The U.S. does not get much of it’s electricity from petroleum today, but from coal, nat gas and nuclear, with some wind (1% I think). For electricity to be used to wean us off foreign oil, we’ll have to go all electric in transportation. This move is already afoot (billions being spent by the autos here – for which I worked 12 years). I applaud Mr. Pickens, but nat gas will not be the viable soln for transportation. Nor will Hydrogen…The nat gas thing has been tried under the PNGV initiative in the Clinton era and Hydrogen is at least a generation away, if ever viable.

Keep nat gas for electric generation (a domestic not foreign source), build more nuclear plants, do more wind and solar, do ocean wave, tidal and current energy development and focus on helping the autos get to electric. Then there’s the small task of updating our antiquated grid to handle plugging in the nation for transport.

Use wind energy to product hydrogen from natural gas and other sources. Hydrogen is your energy storage and carrier. Hydrogen fuel cells are a proven clean energy that produces energy, water, and heat. All of these byproducts are useful.

I agree with Mr. Pickens and Miles O’Bien on most every thing. Wind energy is an important part of the solution. My home has been powered by 100% wind energy for years.

As far as the electric transmission infrastructure goes, for years, I have been reading about how it needs to be replaced in this country. Like Mr. Pickens, I agree, we need to start on this project very quickly after we have a new president next year.

I, however, believe solar energy should also play a major role in our future. The government should give tax incentives to anyone wanting to install solar panels for personal or business use.

As for energy to power our automobiles, Mr. Pickens believes we should power them with natural gas, then later, convert to some other unnamed source in the future. He may be right, but I hate to see us all go through “the change” again when natural gas is too costly. I would like to see the auto industry produce fuel cell powered cars very quickly. Honda already makes the FCX Clarity, a zero-emission hydrogen powered fueled cell sedan. They are currently in limited production. You can’t beat zero emmissions folks!

We all need to take a closer look at how we live our lives and decide what changes we can make to conserve energy now. Simulatiously, government should give private industry the incentives it needs to create cost effective ways to reduce our energy consumption without feeling like we are sacrificing our quality of life.

I live in Oklahoma. The wind never stops blowing. The sun shines most of the time. As a salesman I was taught not to leave money on the table. If we fail to take advantage of Pickens’ proposal, that’s exactly what we are doing. We have to wean ourselves from OPEC, whatever it takes.

If a crusty ol’ oil man says wind is in gas is out…believe him. Sure thing is oil is finite wind ‘ain’t'…Truth is we need to develope any and all new sources of energy and quickly as possible. The sooner we do, the less we spend on the Arabs treasure chest. Believe me the Arabs will cut the price of oil to drastic levels if they see we are serious about weening ourselves from their ‘tit’. Even if they do slash prices, we must not falter and divest ourselves from their whim as to our energy policies. Once we do become energy independant a whole slew of Middle East problems disappear. Let us not falter. We can and must utilize our resources and capabilities to alter and succeed in our new energy programs. We will sleep better knowing that the ’sands’ of time will be our ally and not their fossil riches.

Peter Dykstra blogs: “2. It’s a plan — at least a partial one — which is pretty much more than we’ve got now.”

Isn’t that everything? The Pickens Plan is the only plan on the table. It is probably not a perfect plan, and maybe it isn’t any better than an okay plan. But it is a credible plan that promises to benefit the U.S. energy situation with minimal chances of a disastrous backfire. It has the advantage of being proposed as an intermediate plan to bridge the gap until alternative energy technology is ready for prime time. We can’t compare the Pickens Plan to other plans, because the Pickens Plan is the only plan on the table. Since American desparately has do to something about energy immediately (i.e., we had to do something in 1973 but decided to bury our heads in the sand instead), we have to go with the only plan on the table. Even if it were possible to take a couple of years of deliberation to come up with a better plan, we don’t have time to do that. Both political parties should embrace the Pickens Plan and run with it.

But is natural gas really a viable alternative?
Don’t we still need to drill for it?
If we’re not allowed to drill here, then aren’t we still going to be reliant on foreign suppliers?
Natural gas is a fossil fuel isn’t it?
Won’t we still run out of it?
How big would the natural gas tank on my car have to be?
Who’s going to buy me this car that hasn’t been invented yet?
This guy looks older than McCain doesn’t he? Does than mean anything?

How many birds will this kill? We should stop this now.

This guy is almost 80, so he likely will not personally benefit from any profits.

He IS an altruist. Exactly ZERO, ZIP, NONE dollars were put in the the latest Federal Energy Budget for alternative energy incentives. This guys is putting his money up to build the WORLD’s LARGETS wind farm. He is also spending $51M of his own money on an advertising campaign to put pressure on our governement.

The US economy always soars when we focus money on new research and development ideas. We desperately need to be the world’s leader in all of the parts of green technology – batteries, geothermal etc……to give the US economy an edge.

Lastly he is BRILLIANT with money. He put together a fund of $165M for Oklahoma State’s athletic program. Support the investment or not, but the fund is now worth over $300M due to Mr Pickens’ ability to make very good financial bets.

Support this guy and pressure your federal, state and local governmental officials to get off their butts and help the economy create jobs.

It’s not that I disagree with Picken’s windmill proposal. And I do congratulate my fellow bloggers with both their own enrgy-saving proposals as well as their healthy skepticism while examining Mr. Pickens.
I would argue that it is not the lack of creative technology that is the barrier to a solution – the wonderful proposals just within this blog prove that. It is the financial and industrial monopoly system and its need for ever greater profits that’s “getting in the way”.
A U.S. District Court judge named Ed Ludwig recently published a column arguing that the oil industry should be “converted” into a public utility. If the public owns this sector, then citizens and their representatives along with experts can put in place workable ideas such as these that are listed, and not have them shelved by oil billionaires and Wall Street swidlers.
This is not as far-fetched as you might think. A few years ago, the Supreme Court allowed a Connecticut town to “condemn” private property and then turn over to private developers if it was for the “public good”. Certainly, then, “condemning” the oil companies and converting them to public property would permit us to explore energy alternatives, protect the environment and, hopefully, prevent us from engaging in oil wars in the future.

When I was on vacation in Sweden last summer, I saw “windmills” everywhere. They help Sweden provide electricity at a much lower cost. I think it’s high time for that technology to be utilized in the windiest parts of USA. There is a big controversy over “windmills” in the Cape Cod region, but, that area too is very windy and they would be very ideal there. There is too much reliance on foreign oil, so Natural Gas, Hydrogen, and “Windmills” will be ideal for this new century…

Markus McLaughlin
linuxglobe.wordpress.com
Hudson, MA, USA

I was recently in western Nebraska, where the wind blows unabated. They do have some wind turbines there but on most days the wind is too strong for the turbines. The turbines are shut down.

This seems to be a major flaw in design.

The Europeans are ahead of the USA in alternative energy because they tax the heck out of gasoline and other forms of energy. They got inventive because they had to. If we were slowly raise taxes on energy and use the tax revenue to bolster alternative energy development we’d see rapid growth in these technologies. Some technologies are appropriate for small scale energy generation, others for large scale. Govt support will be needed for large scale projects but let’s have the marketplace decide which are the most appropriate, not big-business oriented, politically connected connivers like Pickens.

Mr. Pickens is absolutely right about part one of a four part approach. Electricity generated from wind, hydroelectric, solar and even nuclear power is the answer. Electricity is the clean power that needs to be used for all transportation in this country. The burning of fossil fuels, or any other fuels that discharge waste into our atmosphere, is killing our planet.
Jobs can be created by building wind turbines, hydroelectric dams, solar collectors in the desert and more nuclear power plant facilities.
If the private sector cannot take the lead the government should. Much like the programs initiated by Woodrow Wilson, badly needed jobs would be created for our people as we upgrade our own country’s infrastructure. Now is the time to act. Hope our next President will take the initiative. The future economic health of our country, and our personal health, depend on it.

Drilling off our own shores is not an economic need but rather a need for national security, Currently we need oil and a lot of it. If we suddenly lost 40% of our oil imports for more than 60 days we would be in a world of hurt. We need to explore for more here to see what’s there and have it ready to go if needed. Why do you think Japan attacked Pearl Harbor 12/7/1942 it was to secure their path to oil in Indonesia they like the US now had to import most of their oil but we could possibly have enough off our shores to cover us for a few years while we wean ourselves off oil. These people who say we only have 3% of the proven reserves are partially correct when they say proven what they leave out is that there is much more unproven that need to be explored. Brazil just found one of the largest finds of oil in the last 40 years off their shores how can you discount the fact that we may have the same thing here unless we look for it. If we manage to get off our oil addiction in the next 20 years then we can sell it to countries that need it for a hefty sum like OPEC now. The thing that irks me the most is that this argument that is takes years to get it out of the ground has been around for years if someone decided to drill 10 years ago this would be moot and we wouldn’t be importing 70% of our oil and like Mr. Pickens calls it ” The Largest transfer of wealth in history ” . Conservation, Local Drilling, Developing Alternatives and Renewables all need to be on the table, putting all our eggs in one basket is what got us into this mess in the first place and there is no single way to get out of it. If we can increase our production by 20% and cut use by another 20% OPEC is out of the picture and that’s an attainable goal in the next 10 years with current technology. 20 years out with improvements in current technology and new tech we can be totally independent and clean all we need is leadership that is not afraid to make a choices that are good for everyone not ones that make special interests happy.

You say that with wind power there is no means to store the power. That is incorrect. There are presently in use in Canada and the EU hydro battery systems being used.

Please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumped-storage_hydroelectricity

You note that his plan would require the upgrading and expansion of our power lines. This should be a key part of governmental energy plans. An improved power distribution plan could allow small farmers to make money on wind power along with the Texas billionaires. It is crucial to any plan for using intermittent sources of energy.

I still remember the morning Pickens casually spoke of “three figure oil” in an interview on NPR. But an oil company president is saying the price will return to $40! protested the interviewer. Pickens chuckled and said, “Wal, I guess we’re just not using the same spreadsheet.”

I agree that we can not wait on politicians who take the safer voting route and do nothing.

I have already invested in a wind company that makes the wind turbines and transmission cables. The cables or power lines are lighter than the traditional steel-core lines and require 16% less infrastructure/towers because of the weight savings.

Pickens has the right idea. It may not be perfect, but it’s a move in the right direction.

Risk = Champagne

Politicians = Same Old Stuff

If we want change, we’ll have to mobilize and do it ourselves. I am putting my money where my mouth is and I want to be a part of this new plan, including Pickens’.

Kudos to Mr. Pickens! Why didn’t Bush as an oil “baron” step up and suggest ANYTHING like this? Because he didn’t want to jeopardize any of his family’s fortunes. I am going to CELEBRATE Bush’s last day! Maybe they should make his last day a HOLIDAY. I can’t wait to hear more about Mr. Pickens’ plan. Now, all we need is a major automaker to submit a plan to cut back on our gas usage at the consumer level, i.e. conversion subsidies. For those of us just making ends meet and need to drive, we can’t afford to buy a new car for $15K; a conversion of our existing cars would be a real help.

Everything I’ve read or heard about a new energy policy or plan, has invariably lead to how difficult it will be to implement….Um….Yeah!!?? 100 years ago we could not have imagined the energy infrastructure that exists today. The problem is we have become so risk averse that we are locked in analysis paralysis. For 200 years the United States demonstrated an amazing ability to overcome challenges, and then we lost our nerve. The Pickens plan sounds pretty solid. We can build the infrastructure very quickly if we choose to (see China). Wind is potential energy, and if it is not consistent enough to harness directly to electricity, then convert it to a different potential like stored water, heat (brine/steam), or air as previously mentioned. But please…Let’s do something!

For those of you that want nuclear power, Pickens stated on Squawk Box on Tuesday or Wednesday (whenever he was on, I can’t remember) he IS for nuclear power, solar, wind, pretty much ANYTHING that is domestic that will alleviate our dependence on foreign oil. He stated he felt that nuclear power would take too long to develop and since the US can be “the Saudi Arabia of wind power” we should go forth with it. Nuclear is probably the most efficient, but again…you get the problems with the waste and public worry about a meltdown. It sounded like Boone felt wind energy was the most realisitic in the most timely manner.

“Perfect is the enemy of good”. His plan isn’t perfect but it’s definitely worth implementing. The very fact that he’s motivated by money instead of ideals makes it more likely to succeed and be profitable. Jason says that won’t power our cars but he’s wrong. Mine’s electric.

wasn’t this the guy that said he would give anyone a million dollars if they could show proof that the Swiftboat Veterans were lying about Kerry’s record? and then backpedaled and ultimately did not give Kerry a million dollars after been repeatedly should such proof?

Seems like only Joel, Derek and Franko are getting this. TBoone isn’t an altruist. He is a dyed in the wool capitalist. And his interest is capturing our national wind supply and building a huge interstate wind pipe. The costs of transporting all that wind is staggering. What do you tell the folks who windsurf in Oregon’s Columbia Gorge when their sails sit limp in the water? Or the tiny spiders who construct parachutes to float on the wind who will now have to walk from place to place? Let’s preserve our natural wind resources while we can.

Mr. Pickens has a great idea, but I would change it in this way use the electcity from the windmills to produce hydrogen from water like Iceland does. Then the hydrogen could be used to drive cars, trains, or to power generators, or stored for winter heating.

Thank you

There are a bunch of socialists on here. Whomever brought up that our government doesn’t spend money on alternative fuel research is an idiot. Post proof or shut up!

Wind is NOT a solution! It will take around 20+ years to be completed and that will only provide 20% of our electricity needs. You people seem to think it will be on the market within a year. It won’t!! The stupid Democratic congress needs to let us drill in ANWR and off the coasts NOW and we will see results in 5 years, not 20!! They want the price to go up, get a clue. That way they can control more of your lives. Gas has gone up over 40% a gallon since they took over office and they don’t have a PLAN for the future except to raise taxes on oil companies. IDIOTS!

It’s a good start. No single solution will support our needs. However, a comprehensive plan – including wind, solar, natural gas, oil, coal, and nuclear power is in our future. The government should convene a blue-ribbon panel with a mandate to determine our energy future – or at minimum, a way forward. Then use that as a blueprint for tax and energy policy. Not taking a more active role will leave us even more dependent on foreign powers and therefore will reduce our choices and freedoms we enjoy today. We need LEADERSHIP!!!

I like this plan, you guys think McCain is too old to be President, I think Mr. Pickens should be running for President.
Instead of everyone sittin around doing nothing, watching the sky fall on America, Give Mr. Pickens credit for coming up with solutions. We do really need more forward thinking people, America is built on Ideas and solutions, but I fear some of the companies and their profits, and the Oil Cartel, like whats going on.
Is Capital Hill Awake!
Does anyone really care about the average(Jo) little guy just trying to pay his mortgage ,feed his children and do his job, and now put fuel in his car! UGH! HELP Already! Can anyone say Boston Tea Party!!!

and while we are at it….

The gulf stream off our eastern coast has huge amounts of energy, and flows all the time. Its slow, but water is thousands of times more dense than air.

Submerged turbines in the Gulf Stream, anyone?

Kevin – Not socialists but pragmatists.

There is no solution to the energy crisis that will replace oil 100%, however anything will help. There may be short term fixes, (I don’t belive ANWR is one of them, but that’s not the discussion) but they are just band-aids. We need long term commitment on new sources of energy and we need entrepreneurs like Pickens to drive that change.

New energy technologies are great for America. You can’t export installation and maintenance jobs in solar, wind or geothermal.

A recent issue of the Economist magazine had a special section on alternative energy. I suggest you check it out.

Thank you! Mr Pickens You have raised awareness at least.

I say let us do something. Wind and NG is great! No one else wants to do any but lean more on oil. Change is hard but if you are never will to start you will get no where. Sure drill more oil well and in a few years it will help but inaction is killing us now.

High altitude winds have HUGE potential. The technical hurtles are not imposing.

http://www.skywindpower.com

Nuclear is a shortsighted alternative IMO for a few reasons:

1) We need an estbalished place to store all the waste (that isn’t perpetually mired in legal controversy). It’s irresponsible to proceed with new plants without settling this fundamental issue.

2) The half-life of the radioactivity of the waste is into the thousands of years…all of which time the waste needs to be secured. This expense seems nominal while the energy is being generated, but you keep on paying and paying (and paying) for it long after the plant is defunct.

3) Nuclear sites make excellent terror targets. It is very expensive to secure the sites both in construction and in ongoing maintenance and security services.

Instead of building all these houses that people can’t afford and foreclose, how about using that land to build these wind farms!

I’m sorry but I have to comment on the person who claims we’re all a bunch of Socialists. That’s a typical response from this failure of an administration. Always a quick fix, never actually solving the problem.

I am not against drilling in the ANWR at this point but why can you say that Wind is NOT a solution? No one ever wants to just go out and do, they always want to complain. It’s time for some action on ANYTHING that will put us in the right direction and away from oil.

Like others I believe it’s not the total answer but it’s a start and it has already started, There are hundreds of these windmills going up in the Midland, Stanton area in West Texas, its not just an Idea out there its reality.

Do Bush and his Energy Advisors even know about the Pickens Plan? Based on the story posted by CNN within the last hour, it does not appear so. Bush made no mention of it in his chiding Congress today. He and his administration are still pushing Congress about drilling in the OCS and ANWR. Enough of the blame game! Let’s get behind the Pickens Plan and get moving before we “blame game” ourselves into a depression!

Seems to me that the time has come to stop the talkin and gettin to doing somethin – Mr Pickens is on to something – all he has to do is get the politicians to get off there butts and do something with him. Giant wind farms would do very well in Texas, South Dakota and many other states in our midwest – this is not the only thing we should be doing but it will be place to start – another good thing would be Sugar Cane for fuel in cars – if Brazil can do so can we – all it takes is action.

Matt,
Wind won’t take us from oil. Electricity is produced by coal and natural gas…not from oil. Wind farms will not reduce the dependance on foreign oil. I think it’s fine to have wind farms, but they are not a solution they are as you say “a bandaid” on the problem. I like a combination of nuclear, oil, natural gas, wind, and solar. Unfortunately oil is the cheapest and easiest to bring to market so why knee-cap ourselves from getting more?

Some people on here want the government to take control of the oil industry. That is a form of socialism. How is the administration, any administration, in control of the economy or the oil industry? Please tell me. Congress has more control of those things than the President because they make laws. Is President Clinton responsible for the Dotcom bust? No. What was his energy plan? Why has President Bush asked Congress for more funding for alternative fuels over and over? Why did he ask for car emissions to be cut in half within 10 years or for fuel efficiency to increase in that time? Is that not a plan? Before you say he doesn’t have a plan do some research.

I’ve yet to find anyone looking at the environmental effects of massive windmill farms. Windmills extract energy from the wind. This should reduce the power of the wind once it has passed the windmill. If enough energy is removed (MANY windmills), wind patterns will change and rainfall distribution will be changed. I fear that inland areas dependent upon moisture from the oceans may dry up since the winds cannot carry enough moisture to them.

Anyone done serious thinking about this possibility?

As an OSU student my thanks never stop for Boone.

First off let me say this plan is not perfect, but is worth moving forward with. I dont think he will ever see profits from this move but i think the entire US will be better off because of it.

We need to utilize our reneqable enrgy potenmtials now!! The longer we wait the more we waste.

I do think it is sad that a person has to put his wealth on the line to improve the country where is our president, congress the last 8 years. I expect our government to push projects (solar wind nuclear) hard and fast to fix our energy crisis. It is not one mans responsibility to fix our country, its the government.

Drill here. Drill now.

Tauratinzwe, I share your fears, as do a few others on this blog. Dr. Leonard Suznik, the Danish Aerobotanist, has shown that a corridoor of windmill farms stretching north to south could cause serious wind depletion leading to the possibilities of windless summers on the eastern half of the continent. Is a windless future the legacy we want to leave our children? Let’s not squander our natural wind resources like we have our shale oil reserves and kryptonite deposits.

I love the plan. I do think that we need to do more. I think investing in Solar Power for the Southwest States would definately pay for it self rather quickly. Wind Power for the MidWest and a better public Transportation system in the east would bring our Dependance on oil to a minimum. I think high speed trains like those in Europre and Japn are the way to Go. Getting on a train to go 600 miles is so much easier than flying. No long check in or security lines and the fares are very reasonable. With the pice of airline tickets on the rise I would do it if I had a few billion to invest.

Steven,
I know why an OSU student would like him so much but why don’t you ask him why he has to have a water pipeline go along with the electrical lines from the panhandle to Dallas. He is doing this so he can sell water from the Ogallala Aquifer. Just google T. Boone+water. It’s all there but nobody is saying anything about it.

Kevin,

Many people still use oil to heat their homes and that is something that is a necessity up North so lets pray they can afford it.

All I am saying is if we started on this path 30 years ago when we had the first oil crisis we would may not be arguing about this now. Look, I am not too happy about having to sacrifice many things now because of the energy crisis but if it I can make the world a better place by putting us in the right track I will do it and that means supporting anything that involves alternative and clean forms of energy. This plan is as good a start as any.

a. There is nothing wrong with earning money.
b. Mr. Pickens is like Bill Gates. He is putting his own money where his mouth is.
c. At least there is a plan to start from. No one else has even come cluse.
d. I’m a Democrat but THIS is one Republican I would support!

Wind Power is being used over Tehatchapi pass Put a Whole bunch more Around Mojave, Calif- its almost allways windy there.
There is also PLENTY of area out in that Desert for SOLAR. As for Nuclear- Unless YOU are willing to have the NUCLEAR WASTE Shoved up the portion of YOUR anatomy that you sit on Then DON’T TRY TO SHOVE IT UP MINE!!!!!!!

Pickens is onto something. The gas turbine generators, gas distribution system and electrical distribution are already in place in the west and can be maintained to provide the back-up power when the wind falters. Similarly, the coal/gas electricity generation in the central and eastern regions could be maintained when the wind fades. The new wind generation capacity in the central region will need to be added and connected to the grid by beefing up transmission capacity center to east and center to west with new technology transmission cabling that can carry twice as much power with the same cable crossection as exiting cables, but with less power loss and much less sag in hot weather. Existing gasoline powered vehicles can be converted to more clean burning compressed natural gas relatively easily and also be cleaner burning than gasoline. So net, net, we add wind power capacity in the central region and beef up electrical trasmission capacity to bring that power to the east and west and instead of storing energy we store gas and coal near existing generation sites to provide the fill-in power when the new wind capacity falters.

Pickens for President?

I want to hear more from him sooner rather than later.

Why is CNN the only one pushing this? Maybe the kids over on Fox News are afraid to go against the Bushies. CNN should promote the hell out of this idea, as well as cover more about Sugar Cane fuels. We need answers and solutions now, not in 10 years. Drop the governmental red tape for alternative energies now!

Mr Pickens is doing what most are afraid to, thats stand up to big oil. He made his money in oil and is doing something even big oil can’t do and that is actually roll out a plan for change. Big oil invests only in new oil technologies!

His plan won’t be complete for over 20 years!!! How the heck is that going to help! And it will only account for 20% of our energy needs. Sugar Cane fuels? Fine, as long as it isn’t corn because that is driving the price of our food up.

This is NOT a short term plan and it will only be a bandaid. Please, look into why he needs to have a water pipeline under the electrical lines. THAT is where his money is going to come from. WATER!!! He doesn’t give a squat about wind energy. This is the only way he can get his precious water to the market by way of eminent domain. Sheesh, I feel like I’m talking to my nephew.

Pickens is not doing anything out of the goodness of his heart or to change the world unless there are big $ in it for him. He has bought extensive water rights in Texas with the idea of selling the water to Dallas and other big cities. In order to transport the water he needs a right of way with the right to take private land for public purpose. The Texas legislature in its infinite wisdom let a bill slip past them which allows water and electricity to share a right of way.
Along comes Pickens with electricity drive by wind turbins and a transportation line to accompany the water lines. All this said, I would much rather see someone in Texas get richer then someone in Saudi Arabia or Dubai. The transfer of American wealth to the Middle East every time we fill our gas tanks must stop. Build a small wind turbin and I’ll put it in my back yard in Austin, Texas.

I agree with Mr. Pickens’s plan, but only as part of a larger, more long-range plan to create a sustainable, energy-interdependent system, and preferably something that is as environmentally sound as possible.

Climate-friendly, long-range solutions are not extractive (they don’t have to take something out of the earth to produce energy). Extractive solutions will always have a multitude of problems that non-extractive solutions do not have. Conversely, non-extractive solutions usually have greater initial costs and produce less efficient forms of energy.

The reason we can’t afford to think about “energy independence” at the expense of the climate is that if we become energy independent, but unable to inhabit our planet anymore our accomplishment won’t really matter. Energy and Environment are inextricably linked; we have to think about both at the same time.

We also need to get rid of the propaganda that clouds our collective judgement about energy:

Ethanol: the energy required to produce it (even with switchgrass) is very high and thus it is inherently less efficient. Although it is a good investment vehicle now it is a profoundly bad solution for the planet. It causes the creation of huge agricultural monocultures (in Paraguay, for example), destroying food crops, causing a concomitant rise in food prices, and increasing poverty and starvation all over the planet.

Oil: Ladies and gentlemen, the oil is going, going gone. The most efficient form of energy ever discovered on planet Earth is running out. What’s left to be discovered is a tiny percentage of what has already been discovered. By the time the new deposits are found deep beneath the oceans or wrung from the oil sands, they will have virtually no effect on the energy supply, and we have already passed peak supply. Oil-producing nations will never produce more oil than they produce now.

Coal: There is no such thing as clean coal. Coal is inherently not a clean source of energy. The environmental costs of its extraction are enormous. Witness the destruction of the beautiful mountains of West Virginia et al. Coal-fired power plants produce tremendous amounts of greenhouse gases. So far there is no good carbon sequestration solution – again, another solution that will most likely require storage deep in the earth at great cost and risk. Coal liquification plants produce more CO2 than natural gas plants.

Nuclear: The best nuclear solution in production today is the French model, which has 4 cooling stages instead of 2. It is extremely safe in comparison to past models, but, just like everybody else, the French still do not have a solution for the storage of nuclear waste, and this produces a variety of environmental and safety problems.
New research reactors called Pebble Bed Reactors (PBRs) offer significant safety advantages, but there are none in production use at this time.

Hydrogen: So far there is not a solution that doesn’t consume almost as much energy to produce the hydrogen it creates as the hydrogen creates itself. There are several systems that use natural gas to produce hydrogen and others that use photovoltaics. So, why would you use hydrogen to power your hybrid instead of just running it from a battery set? Well, there is one reason – the batteries will eventually drain and you need a power source to run the generator to charge them. This may be a good use for hydrogen. Otherwise, it doesn’t appear to be a very efficient solution, and it would require significant infrastucture (photovoltaic or natural gas hydrogen fuel cell charging stations).

A rational, long-range plan:

Pursue the most sustainable, environmentally sound, and least extractive technologies first, and build an energy infrastructure based on a hierarchy ranging from the best that we can have to the worst that we are willing to tolerate. Try (as best we can) to remove oil from the picture altogether.

I’m ignoring new residential/commercial/industrial design as a tenet of this plan and focusing more on the approaches/systems that might be used in them.

Reduce Consumption: Perhaps the most unglamorous component of the plan, but by far the most effective. Super insulation, double or triple pane windows, caulk, plant deciduous trees south and west and evergreens north and east. Rooftop water heating. Tankless water heaters, compact flourescent bulbs, LED bulbs, passive heating and cooling, closed loop geothermal systems. Water storage. Turn off the lights. Programmable thermostats. Prefer locally grown foods over transported foods. Low-flow shower heads. 1.6 gallon toilets. Put a brick in your toilet tank. Composting. Plant a garden and water it with rain water. Fill the open spaces in your freezer with ice. Use Energy Star appliances. Hang your clothes on a clothesline to dry. Recycle. Earth berms. Etc.

Transportation: Reduce or eliminate your commute to work. Telecommute if you can. Support local, sustainable transportation initiatives. Walk. Ride a bike. If you can’t afford a hybrid look at buying a used subcompact. Ride local public transportion. Check your tires. Get a tune-up.

The best hybrid is not in production yet – it’s the Chevy Volt. It is really a long-range electric vehicle with a small gasoline engine powering its generator. If you recall the EV1, well, this is the EV1, but faster, with a longer range, lithium-ion batteries, and a modular system that allows the replacement of the gasoline component with another fuel source (natural gas, for example).

Wind: sustainable, environmentally sound, non-extractive. Scalable – a solution can be built for a house, a commercial enterprise, a city, a state, a country, a continent, a planet. Easy to build.

Solar: sustainable, environmentally sound, non-extractive. Scalable – a solution can be built for a house, a commercial enterprise, a city, a state, a country, a continent, a planet. Easy to build.

Stirling pump: sustainable, environmentally sound, non-extractive. Scalable – a solution can be built for a house, a commercial enterprise, a city, a state, a country, a continent, a planet. Easy to build.

Battery technology: We should be investing heavily in battery research. This is THE key storage technology for building the vehicles and the power grid of the future.

Tide Systems: sustainable, environmentally sound, non-extractive. More complex infrastructure than Wind or solar.

Biomass: Develop localized, sustainable, environmentally sound, non-extractive (don’t have to grow anything, just use waste) systems for fixed entities (residential, commercial, industrial)

Closed Loop Geothermal: Develop localized, sustainable, environmentally sound HVAC systems for fixed entities (residential, commercial, industrial).

Core Geothermal: Extractive; Possible contributor to large power grid.

Hydropower: Maximize efficiency of Hydropower systems already in place.

Natural Gas: Extractive but low-polluting by comparison to coal. Significant environmental damage in extraction process (Wyoming, for example).

Nuclear: Extractive and high risk. Storage risk. Meltdown risk: Use very sparingly as a backup to the grid.

Coal. Worse than everything else, excepting the safety and storage risks posed by Nuclear.

Oil: We should be acting as if we’ve already run out of it.

THANK YOU ANNE! Somebody has some common sense!

Wind power should certainly be an important part of our energy policy. I applaud Pickens for taking the lead on it!

That said, there is only one current mature technology that can make a serious contribution right now to our energy predicament, and that is nuclear power. When you consider the enormous amount of pollution that fossil fuels cause us every year, and the many, many deaths every year attributed to their extraction and use, the problem of nuclear waste pales in comparison.

Nuclear waste has not been shown to cause any adverse health risks when properly stored, and the amount of nuclear waste is tiny compared to the output of energy.

Conversely, studies have shown that wind power is not immune from environmental problems. Studies have shown that people who live near wind turbines have a greater risk of depression, presumably due to the low level noise associated with them. It is now recommended that no one live within a mile radius of a wind turbine. Creating huge wind farms in the center of the country would actually cause more land to be uninhabitable in the US than any amount of nuclear power would.

One misconception about nuclear power is that it would attract terrorism and potentially cause a nuclear explosion. This is simply untrue. Nuclear power plants do not contain the nuclear material needed to create a bomb type reaction. The issue of a bomb or airplane hitting a nuclear plant has been studied, and the conclusions are that modern nuclear reactors are safe from contaminating the surrounding area in the event of this kind of attack.

Use Solar and Nuclear too. There was a big article in Nature or Sci Amer a few months back. That plan required 480 bil of the next ten years. It could get us off oil if we advanced our hybrids.
Nuclear is a proven tech that we can use here. Look at more than half the world using it. If we used it more we would remove some of the problems associated with it.
WE HAVE TO QUIT SITTING ON OUR BUTTS. Provide the country with solutions and plans and then act. Washington needs to butt out. Let the states and corps figure it out.
Use every idea possible, some solar, some wind and some nuclear. Govt should invest in transimission, batteries, and backups. These with be used by all forms of energy.

I have lived in North Dakota for 19 years of my life. We don’t need generators on days it is not windy. The wind blows up there ALL the time. I would say at least 10mph or above 325 days a year at the least.

People like T Boone Pickens are the ones who should be running the country……not Bush, Obama or McCain or ANYONE in Congress.

We EVERY alternative source of energy. Once we get the fuel price under control then we can sell the oil we have drilled for to China and make money off of them.

For those interested, check out the Bakken Oil on google. The oil in North Dakota and Montana far outweighs ANWR and is in the middle of nowhere.

Why is everything examined individuallY? Wind Power, Ethanol, Solar. Our answer is there, just never acted upon.

Pickens is right, but there is so much more. Get the wind farms going in the midwest, solar farms in the southwest. This would reduce the need for using coal and gas. The economics should make sense – wind and solar doesn’t require the labor to dig, cost to transport – so you take that money and buy your next windmill. Economies of scale should take affect quickly. We should have plenty of power in 5-10 years. No more rolling brown/blackouts.

You improve the electric car and reduce emmissions as now they would be mostly wind power in a sense. Improve the emmissions of old power plants and keep them as back ups with limited use. Ethanol – brazil has a surplus now, bring it in and mix it into our gas. Mr. Pickens has indicated that once 20% of power is wind or solar, we can covert natural gas to fuel cars.

His plan could greatly reduce emmissions from power plants and automotive with a few congressional minor tweeks.

BP’s website indicates that the entire world could be powered by a 200 mile square area of solar panels. No emmission for the entire planet!!!!

What about advance the technology more by getting the cost down so that homes can have individual/cost effective system. Reduces the need for power lines, the need for larger wind/solar farms and make it harder for a terrorist to affect larger population centers power sources.

Here’s another idea. Design fitness equipment that could convert energy used in excercise to electricity. Imagine a gym powered mostly by the people on excercise bikes, stair climbers or treadmills!!

And why the hell hasn’t California built at least a couple desalinization (probably misspelled) plants? L.A. is indicated to be a desert and they are using the water from other portions of California, which could be used to grow crops and FIGHT FIRES. I would think they could possibly improve the climate by using the water and proper planting to potentially reduce the wildfire risk. Additionally, the could elimanate the use of the pumping stations that using a significant amount of power to transfer the water over mountains.

Boon’s plan is only a starting point. The plan will eventually start paying for itself by keeping money in the US instead of exporting it.

This is the catalyst we need to get the economy rolling. Cheaper and cleaner power. Wind doesn’t really get used up, it just keeps moving across the country.

Mike, your post is the best thought-out comment I’ve seen on this topic, though I think you’re underestimating the economic benefits of the conservation tactics you identified. In particular, the large-scale adoption of ground-loop geoexchange heat pump systems would both offset the electricity consumed by adoption of electric transportation, and the work involved in geoexchange adoption would create many thousands of construction-related jobs. This single tactic would be a great stride toward fixing both our dependence on oil and the ongoing economic slump.

My favorite tactics are still electric transportation coupled with geoexchange; this combination more or less eliminates our need to import oil and yields a net reduction of overalll electricity demand, slightly reducing our dependence on coal.

Mark:

On the nuclear topic, you’re basically saying that nuclear waste is safe just so long as nobody gets exposed to it. I agree, but the point is predicated on a premise that makes it vacuous. It is possible to reprocess nuclear waste and minimize the part of it that has to be stored, but the processes that accomplish that also tend to produce weapons-grade fissile material, and this worries some folks.

On a l onger-range basis, why is it that the US is no longer interested in nuclear fusion as a power source? Successful experiments in this area are ongoing in Japan and elsewhere, and success would produce a very durable replacement for fossil fuels and fission, but Americans have lost the investment mind set, so we don’t invest in long-range solutions any more. Maybe it’s time we invested past next quarter’s P&L statements again.

Bush launched financial incentives for investors to erect wind towers. So there’s a race to get them placed in the ground. They’re ugly, require huge clearcutting and enormous wires and more towers to move the power.

They need a great deal of maintenance, and the current deal moves ownership of the towers to the local communities after 10 years… just in time for them to fall apart, thereby burdening the poor local communities with the bill to keep them going.

In Europe, many are actually being decommissioned for this exact reason. Pickens or no Pickens, this is a flawed concept.

Storing the energy: There was an article in the December 2007 Scientific American about large scale solar (http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-solar-grand-plan). Their proposal was to transmitt the electricity by DC power lines and then run air compressors to fill underground caverns with compressed air. The compressed air could then be released at any time and used to run elecritical turbines. I was dubious but they say this method is already being used on a small scale in some areas of the US.

They also mention storing in molton salts whose heat could run turbines for a period time when wind speeds were too low.

Of couse, the real issue is that we are used to using very high energy-density fuel so to reorient the system we have to orient towards many types of low density energy with large arrays of whatever capture method we dream up.

To me it seems absurd that we build all these buildings, offices, houses, etc and not one (or insignificant numbers) have any solar capture installed at all. Even installing solar hot water on every residence would make a huge reduction in natural gas and electricity use. They talk of tens of thousands of square miles of solar arrays, but we already have tens of thousands of square miles of roofotps in this country, each of which can hold an array that would produce more power than the house can use. Seems simple to me.

Mr Pickens has a great interim plan. We need to stop importing as much oil as possible. I am in the middle of writing a National energy plan currently. Just a few comments.
1. there is technology for a distributed storage of energy scenario which would make not only wind and other forms of renewables almost base generators and would capture the 40% of electricity generated daily which is never used. This distributed technology would be on wheels called plug in hybrids and hydrogen fueled vehicles with home hydrogen generators units.
2. A company called ITM and GM and Honda have developed home based hydrogen generation units which need only electricity and water to produce low pressure hydrogen.
3. The home units should be paid for by the carbon cap and trade system being banded about in Washington. The plug in hybrid tax credit should equal $15k.
4. the average commute in the Northeast U.S. is just 32 miles. All commuters would use no oil for getting to work or puttering around town.with current technology plug ins.
5. The hydrogen can be used in duel fuel vehicles similiar to natural gas conversion. Accept a lot cleaner. BMW has a duel fuel hydrogen 750. But there can be conversion kits made available by our government also.
Of course nothing is free and we will all have to pay to get back on course with our energy policies.
Coal is not the answer , water use, water contamination, mercury release and CO2 issues.
Nuclear to far away from start to finish and major issues of 3 billion gallons annual water use per site. and nuclear waste disposal which has not been addressed since inception.
There is enough wind power off the East coast from Nags head North Carolina to Block Island New York to supply five times the current energy used in the North East U.S. I know I did the study reading from the University of North Carolina and U Delaware.
The energy in wind costs the same year after year. I checked $0.

There’s one piece of this story that I have yet to see covered by any news source. Mr. Pickens has indeed planned a huge wind farm in the Texas panhandle, harnessing the wind that constantly blows there. However, there is currently no infrastructure to transport the power generated to the DFW grid or elsewhere. Ergo, Mr. Pickens is lobbying the TX legislature to provide funding and TAKE, by EMMINENT DOMAIN, thousands of acres in order to create a huge power line to transfer the energy.

Think about this for a moment. He wants the state to provide the system for transporting the energy. A system that is financed by taxes and with land taken from homeowners thru emminent domain. A system built at no cost to him for the sole purpose of transporting energy for him to sell.

Well, it’s definitely a plan, and if his lobbying is successful, will there be a decrease in my electric bill here in north Texas as a result of this there-for-the-taking source of energy? I’m guessing not, but I’ll bet Mr. Pickens doesn’t show a loss, either.

Wind and Solar power have been readily available for decades, with little to no movement due to the fact that it isn’t efficient and doesn’t produce the necessary amount of energy needed to drive this nation. Why is there not a greater push for NUCLEAR energy in this nation. Replacing off all Natural Gas, Coal and other power generating sources with Nuclear Energy would provide reliable, and clean energy allowing us to revert the Natural Gas that Pickens talks of to transportation as well. Nuclear energy is a proven, wind and solar are not. Why not stick with what works?

I think that this wind power and use of natural gas is a boon (no pun intended) for the USA. I wish Mr. Pickens would take advantage of talented people williing to lend a voice, stand at a presentation booth, work on talk radio (local markets) and writers. There are many of us retired types that if asked could implement a very stong lobby and presentation team across the Country. Do it for just actual cost of travel and any small expenses. It wouild allow for good input from a generation of people. I hope for full success of his effort……
TB
Helena, Montana

The storage and distribution of wind energy doesn’t have to be a problem. Wind energy can be used to convert water and waste CO2 from coal power plants into ethanol (or any other liquid fuels).

With good wind sites (class 6), a federal subsidy of 0.60/gallon of ethanol (much less than current), and a good market for the co-produced oxygen… the WindFuels ethanol would compete with oil at 60.00/bbl.

Worst case – with a reasonable wind site (class 4), no federal subsidies, and no market for the oxygen, WindFuels competes with oil at 110/bbl.

Find out more at
http://www.dotyenergy.com

help spread the word

This is a great plan. I am very interested in the natural gas aspect of the plan.

The use of natural gas is the quickest way to get us off foreign oil. The present day automobile engine can burn it without much modification except to change the fuel tank and install pressure reduction valves. We have an ABUNDANT amount of natural gas in this country, enough to meet the needs of everyone for years and years to come! We just need someone in office to take the bull by the horns and set up more natural gas refueling stations, and a program to retrofit the cars and trucks. The oil companies will resist this, of course.

Other benefits:

1. It’s a renewable energy source! Do you know how much energy is being flushed down the toilet, sitting out in cattle yards, and rotting in our landfills? That’s energy, folks! It could be converted to CH4 (natural gas) and brought back into the system. The side benefit is that if we collect the cattle manure and keep it at low levels, we can cut down the greenhouse effect that is caused by the methane, which emanates from the manure into the atmosphere. This would be a VERY significant reduction.

2. The burning of natural gas is better for the atmosphere than the burning of gasoline. While not perfect, the only result of combustion is CO2 and water.

3. You can set up a refueling station in your garage! Honda is already selling this.

Anyway, I am a big fan of this plan. It is the first sensible thing I have heard yet that could end our dependence on foreign oil, strengthen our economy, and give us a goal, which we haven’t had since we set out to a man on the moon

As a business owner, I would jump at the chance to convert my fleet of trucks to natural gas. I would save a lot of money, and the air in my neighborhood would be cleaner. Two major issues are holding back CNG use in cars. The EPA has absurd regulations on CNG retrofit kits, and Detroit has a moronic love affair with E85. If the auto industry made CNG readily available, we would not need retrofit kits. If the EPA eased up on kit manufacturers, kits would cheaper and more available. Either of the two scenarios would result in much more fleet use of CNG by small businesses across the country. This would reduce oil demand and emissions.

I think he’s spittin’ in the wind and I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. He is just another arrogant obnoxious R from Texas.
He’s the Swift Boater’s main man financial sugar daddy and the offerer of a cool million if anyone could prove they lied…of course they did…and of course he wouldn’t pay up. Never dance with the devil.

Mr. Pickens,
What is your view on the viability of hydrogen as a source of energy storage and of powering various modes of transport? All this talk of renewable energy is premature unless we can find some safe and clean method of energy storage for use in our planes, trains, and automobiles.

There are ways to store harnessed wind energy. Coastal generation areas can potentially store vast quantities bellow the oceans surface with a compressed air system.

A similar deep earth system can save energy due to thermal differential. Its not a big thing, and the technology is already there from other areas. Just needs to be prototyped and then built on a larger scale.

Just so happens coastal areas have allot of wind, and allot of people living there. I don’t see this would be infrastructure problem considering the proximity of the turbines and such to were its used.

Not all of the country would be economically feasible to power with wind, but thats not what is being proposed either. In the areas were its possible even desired, it can save and replace other resources. Thats the Idea.

Picken’s plan is a start. a darn good start at that, but only a start. His project for electricity from wind to replace natural gas used currently to generate electricity so that it in turn can be used for auto power is daring and bold, but not enough. Pickens’ view that there is no comprehensive national plan for energy is an understatement. How many more things can we do to reduce our economic dependence on foreign oil? I don’t pretend to expertise I don’t have, but it’s not rocket science. We need, among a lot of other things, a more efficient traffic management system. It pains me to see 20 cars idling so one car can cross an intersection, which moments before was empty. The only thing stopping that one car from crossing was a red light. We have the computing power and the infrastructure; why not make the lights responsive to load? Why not get rid of SOME stopsigns and make them into Yield signs; at least for right turns with good visibility; and then enforce the daylights out of the YIELD part of that! Why not time traffic lights so that thoroughfare traffic proceeds evenly, avoiding stops and starts that are costly in terms of emissions, and gas. How about enforcing speed limits, especially on giant SUV’s roaring around at 12 or 13 miles to the gallon? Do we really need 20 traffic lights per intersection? Do they have to be on full daytime brilliance all night long? How about street lights on interstate highways? those sodium vapor lamps use a bunch of power, and really only hurt night vision. How about some incentives for telecommuting, both for the worker, perhaps in the form of simpler home office deductions, and for the employer, maybe in the form of carbon credits? Maybe we could look at various instant on appliances, and wait the extra couple of seconds for them to turn on, instead of instant on, and never really off. What about suburban rooftop photovoltaic’s? An awful lot of subdivisions have little to no tree cover from the Mason Dixon line south, and plenty of empty roof space. We are sending 700 Billion dollars over seas; perhaps some that could make good tax credit for homeowners who add solar systems to their homes. Also, solar on the roof top shields the roof from direct sunlight, making the attic cooler, making it cheaper to air condition anyway. Maybe require big oil to push some of those record profits into adding biomass fuels, hydrogen cells, or natural gas pumps to existing stations. Maybe we could make mass transit work better; its expensive and works badly when compared with European systems. Some places, like New York City, and Boston, have it down pretty well. Some other places, like our Nation’s Capitol, don’t. And how about walking our obese bodies to the corner store instead of hitching up the Lexus and riding there? there’s a lot to be done!

Pickens may be wise. He may also be a smart businessman. But seriously, what bothers me about this topic is that while the price of oil has been rising, it has become near to intolerable just as we come close to this presidential election. The decepiton that caused us to enter into a war in Iraq was oil driven. The price of oil goes up and we are told that we now need to look elsewhere for that which fuels “everything” in our country. How are we supposed to believe any of it? Is this a clever ploy to drill off our own shores, which has not been politically popular? Is it a diversion to change focus off the folly of a horrific war, especially during an election year? It would be nice to believe that this man has a nice answer that will work to solve our supposed oil shortage, but who is going to restore the faith in our leadership? I remember once a president who was impeached for deceiving the American people.

Is wind power useful? Yes… but T. Boone Pickens used a lot of his own money to support W and to defeat the Democratic nominees in the last 2 elections – who would have done much more than W to develop alternative energy. Enough of the adulation for this guy. He is just riding the wave in his own self interest.

To watch windpower in action, go to NW Iowa. One school district bought a wind tower, and have sold elec back to the utilities. There is a town in Nebraska that bought a wind tower, and the standard price for electricity will never go up–its about 35 dollars a month for every house, and in 15 years, they will own it free and clear. NW Iowa has about 30 of them going. And it is a beautiful sight to see. I love it.

We need to invest in CNG, LPG, electric batteries, most of our country cannot use buses or metros, because we are so far apart.

there is an article in a Reader’s Digest where a guy is growing blue green algae in large tubes, this algae puts out oil as a waste product. He says that if we can put up an area in souther NM, he can make enough oil for Texas in about 14 sq miles. We need to look at all options. Solar, even nuclear if it is safe, wind, etc. Its time to make a good solid energy plan. Brazil is now independent of all foreign oil. And they started 30 years ago.

I’d say that he is an obvious speculator. Hinting at a plan, trying to stir up some interest. There is a catch somewhere, that’s for sure! Looks like another attempt to use tax dollars for profit taking.

Fred in Ohio

Generating wind energy requires a capital investment like any other and often the payback period on the investment is quite long. When you include the cost of new transmission lines and other associated infrastructure the break even could approach 20 years or more. The site claims that the investment would be on the order of $1.2 trillion including transmission lines.

Also according to the site, we spend about $700 billion annually on imported oil, and the site says that this investment would replace about 1/3 of the imported oil cost, or about $233B and free up natural gas for use as a motor fuel. I don’t have enough information to know the operating costs of the system, but this does seem like a “no brainer” of an investment for the nation, even at a cost of $100B a year to operate.

Also there should be a positive impact on greenhouse gases and pollution.

Will this lower oil prices? Probably not, even if the U.S. cuts its oil consumption, the emerging world will still grow its demand faster than we can conserve. A global perspective is still needed.

solar= duct tape, wind= band aid, nuclear= baleing wire, more drilling = wishful thinking.

You want to blame someone for this? The president, the previous one, congress, industrialization of the world, your own consumption levels? None of these are sufficient!! NONE.

Humanity needs to stop thinking in 1, 5 or 10 year periods of time. And start thinking about 100 to 500 year periods. I know its tough for you to wrap your brains around that, but its necessary. Everyone wants their instant gratification.

Our fore-fathers would be laughing at us now, they built nations to last for all time. Current generations would waste those dreams away on short sighted thinking.

It needs to be a world agenda, with what resources that can be spared, a global search for a new source of energy, not gimmicks that get you thru the next 5 years, but get humanity into the future.

Natural Gas has the energy density we need to transition our critical trucking fleet off of Diesel and gasoline. Getting ourselves to work in cars is one of those things we are going to have to get over. In order of priority:

1. we need trucks to keep delivering the groceries.

2. We need the lights to stay on where we can cook and refrigerate the groceries.

3. The lowest priority is whether or not we can all have a personal transportation vehicle. It seems that the gravity of the situation has not yet become apparent.

I wonder if the plan would make sense, absent the taxpayer subsidy / taxpayer funded grants and tax breaks “the project” stands to collect?

Who will foot the bill for the stand by capacity needed to be held in reserve for when the wind doesn’t blow?

What if wind patterns change in the age of climate change? Who steps in to clean up the mess?

Now, he is drilling the wind !
Most significant is that people are thinking, contrasting, and comparing.
That will have earned him credit, on his get into Heaven, security card.

Short tern, economically, coal to electricity, still seems best.
Irritating the silence and scenery, wind power is only slightly more expensive,
The high efficiency, (30%) Stirling Solar, could be added to the wind farm.

Zubrin’s plan; Methanol, (wood alcohol), from waste and low cost sources would cap driving costs, in a short period of time.

Care must be taken when talking about energy. If you take the energy constant of the earth as a numeric “1″. It doesn’t matter what form of energy delivery you use becasue in each cse there are losses in the system.

Any form of energy creating technology subtracts from the suns effect on the earth.

If you use solar, the sun does’nt get to the ground, if using wind , the surface winds will be reduced because of the resistance of the fans and if using water the ocean currents will be slowed in the same fashion. I

t doesn’t matter which way you shake up the box we live in, there is only so much energy, hence the stated venergy constant of “1″.

This concept however is on a global basis, and I think reveals that the ideas on the table are placed their by country, corporate and company interests. and do not provide long term global solutions.

To understand this, it’s all about physics, economics, political control and money.

Step back and take a larger look at what is happening, and don’t be a pawn.

I’M SORRY I HAVE A VERY LONG MEMORY BUT THIS IS THE SAME

I would be curious on Mr. Pickens thoughts on wave power along our shores also. I remember years ago on reading articles of wave powered turbines along our coast lines.

I do not know if Mr. Pickens is a genius, because he was not the one who designed these devices. However, I give him allot of credit for putting his money in the right places. For the short term, this is a good thing to invest in.
What I think is better is to put large solar cell satellites in orbit far enough away to get 24 hrs. of sunlight and beam this power to earth. Nasa and the Military is looking into this now. For more information on this go to Google, look up Space Based Solar Power.

Kudos to Mr Pickens

The most important aspect of his plan is that its a plan. Nobody else of any repute has come forward with a plan. All the politicos in Washington are afraid to put anything on the table because it will offend somebody.

His plan, which needs some shoring up, not only moves us to a much more favorably position relative to imported oil but also reduces CO2 emissions.

He’s half right. We need to develop all that wind power. However, rather than spending trillions on serious grid upgrades and trillions on switching over America’s 225 million car fleet to run on natural gas (which would serve to hyper-inflate the price of gas and create the biggest industrial bubble cycle of all time), we could take that wind energy, use the CO2 from coal power plants, and make fuels.

http://www.dotyenergy.com

WE DON’T NEED TO TRADE ONE SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR AN-
OTHER TO DEPEND ON–WE NEED TO USE ALL SOURCES OF
ENERGY THAT WILL COMPLIMENT THE NEEDS OF OUR SOCIETY.
OIL-GAS-WIND-WATER-SOLAR-HYDROGEN, AND MORE. OUR
EXISTANCE DEMANDS IT. WE HAVE ALL OF THE ABOVE. ANY
JOURNEY BEGINS WITH THE FIRST STEP. THE LONGER WE PUT
PUT IT OFF THE LONGER THE JOURNEY. WE MUST DO IT FOR
OURSELVES AND THE REST OF THE WORLD FOLLOW SUIT. ARE
THERE MORE T B PERKINS OUT THERE??????????

Between the new power line systems needed and the reputed noisiness of the turbines, I predict the NIMBY effect will stop this whole idea before it gets started.

Pickens isn’t the only one who said that oil was going to rise. If people would have allowed the Bush administration to drill in ANWR 5-6 years ago, then none of this would be a problem, now would it? We wouldn’t be feeling the negative effects of a flailing economy (as badly, at least) if we would have drilled when Bush wanted to. Drilling and harvesting our own nation supply of oil should be made an option during dire situations like this.

Honestly, when the Iranian President does something stupid to make gas rise to $12/gal, then society will revert to more ‘primitive’ measures to make ends meet. It’s written on the wall for all to see. If gas rises to a point where 80% can’t afford to drive their cars to work, there will be mutany on our hands. The gov’t (Dem congress included) hasn’t done enough to assuage the tensions and fears of Americans. We deserve better than this.

T. Boone Pickens does indeed, as you say, at least HAVE a plan. I think it’s a brilliant long overdue one, but what everyone seems to be missing is that it’s just part of the plan. Wind energy should have effectively been harnessed many years since, especially in areas which typically have a lot of wind (Washington DC would be favorite). However, we also have solar energy and hydroelectric energy to name only two others, to pull from. If the government (not this one, of course; we can only hope the next one?) would get serious and put the type of money one single man (T Boone Pickens) is putting into renewable energy resources IMMEDIATELY we could have some hopes of turning around at least some of the more dire effects of ‘greenhouse effect’ damage and as well allow this planet and if you need to get specific this country to stand on firmer ground in terms of supplying their own needs for energy. In my opinion it should become common (meant in the good sense of the word) to see wind turbine towers in back yards in windy areas, and those windmills should have some of their cost offset by state and federal government kickbacks to the owners who install them, as solar power has begun to be partially funded. Can we not go back to being both a more reasonable country as well as a more self sufficient one? Many countries in Europe are beginning to do this as well, and we are behind the times!

I apologize if this point has been made, but I have not had a chance to read all the comments.

Mike from Vancouver raises a question that we need to learn to think about whenever a potential source of energy comes along: what are the implications of drawing on this source?

Using wind energy or wave energy to generate electricity sounds great, and I’m am in favor of setting it up as a part of an energy plan. But I do want some assurance from the scientists that the amount of energy that we take from the wind, for example, does not have some unintended consequence.

Why does the wind blow? My understanding is that it’s Nature’s way of transferring heat energy from one part of the planet to another. So, if we tap into wind power we are affecting that. Now, I’m fairly certain that the effect would be negligible, but I’d like to hear an expert say so.

Conversations about renewability, pollution, or other environmental consequences were never a part of the ‘planning’ for using fossil fuels or nuclear power in the past — at least, not by the decision makers — and that’s part of the reason we find ourselves in the current mess. And we should be smart enough at this juncture to recognize just how important those conversations are.

So I hope that Mr. Pickens and the others with the wherewithal will have the facts before them before they go too far down this path.

His idea is better than the Bush/Republican policy of nothing but drilling for more oil which is not renewable. We have burned in 100 years what took millions of years for nature to make. Leave the oil and coal in the ground. Coal is an early stage of oil.

Nuclear is dirty. It creates radioactive waste that must be stored for generations. It is not renewable and uranium is a limited resource that must be mined from the ground including places other than the United States.

Electric cars and homes can be powered from any energy source. Plug in hybrids then pure electric vehicles.

Fuel cells can power our homes and vehicles. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and can be produced from water using solar and wind power, The government can bypass the private sector initial profit motive and begin the process in the interest of the people and plenty of profit will follow. We went to the moon in ten years. Fuel cells are not new we need an infrastructure and mass production of the cells and hydrogen.

Quit the oil. Get the speculators out. Nationalize critical commodities if necessary. The fake oil crisis of the seventy’s taught no lessons. We need to learn and change direction. Mr. Pickens knows money can be made in alternative energy. The Bush oil family needs to get on board or get run over. No more oil.

I think even if it isn’t the best possible plan for america, its a plan! At this time America needs strong leadership from somewhere. Where better than Americas energy tycoons. I credit Mr. Pickens for being the type of billionaire America needs, one who is attempting to lead us in a beneficial direction away from oil. The man has every right to spend the rest of his days enjoying his wealth but instead he’s out there getting the job done the best way he knows how. Granted Mr. Pickens sees profit in all of this, but if thats what it takes to motivate the man then so be it.

Whether this plan lives up to the hype is irrelevant. What it will minimally do is put millions of dollars into an alternative energy strategy and in the process foster a mentality among the American people that something must be done now. I hope that this is only the beginning of many such efforts to come. In the end money is injected into the economy and alternative energy options are truly tested.

Lastly, I think this idea carries a great deal more weight than if it were something proposed by the govt. It comes from a man with a history of success instead of an organization with a history of self-serving idiocy.

T. Boone Pickens is for ALL forms of energy (wind,oil, hydro, nuke, coal, bio); he’s just put his money in wind. Looks to me like Congress is abdicating it’s leadership in the country and handing it over to business. Good intentions don’t move squat — money does.

Its a start and it is 100% more than our present administration is doing. Heck a solid leader would come out on National TV and encorage the Nation to do a few things right now that would help while we develop alternatives on a National scale.

Why isnt the present day leadership(President Bush) asking the Nation to slow down across the country to 60 MPH for both cars and trucks? Why wont he ask everyone to turn down the temps in the winter 2 degrees and turn up the a/c 2 degrees in the summer? Why wont the present day leadership encourage a 4 day work week or school week? Why wont he show some leadership and do away with all the huge SUV Limos for the big shot government employees and put them in 4 door sedans? Nancy Pelosi and Senator Reid should do the same, so should Obama and McCain, and the list goes on. Te answer is they really dont care. They all have that I deserve it attitude thus they show NO leadership when it comes to forging ahead with new ideas. The would rather go into grid lock then come together for the common good of the Nation.

One final thing. In the early 60’s President Kennedy paved the way and said lets go to the Moon. 5 years later it happened. You cant tell me we dont have the engineers and the technology to make a battery that can be re-charged daily (plugged into an outlet at home) and put into a small vehicle so people can commute in the and around the cities. Imagine if we had 5 million cars the size on a Toyota Corrola that sold for 10-15K that could be used for cummuting transportation in and around our major cities! How much pressure would that take off our fuel consumption annually? I can be done we just need the leadership and the will to do it.

I am glad MR Pickens has jumped out of thebox and offered some things for us as a nation to think about and maybe latch onto. Of course he is going to make money. I just wish I was smart enough to come up with the re-newable rechargable battery that would propell a small car, similar to a golf cart, that is going to be a rich somebody when that hapens!!

I agree Mr. Pickens. Use wind energy and use it where it is abundant. Transmission lines should be of high temperature superconductors, All of this is existing technology. Another thing that we should do is to stop letting these screw ball democrats and tree huggers dictate our misery. We should drill everywhere for oil and gas. It is insane not to, and we should also keep our strategic oil reserve full until we are energy independent. We should also use nuclear energy to the maximum extent of economic feasiblility. Our government needs to get out of the way and let our capitalist system work. We should use any and all types of renewable sources that are economically feasible.

The most significant idea I heard some seven years ago was that we need to rethink the current model of a centralized of a centralized power plant. The new scenario would involve already existing buildings (homes, businesses, etc.), as well as new ones, to become their own producer of power. Rather than spreading out miles of solar panels across open land they would be installed on existing homes and the excess power produced would be sold back to the power company (giving most consumers a zero dollar electric bill). That power going out through the “grid” from buildings already hooked-up would be channeled out to where it is needed by the power companies.

Imagine places like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Fresno, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, and so on, covered with solar panels and producing power. It would not eliminate the need for other power sources, like wind etc., but it would greatly curtail the demand on traditional power plants.

Additionally, add to this scenario plug-in electric hybrid cars and a number of current problems could be solved. This seems a win-win for consumers as we would not be at the mercy of companies charging us to power our homes or cars.

I was driving back to Houston from Dallas this week and passed at least 8 very long trucks carrying turbine blades up to yet another wind project. Texas is now the leader in wind. Why? We don’t take years allowing the government, courts, interest groups bicker about this or that. If it’s your land, then do what you will is the attitude. So if you want a different way of doing things, first get the parasites out of the process. Entrepreneurship is very difficult as it is.

Based on Denmark’s experience, wind can only provide about 20% of the power to the grid. Its variability becomes a real issue over that amount. However, all the windmills in the world will not solve our main issue which is the cost of transportation energy.

Electricity is fairly cheap, abundant, and domestic, but can’t be used for transportation. Doubling the amount of electricity we have will not do much to stop imported oil. So solar, wind, beamed microwaves, etc will simply not help us reduce our imports. T. Boone’s plan for natural gas vehicles could work, but conversion kits have been around for years. Natural gas suffers some of the same issues as hydrogen as a transportation fuel, it is hard to store so a low driving range compared to gasoline. Also, since domestic NG cannot provide all our transportation needs, we would simply be diversifying transportation fuels to other countries such as Russia and Qatar. More diversity is somewhat desirable, but not really an ideal solution given the suppliers.

I expect in the next 20 years to see incremental changes such as plug in hybrids which shift some of the burden from oil to electric , coal to gasoline plants, and of course more domestic drilling. Eventually either a battery or hydrogen storage technology breakthrough will be made, and that will be that for both oil & gas.

The only problem I see with Pickens plan is it relies to much on one renewable power source. We really need to plan on having multiple renewable power sources, and a power grid that is flexible enough to handle the minimum we need, while shipping the power to other users (Mexico, Canada) when the sun is at its brightest and the wind is howling.

There is also tidal power and hydro. Never understood why we can’t simply line the Mississippi River and Missouri Rivers for miles with turbines. Sure the current is slow, and silty, but I have to imagine with enough brain power we can find a way to harness this energy economically, and unlike solar and wind, it doesn’t shut off.

Hardship has always been the mother of invention, so I imagine we’ll quickly discover a way to get around the mess we are currently in. To bad it takes a crisis before we do the right thing.

Of course, use EVERYTHING that is clean and renewable.

Alaska has a lot of energy that is not oil, such as geothermal. Its a matter of storage and transportation.

Wind and wave and thermal difference are all great untapped resources.

Batteries have to increase their capacity too. We can help countries that are over-populated by doing the research and engagement that will head off human disasters.

You don’t have to be a genius to figure it out.

T. Boone Pickens is, first and foremost, a very cunning business man. He has been the author of many corporate takeovers.

However, he is also a man with enough clout and money to actually get things done. I don’t know that his plan is the best energy option, but it is certainly a better proposal than offshore drilliing and other short-term solutions.

I also don’t know that Pickens’ plan alone will solve our energy and environmental problems. I do believe that if more multi-billionaire oilmen invest in alternative sources of energy (especially renewable and safe ones like solar and wind), we could very quickly turn around our environmental problems.

Also, why not tidal energy? Can we look into this? The tides are enormous, steady and predictable forces. Can a fish and eco-friendly system be developed for harnessing tidal energy?

I think it’s unrealistic. Absent an enormous oil price shock (i.e., $300 – $400 per barrel, $9 or $10 per gallon in a short time frame) I don’t see enough concensus to overcome the NIMBY folks when it comes to powerlines. Here in Virginia, a small but vocal minority has successfully blocked powerlines that are much smaller in scale than what would be required for Mr. Pickens plan.

Having said all this, at least Mr. Pickens has put some seriousness into his plan, something neither of presidential candidates have done (or on any issue, for that matter!).

I believe that he is correct that it is time for alternatives to imported oil. Wind is one such energy alternative that can be used to offset some. It is both technically possible and economically feasible now. What is lacking is the ability to store surpluses for times when wind conditions are not favorable. Going up to 20% wind will require some storage capacity, and that will add cost to that power. An early contender for which the technology is more or less mature is pumped hydro but with limited geographical application and high initial costs, other technology may ultimately prevail. I still believe Pickens is generally correct in his assessment and that we need to polish a plan as a nation and get to work on it. Too great of a delay puts us at greater risk of real disruptions to supply, and deeper drains on our national wealth. Right now we are still capable of starting this, we will be poorer soon if we do not, and the ability to complete a project of this scale will diminish as more of our wealth escapes us. I do not know what will win out in the end on the transportation side, but even a plug in hybrid with existing batteries, or CNG as Pickens’ suggests would trade other domestic sources for part of our liquid petroleum consumption. Even if the energy were to be a bit more costly, the Keynesian effect of the jobs created locally would almost certainly leave us much better off. It is just plain stupid for us not to make plans and infrastructure for what are the early stages of a slowly developing huge national (and worldwide) crisis with energy.

Actually you could improve the Pickens plan by building wind farms anywhere there is high wind density, use the electricity generated to produce hydrogen (which effectively stores the energy for future use) and then use the hydrogen for anything from powering the grid to running cars. All the technology needed for this exists – and this solution avoids the traditional concerns about wind energy (which is often argued to be too far away from population centers for economical transport, and too variable to be dependable).

Marc from Indiana. Drilling made us forget the need to go to alternatives after the 1970’s “crisis”. Small cars came in but when no crisis happened we went back to big trucks and SUV’s.

People like Jeb Bush in Florida blocked mass transportation with every trick in the book. It’s ignorant greedy Republicans with their heads in the sand not Democrats blocking progress.

Democrats need to start the infrastructure change at the federal level.
If we can go to the moon in ten years, build interstates, build an atomic bomb, gear up and win WW2, fixing the energy problem should be easy. We can’t wait for speculators to finish cleaning out our wallets and crooked banks to take our homes and savings. We can’t wait until it is profitable to change direction. Change must happen now. None of the problems or solutions are new.

It just is more profitable to do nothing but squeeze for more drilling. If drilling is approved magically prices will go down some to take the pressure for alternatives off just like the seventies “crisis”. Federalize infrastructure until alternatives are in place if industry won’t step up.

Good questions, Charlie J.

The answer depends in part on how much energy we produce from a given source. I’d be willing to bet that if we all think a given source is clean and green, we’ll find out that our needs are much greater than we thought, right up to the and way past the point where we finally magnify the flaws to a size when they are unacceptable. At least, that’s the usual script to this movie.

I must dispute one thing, though- the nuclear power industry was probably the only one which had some sort of plan for its waste other than just scattering it to the winds like its predecessors. In fact, originally the plan was to recycle the remaining fissile material in spent fuel before disposing of the rest, which would have a much shorter hazard lifetime than the intact spent fuel. There is an updated version of that old plan, called the Integral Fast Reactor, which was researched using a real reactor and fuel facility in 1984-1994. Google it if you’d like an interesting read.

jim-

See my post about the Integral Fast Reactor project. There are better nuclear power system concepts out there that don’t have nearly the waste or fuel supply drawbacks that the current, first-generation, systems have.

[...] Questions for T. Boone Pickens [...]

Traveling across west Texas about 3 years ago, I noticed mile after mile of wind turbines. Upon returning to New York State, I told people about it and if people in oil country are investing in wind power, maybe they know something that the rest of us don’t. I guess they did.

Pickens plan is what this country needs, a plan. An aggressive plan that is environmentally good. It plays to the what we are able to do well and quickly. Drilling holes in the ground is an old dream of the Jed Clampetts of the world.

We can do this… Washington needs to declare an energy independence initiative similar to John Kennedy’s initiative to land a man on the moon. Such a commitment would generate millions of jobs and the US would once again lead the world into new and improved technologies for the next 20 to 30 years!

Bill Mosby. Thanks I’ll check it out. Unless a reactor does not use up it’s fuel producing heat I believe the laws of physics say it will continue to need a stream of non renewable fuel even if the waste was pure lead also a pollutant these days.

I have little doubt that our energy problems could all be resolved in 10 to 20 years if the government put a full concerted effort in that direction.
I think the reason this may not happen is that there are so many conflicting special interests that its impossible to discern a straight path. What we desperately need in this country especially now is the kind of leadership that can unite us toward that goal. Why is it so difficult for Americans to appreciate that if you live in Queens you probably have a different perspective than someone living in St. Louis or Laredo or Waco. But we all need to utilize an energy source that won’t drive the American economy into the ground.

At least it IS a plan… which nobody else seems to have. I think Pickens may have oversimplified some issues, but at least he is looking at some realistic options. And if it works, I hope he DOES make money on the deal!
I’m so sick of the partisan politics on this issue by BOTH parties! Republicans are only interested in more drilling. Democrats oppose that and only want to conserve. Neither one is willing to admit that the country is in BIG TROUBLE, and that we need an all-out assault on the energy crisis… which includes ALL of the above.
Let’s put Pickens’ plan on the table, add more drilling, and a crash program for more efficient electric cars, etc. Let’s do it all… and maybe we can help the country get through this!

To B Krause, regarding the noise: Actually, at wind speeds of 6 mph or greater, which is common where most wind farms are placed (as this speed leads to profitability), the sound of the wind blowing is louder than the noise that the turbine makes. Therefore, it is not audible to the human ear. Don’t see how that can cause stress and all the other problems you mention.

Mr.T,Why havent we been doing this for years now?All the other countries have been relying on alternate forms of energy now for years.And why would should we pay for wind from you when the goverment should give us all a tax subsidary to buy are own wind turbines since it only takes 9MPHS of wind to run a home per day.And what about all the other forms of energy you could be harnessing,we have all this coastline just sittng there waiting for the right company to come along and harness the power of waves.

I used to be a petroleum geologist. In 1985, the price of oil plunged to $10.00 a barrel. US oil companies dropped (nearly) all of their exploration efforts, geologists, engineers, and drillers. US drill rig count went from 4,500 active rigs to 600. Middle east could afford to produce oil for a profit at $10.00 a barrel. US could not. For the next 20 years, OPEC held the price of oil just below where US producers could make any money, so our dependence on foreign oil went from 40% to the 70% it is now.
For 20 years plus almost no one went into petroleum geology or petroleum engineering. The expert drillers went on to other jobs too. Now, there is a 20 plus year experience and education gap. Experienced geologists, engineers, and drillers, and if fact drilling rigs are very hard to come by. It will take quite a while to re-build the equipment and the human capital in this business.

The politicians still will not allow drilling in many of the most promising places in the US, and offshore US. Formerly, many foreign countires would let US companies bring in their capital, equipment and expertise to drill in their countires, in exchange for a share of the produced oil revenues. Now most of these countries impose such demands and restrictions, that it is seldom possible for the US companies to PROFITABLY drill in other countries.

If we had allowed drilling in the US offshore, Alaska, and if oil prices had been somewhat higer, we would be looking at gasoline prices, probably in the $2.50 a gallon range.

When I was working in the business, a well in the countinental US (not offshore wells/drilling) could be drilled in one maybe two months, and another month or so to be hooked up to pump jacks, oils storage tanks etc. So for onshore wells, a well could be producing in perhaps four months. Of course off shore wells, or wells in very isolated places would take longer. But when I hear democrats (usually) say that oil drilling will take 10 years to have any effect on supply/prices, I think they don’t know a damned thing about the business. And some of them are talking about nationalizing the US oil business. Get ready for rationing then.

I don’t know if Mr. Pickens has all the answers, but look at the responses!
I bought a Prius two years ago because I knew that gas had gone up in the past and remembering that history tends to repeat itself, so I was prepared. When we built our house fourteen years ago, I made sure it was all electric. People can not create oil, or gas. But electricity has been created by dams ( Hoover, for instance), wind power, solar, and I’m sure there are other scientific experimentation that is going on.
Where are the National Think Tanks ? Immediately there ought to be
a conference called to have our scientists give the congress their best
recommendations for plans. If I could see this problem coming and I
already have a car that gets 48 mpg, where’s the LEADERSHIP???? Let’s Get Going and Get America free of foreign oil!

Mr. T Boone Picken’s fresh initiative in harnessing wind power as an attractive source of renewable energy is definitely a step in the right direction in lessening our dependence on foreign oil. But the US and the whole world would need a much more comprehensive energy plan to make oil irrelevant in the world politics as well as impact on world economics we are seeing today. We will need to harness other sources of renewable energy as well like solar energy and biofuels. The technology is already there but we will need the resolve and a concerted effort to make it work in the most cost-effective manner. Both private sector and the government will have to participate in this process. If we are able to do this I can see a world of difference in about 15-20 years time. As an added bonus we will be able to contain or even reverse our problem of Global warming that we all are concerned with today.

Ok, how do you stop ‘the grid’ from going down from things like terrorism, or natural hazards, or rolling blackouts? The simple answer is fuel cells. Fuel cells are small. One small area in your garage, or one outside by the water heater. Fuel cells means that you make your *own* electricity, with almost no maintenance. It means that you can make as much electricity as you want, or as little. It means no more buying $power from others and it means freedom for Americans. It means no dependancy on Mother Nature, nor is it affected by Mother Nature either. You can power your car, you can power your home, as well as your mother’s guest house and for only the cheap price of between $3k and $10k.
Power companies are busy buying up all the fuel cell companies / technology and burring the ’stand alone units’. Now they repackage fuel cells as a ‘backup technology’. 5 years ago you could actually buy stand alone fuel cells, but now they’re hard to come by. They ran on LP, or other forms of propane. Future fuel cells will work using plain old ocean water. OR, you all can keep up working on the grid… Eeewwww!

Skull & Bones is Skull & Bones… This so called oil crisis is a product of a couple of things. First is we have to agree that the gas market is a false market. Gas companies set gas prices, prices started going up *before* oil speculation, not after. Prices could go back to the 1960s *if* oil companies wanted it too. Notice the head of OPEC said *if* Iran did this… Not exactly a stranger to American politics. Even he knows drilling in America won’t solve a thing. Oil companies have us saying “Gas prices will never go down again.” Next it’ll be, “Buy American Gas, America depends on it.” I know a sales campaign when I see one. A calculated effort to scare Americans into opening up all drilling in America. Gas’ last big Hoorah. They may have over played their hand, or they flat just don’t care what happens to America. (I’m guessing it’s the latter.) Vote Independent by the way, or you can go on cheer leading the corruption, it’s your choice…

2006 US Total Generator Nameplate Capacity = 1,075,677 (Megawatts)
Pickens Plan $10 billion wind farm, generate 4,000 megawatts of electricity

0.0037 or 0.37% of total US capacity.

Will he be using top of line technology, Carbon fiber, gearless, inverters ?

Let’s try to reduce the negativity and get off our backsides and CHANGE what we CAN change- for all the naysayers out there- you are right: stay sitting on that couch eating chips while watching your trashy F-X programming. (there’s probably an “o” in there somewhere)- I’m sure burying your head in the sand is the answer- and just continue to let the politicians bicker- that’s REALLY working for us.

Change sure isn’t easy- and there is never a magical perfect solution to ANY problem. But this is a start, and for those of us that dare to dream and work- a start is a wonderful place. The issues are being brought to light- the combined intelligence of the human race is certainly captivated- minds sharper than my own are thinking this through- dialogue is building. I have no doubt whatsoever that it can be accomplished. As the song says, “We can make it happen”. I thank you, Mr Pickens for using your clout & wealth to turn a whisper into a shout. You have my support and thanks. (and my membership).

Create a Government Oil Company. Just like the Postal Service (not the old postal service, the new postal service, that pays its way, and turns a profit. But there’s a lot more profit in oil than there is in delivering letters.

That creates employment, building pipelines (yes, drill in ANWAR, are you nuts?) and drilling for oil, and selling the oil, right here in the US. And the profits? These politicians need money to spend, and rescue Social Security, etc.

And create Government Refineries, on old military bases, to get that oil refined into gasoline.

Literally create a closed cycle, to pump oil from government lands, refine gas from government refineries, and sell gasoline to USA gas companies. Employment, money to spend, and plenty of gasoline. At a lot less than four bucks a gallon.

I think that Mr. Pickens is just the latest in a long line of people that are fed up with President Bush running rough shod over the country. At least the attention that he’s bringing to the issue might help.

I agree – at least it’s a plan. Politicians keep talking about opening more areas for oil drilling. And while petroleum will probably always be needed for everything from energy to plastics to pharmaceuticals, we need to aggressively pursue alternative energy sources.

On a recent trip to the Baltic, we were struck with the sheer number of wind turbines used in Europe. Americans may scoff at the Europeans about a lot of things, but there is no arguing with the fact that they are more energy-efficient than we are ( just look at their cars). This is one area where we should be following their lead.

Wind power was feasible when oil sold for $30.00 per barrel. At $140.00 per barrel wind power becomes very attractive. At this point where we are considering wind only up to 20 percent of the power grid load, no storage is required. When the wind stops blowing fossil fuel machines pick up the slack.

The bright side of high oil prices is the fact that alternative energy sources will now be developed.

WARNING – How do wind farms make us use less gasoline and diesel in our vehicles? The best answer – Electric Vehicles – is missing from the Pickens Plan. He’s no dummy though; he DOES have an answer, which is “wind allows us to use less natural gas for electric power, then we can run our cars on compressed natural gas (CNG)”. A slight problem with that thinking is that wind is most effective at night when electric utilities are already struggling to keep their base load (coal, nuclear) boilers active due to low nighttime demand. Natural gas turbines are spun up during the day to meet peak demand as needed. Wind farms can’t be operated on demand so they can’t serve the same purpose as natural gas turbines.
Not to say that there is NO wind during the day, or that NO natural gas is currently used at night, it would just be a MUCH BETTER plan if you have 50 million EVs soaking up all that free power at night.

A lot of Republicans feel betrayed by one of their own. Here we have a right-wing oil billionaire (who helped finance the “swift boat” commercials against John Kerry) joining the Al Gore-istas in calling for a massive national commitment to wind and solar power. You will hear the right-wingers attacking Mr. Pickens and calling for nuclear power, off-shore drilling, ANWR drilling, clean coal (there is no such thing), and shale oil processing. These “old-school” energy sources are the resources controlled by the multi-national corporations that want to turn our country into another medieval fiefdom of slaves working for gasoline and electricity. The Pickens Plan threatens their stranglehold on our economy. As he has said, “we can’t drill our way out of this mess.” This was said by a Texas oil billionaire! The difference between Mr. Pickens and our multi-national corporate overlords like Bush, Cheney, and the CEO of Exxon is that Mr. Pickens is a true American who cares deeply about this country and wants to do what he can to save it. Fortunately, he is a position to do a lot.

What T. Boone fails to take into account is the incredible number of lawsuits his plan would engender: First from the people who don’t want windmills ‘in my back yard’, and Second, from those peta types who will sue to protect the birds etc. that will get ‘vegomatic’d’ trying to fly thru the fields of wind turbines.

As to the transmission problem, there is a smallish company with a far more efficient transmission ‘power line’ design, but huge investment would be necessary to up their production capacity any time soon.

Catherine, can you back up the statement,

“..at wind speeds of 6 mph or greater… the sound of the wind blowing is louder than the noise that the turbine makes. Therefore, it is not audible to the human ear.”

Doesn’t the sound of wind depend on what is impinging on? For example a radio tower makes a different sound than a tree- the tower has components which shed vortices, for example, which can give a songlike note. I hiked up Mt. Graylock in W. Mass recently during a high wind, and you could hear the radio tower noise from at least a mile away, above the noise of nearby trees. The tower noise stood out because its frequency distribution was different from that of the tree noises.

Wind turbines shed vortices from the tips of the blades, and these can impinge on the ground and produce characteristic noises.

These sounds can also differ in frequency content from the background noise and thus stand out the way that radio tower did, I would think.

From anecdotal accounts, those living near wind turbines do hear something, at low frequencies. I suppose that might be due to tip vortices hitting the ground, the support pylon, or other wind turbines nearby because due to the low rotor speed, the vortices would be generated at a commensurately low “blades x rpm” frequency much like the frequency of the sound described by those who claim to hear wind turbine noise.

The main problem I see with Pickens plan is that right now wind farms rely on natural gas power plants as a backup. We need dispatchable backup power to “firm” the output from a wind farm and right now the best way to do that is with advanced natural gas plants. You can’t use coal or nuclear for this because it takes those generators days to ramp up or down; natural gas plants can be powered up and down quickly. So, if we put all the natural gas into cars, what will we use to smooth out the wind power curve?

This will all require vast improvements to the transmssion grid, but those are needed anyway unless we want to start dealing with rolling blackouts.

Bear with me. I’ll be on track with an energy comment in a moment.

I continue to be unhappily amazed by the lack of logical, rational and skeptical abilities displayed here, specifically, and throughout the every form of media. The word that comes to mind is “sheeple”. There are many clever business people or politicians (or professional copy writers) whose purpose(s) are to enrichen themselves regardless of the scientific evidence. CNN is a perfect example. Witness the weeks that CNN featured ‘Mad Cow’ disease. In order to capture viewers (maintain or improve Neilsen ratings [which themselves are an implausible fiction of probability and statistical sampling]; CNN was in the forefront of this US and World calamity. We are still seeing the effects of this nonsense this week – with fools in South Korea protesting US beef import resumption. Yet, only two people died in the US, and BOTH were foreigners who had contracted the disease OUTSIDE the US. Therefore 100% of the native US population was NEVER at risk. It is sad that about 150 people died in Britain, however, that is a fraction of the Britons who died on that nation’s highways in 2007.

Now to an energy example. For several years, the Federal Government, leftists with purely political motivations, and rightists with equally unhealthy social agendas have touted (and had US Citizens spend hundreds of millions of dollars in programs) on hydrogen and fuel cells. Folks, those technologies are never going to happen, not now, not never, for widespread business or personal applications.

Why? Pure undisputed physics. There is no point to go into great details here, but both suffer similar fatal characteristics: too heavy, consume (in manufacture, distribution or natural losses) up to 50% of the total energy output available before any useful work is accomplished, too hazardous, no developed infrastructure, etc.

These are problems that continue because (and as to why it is so, no one can answer, yet) the majority of folks continue to allow the minority to make important life decisions for them. How it is possible for Citizens in this Country to blame, in no preferential order: Big Government, Big Business, Big Oil, Big arabs, etc. is beyond my understanding. If individuals either voluntarily give up, or neglect to use, or abandon their personal accountability and responsibility – then you can BET someone is going to take that and use it to THEIR advantage – not yours or mine. There is a very famous “Pogo” cartoon.
Pogo and friends are in a boat, ala George Washington on the Delawarre River. The caption says: “I have seen the enemy and they are us.”

YOU want solutions to the apparent energy “crises” [remember, this term has been manufacturer to meet various narrow agendas]? All the answers are available, NOW, with little net cost to the economy, and great gain in self-sufficiency, employment, and lifestyle enhancement. However, getting 180 million US adults to cooperate and focus on what is truly in the Nation’s best interest…that’s the real problem.

“obviously who ever keeps putting out the rumor that it’d take years to get production out of ANWAR and the rest of the coast has no experience in the oil buisness. So please stop assuming it would take years to get any production as that is just a plain flat lie”

So they could get an oil pipeline and infrastructure up to ANWAR in less than a year? Are you nuts? First of all the oil companies are still sitting on 70 million acres which they aren’t even using for oil production right now. Odds are it contains some oil… so how bout they use that first before destroying something so pristine?

Typical republican… get more thinking instead of use less thinking…

Cost to to build 2006 US generating capacity 10/0.0037 = 2702 billion

We need some good Googlers to find out if the design of these turbines
Gearless makes less noise. Permanent magnet to inverter generation ?

Over the long term, where the wind blows, money flows.
Poor migrating ducks, and lthose infrasound sensitive.
Frequencies near human organ resonances, throw up, at some wind speed ?
At what distance can an elephant hear this ?
What weather pattern changes ?
Innovating like Bill Gates, and suffer the consequences ?

Patrick-
“First of all the oil companies are still sitting on 70 million acres which they aren’t even using for oil production right now. Odds are it contains some oil… ”

Sure, it contains some, and the oil companies have technology that shows them where and approximately how much. The fact that they’re not drilling thousands of holes on those millions of acres might be due to their having knowledge of where it’s not.

But maybe you’d like somebody else to tell them how to find oil. I guess that would be an improvement over all and sundry telling them where not to look for it.

Googling alibaba, Chinese claim better wind turbines at 1/3 the cost.
Replace all US generators for a trillion ?

We live in rural Texas. Believe me, it is an extremely rare day when the wind doesn’t blow vigorously. Is the wind a finite, non-renewable resource? No. Why, then, do people argue against investing in infrastructure and technology to support it as an energy source?

It is also a rare day when the sun doesn’t shine here. Again, is the sunshine a finite, non-renewable resource? I certainly hope not. Why don’t we invest in the technology needed to effectively store solar energy?

Wouldn’t investing in these technologies provide needed jobs and make us more self-sufficient as a nation? Isn’t harnessing and utilizing wind power, solar power and rainwater something that we can do as individual homeowners as well?

I think the answers to the questions are obvious, and I agree completely with Mr. Pickens. I don’t object to him making money from his good sense and vision, either. Isn’t that exactly what Bill Gates and Michael Dell did?

The future of energey MAY be wind but cars can’t run on windmills. Cars CAN presently run on LNG and there are a number of them. If a car can run on LNG it can also run on Hydrogen!! Forget the fuel cell, the OCEAN is H2O, so why aren’t we building plants along our coasts, pulling in seawater, extracting the (2 parts) hydrogen and releasing the “O” back into the atmosphere. If vehicles which burn LNG can hold that type of gasous material then it can hold hydrogen. It burns 99.9% clean as well (no catylitic converter). Why aren’t we using the ocean to produce hydrogen to power our cars, and generate our electricity!?

What Picken is suggesting gas for car is nothing new, few Asian countries have been using natural gas for automobiles, before car need to be fitted with gas tank, now new car is fitted with gas tank from car factory. LPG or NGV is just a transition to next electric or other means of powering automobile. gas is very where, oil money going to desert or own country let the genius decide.

This is a better plan than Bush or all of Congress have come up with. All they plan to do is keep enriching their buddies with un precedented profits. Drilling for more oil is good but won’t have any near term affects on price. Hell, what would we do with it, send it offshore to be refined?? We haven’t built any new refineries in decades. The Chinese teamed with the Cubans will soon be sticking their straws into the reserves in the Gulf of Mexico. They’ll suck that dry before Congress takes any action. The Russians are headed for the Arctic. Buts its all just more of the same. 100 years, maybe 200 and it will all run out in the end anyway. Time for a radical change.

Wind power is clean and the wind is always blowing somewhere. An intelligent load switching system could manage to source power where the wind is currently up. Watch out for the bird lovers to raise a fuss about birds getting beat up in the fans though.

Wind combined with photoelectric energy would be a good idea. Sun power is free and abundant and forever. (MIT just improved the efficiency of solar cells) WInd and sun power supplemented with nuclear energy would cut the requirement for natural gas or oil/coal generators. We could run our SUVs on the natural gas.

Where have you and your big ideas been over the past thirty years, as warnings of depleting reserves and environmental deterioration started to circulate? Now suddenly, after decades of earning massive profits, we are all to believe you have a conscience? Is it not obvious that oil, like tobacco companies, have a serious credibility problem.

Clearly, life as we know it is changing. We must have a plan, and the T Boone Pickens plan is the best, most detailed plan we have. However, his plan is a start, a start which we have to embrace, not as much as the solution, but as an example, a starting point.
There will be other facets to a plan, both based on technology we have, and technology we can only theorize about, we can only dream about, but, this country, and other technologically advanced countries must begin a sensible and rapid conversion to a renewable, economical and homegrown energy source.
Our Presidential candidates, Congressional candidates and Gubernatorial candidates should begin to realize this and promote the idea as a national priority. Much more than the space race, as important as a war effort, the race to energy self sufficiency can and should be won, in this decade.

First, Lets face the facts. Oil is a resource that is not renewable. A decent horizontal well can cost up to 3 million to drill and take months to get all the legal requirements to be done. We have done this to ourselves and nobody wants to point the fingure in the morror. Tree huggers stopping drilling, congress in action, OPEC, Inflation, time, Americans refusing to learn from the past.
Goal: Energy independant
It will take alot more than just wind to solve the problem. I know it will take a lot more drilling, solar, wind, naturak gas and technology.

Mr. Pickens is a very shrewed business man. He has control over thousands of acres of water rights. He will soon have control over alot of land owners. If you do not think so you need to read a wind lease!
HOWEVER, This is a plan and may actually help Texas become the next big thing. His action is probably something that will help the turn in the tide against government in action. The bold plan can help everyone. Landowners get royalties and property damages. (Which are farmers and ranchers) Maybe everyones else will be able to help cpntrol there own costs fpr electricity.
We need to push tax breaks and incentives towards wind, solar and drilling locally. I am proud to say this plan is well thought of and scared that so many people do not understand how important energy is to America.

Pickens wind turbine plan is a con…and apparently loads of well-meaning folks are buying into it with such fervor that theyre not interested in hearing anything which contradicts what Pickens wants them to think…..

Pickens has been buying land and water rights in one of the mostly sparsely populated counties in Texas for a number of years…he plans to pump the water from this county to the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro area…..millions and millions of gallons of it…

this water will come from the Ogallala Aquifer which is being depleted [beyond its recharge capability] at the rate of 12 billion cubic meters per year…and is becoming increasingly saline..

this aquifer is one of the worlds largest, supplying water to eight states…and is the source for 30 percent of all water used in irrigation in the US…

for this plan to work Pickens needs a right of way across hundreds of miles of private land…[texas has the least publicly owned land of any state]…

the solution to this problem was handed to him by the texas legislature when it grouped water pipelines in with a plan to allow the ‘public’ use of private land for building wind turbines…

this is when the turbine farms became part of Pickens overall plan…

ya see, if Pickens builds a swath of privately owned [but ostensibly for public use] wind turbines from Dallas up into the panhandle…he’ll also be able to build his pipeline and thus do his best to help pump the increasingly fragile aquifer dry…

hows that for eco-awareness?…

Pickens has been on my radar for 35 years…i went to school with one of his sons..

just because someone is rich doesnt mean that theyre not a con-artist…… only that they might be very good at it…

Thank you Mr. Pickens for realizing and acting on what many have been saying for years. Simple idea for generation is to turn every bridge into a generator operating off the waves. The structure is already in place and plenty of wave energy. You oilers have sold out our country (environmentally and pollitically) so, it would be nice if you made some admends. Invite me and Cheney to go hunting one day and I could get rid of my anger without aiming some at you.

T. Boone has the right idea. This country needs a million more like him.
My question is: couldn’t matching funds somehow be made available into researching the viability of all forms of alternative energy. From more efficient solar volatics to further study of nanoturbines – which essentially have the potential possibility to turn the surface area of buildings and vehicles into energy collectors. He has a bold dream, T. Boone does. But he’s stopping short. Every roof, every surface on every structure and vehicle in the world has the potential to become a generator of clean energy. What the world and America needs is a ‘JFK style man on the moon gauntlet to be laid down’ – 100% renewable energy for vehicles and residences by the end of the next decade.

I think his plan sounds good and makes a baby step in solving the energy crises. I live in Ohio and have the Ohio River as our states southern boundry. A lot of energy is connected to that River and most rivers or even dams that hold water. Why are there not more Hydro electric production in this country? To me it is much cleaner than coal or any other form of electric generation. I bet hydro power is even cheaper to build and even operate than any other form of power generation. Hydro power in this country could be either small or large scale operations. I have heard of small towns having their own hydro electric power plants for a small price compared to other forms of electric generation. Thank you, Jim

The problem I see with this idea is nationalism. US workers would need to be hired (with benefits and retirement)… too costly.

also, i should point out that Pickens Mesa Petroleum only ever grew out of acquisitions rather than by increasing production or efficiency…most of his wealth comes from corporate raiding……

I recall watching the news a year or so ago where a Californian building contractor recieved praise for building homes dependant on solar energy and where homeowners were paying energy bills easily in 2 digits and not 3. I live in Oklahoma, Mr Pickens’ home state where newer homes are protected with expansive roofs, the sun always shines (at least most of the time and unfortunately not today)and the wind almost always blows. Oh how I wish a builder would take a lesson from California and build such energy efficient homes. I would willingly pay a little more for a smaller home if were maintained from such resources.

Pickens’ plans are reasonable but I’m afraid we’ll never see them in our lifetime. One big hurdle is the tree-huggers who will point out that if this plan is implemented we will probably be killing around a hundred thousand birds a day. I can practically guarantee this will become an issue, and it could easily be one that shoots down the entire plan. We are our own worst enemy.

We have met the enemy and he is us.

Jim White-

Most of the hydropower potential in this country is already being used. I suppose there is a bit more low-head hydropower to be harvested, but that’s about it. Or so I read, anyway. I lived in a small city, Idaho Falls, ID which built 3 or 4 of those systems on the Snake River and it kept our electricity low for quite a period of time. But it was not a major amount of power.

I for one and very pleased to see a leading oil executive coming out against our foolish energy policies, and offering alternative solutions. I have been reading up on wind technologies prior to Mr. Pickens adverstisements, and had already come to the personal conclusion that wind power would not only be the next big energy boom, but a practical one that both investors and environmentalists would stand behind. Mr. Pickens may be in it for the money, but lets not look a gift horse in the mouth, wind is a clean and pragmatic source of energy, lets get behind it, and lets get congress to stop importing Saudi Crude, and filling the speculator’s pockets.

RE C. Smith,
Quote:
also, i should point out that Pickens Mesa Petroleum only ever grew out of acquisitions rather than by increasing production or efficiency…most of his wealth comes from corporate raiding……
end quote.

A beneficary of Michale Milken’s magical paper funding as I recall…..

I’m disappointed you’ve ignored the most promising new source of fuel now becoming available. Algae. (the fastest growing plant). If you devote one acre of land to the production of corn, at the end of the year you’ll have enough corn to make 30-50 gallons of ethanol

If you devote that same acre to the production of algae (which is composed of 1/2 oil), you’ll have enough algae to produce from 20,000 to 80,000 gal of diesel useable oil

Sounds to me like the fuel crisis has been solved..

You know, it’s disturbing to me that, in all these many many comments about oil VS wind and other renewable resources relatively little is being said about the main VERY compelling reason to switch, at all cost, immediately to wind, solar, and other non-polluting forms of energy. Hello? What little world have you been living in if you STILL believe it’s viable to continue to use oil as an energy source even in the very near future?
Our polar ice is melting. Our glaciers are melting. The weather patterns worldwide are greatly disturbed. We have holes the size of small countries in the ozone layer, which if you haven’t been paying attention is one of the only things that keeps us from both deep space and deep doo doo. And the use of oil as energy throughout the world is a major, perhaps THE major contributing factor to all this planetary grief. Becoming a ranting patriot and keeping out the rest of the world will not change this. Even becoming a republican will not change this. The only thing which will change our increasingly dire planet-wide crisis is just that; CHANGE. You can do it, I can do it. They can do it too.

Wind is not the answer. Even in Europe when the wind stops, normal fossil fuel generation has to take over. The only problem with this is it can take a few days to power up a plant. So the power companys unload the generators, and keep the boilers on hot standby to pick up the pieces when the wind slows. Nuclear is the way to go, but we will have to deal with the greenies who want to see mankind die away to save the earth.

The wind energy plan will fail for several reasons. Nine years ago the Lincoln Electrical System (Lincoln, NE) built two 750KW wind mills for experimental purposes. Their production averaged out at 1.36Mw. The LES purchases and/or generates a total of 1,050MW. It would take 1,544 wind mills to supply that amount of power. Problems include reduced efficiency due to bug juice affecting the wind flow over the blades, the NUMEROUS bird strikes that leave carcases littering the ground underneath, including raptors. The mills seemed to be parked when their energy was needed most.

Wind doesn’t blow every where BUT the Sun does! Twenty years ago the Univ. of California, with the help if IBM, Spain, Italy and others, developed a generation plant called a “Solar Power Tower II”. It the prototype generated 10MW continuously, 24/7, for 30 days.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower

While the USA has sat on its thumbs Spain recently turned the key on its first SPT2 that starts with 11MW but will be scaled up to 300MW over the next 5 years. The US government could loan funds for building 10MW plants in rural communities through out the USA, creating spin off businesses the way farm tractor sales created spin offs. Farmers could be farming electricity on land not suited for food production. They could generate all the electricity needed for our new electric cars.

Opening up ANWR, the Gulf reserves, or the overrated Baakan formation would be insane. It would encourage consumption of oil as usual, despite the fact that the total reserves from those sources would only supply us with oil for no more than 5 years. We would be in worse shape then than we are now because we would have NO energy sources of significant size remaining to fuel our conversion to Solar power. The fossil reserves are our major source for plastics and medicines and they will be needed by us and our grand children a century or more.

fools all of you. electricity dissapates rapidly. within 100 miles of generation it is gone whether it is used or not, and we have no way to store it. Unless everyone in NY and LA is moving to the middle of the country it seems unlikely to serve anyone well except for MR Pickens and other investors who will benefit from subsidies, cheap land and poor government policy. I would also point out that to run a Davinci Surgerysystem, to make chips or solar panels one needs a super pure,consistent reliable source of electricity. WInd is none of these.
Want to really learn something folks….read HUber and Mills…”the bottomless well’ it will change your understanding of how energy and energy policy work. CHeers

Its a decent plan, maybe not the perfect plan but certainly more than we’ve gotten from “The Decider.” I prefer the idea of solar towers(wind generated by heat from the sun in an enclosed area forced over the blades of wind turbines(look up solar tower on youtube). And personally rather than using natural gas to power cars I like the idea of algae-based biodiese(renewable, quick to grow and doesn’t require a new generation of vehicles).

I agree with many of the experts, if America is to maintain its status as a world leader we must put the American entrepreneurial spirit to work
on this problem. Because my lifestyle can barely tolerate $4/gallon gas, if it continues to go up a dollar/gallon a year the way it has the last few summers I don’t know how I’ll make ends meet.

Wind power could supply a portion of our energy needs decades from now. There’s still plenty of oil to last us until we can transition to other alternative sources of energy. But you have to be able to drill where it’s at.
You also can’t have unregulated futures trading adding $60 dollars a barrel to the cost of oil. Also even if electric cars were in the showrooms ready to roll tomorrow again it would be decades before the transition would be complete. Unless an 80% income tax rate to subsidize the purchase of an electric car for middle and low income people sounds good to everyone. The average person won’t be able to purchase a $40,000. Many are barely making the payments on the gas powered car they have now. If the government and people can’t be realistic about an energy plan no progress can be made. Alternative energies require a transition period of years. Our economy doesn’t have years to sit stagnant or degrade waiting on a replacement for oil. We have to increase domestic production to carry us through the transition period.

you can get 100,000 gallons of bio fuel a year from one acre of land… algae is the answer… 50 per cent oil 50 per cent recycled water… the product thrives on c0 2 emmissions….. ingredients required water / sunlight/ land/ and a closed circuit bio reactor. initial cost per acre for build up 3 million dollars… this exist right now but as always is being held back by i suppose big oil….automotive industry… and macro economics….. do your research you will find it if you do…. like the ev1 car or like the cold fusion of energy delivery i am not sure the technology will survive the BIG MONEY BUY OUT OF SILENCE….think of all the jobs that would be sacrificed if it were allowed to go ahead…. lack a cure for cancer think of all the jobs that would be loss if a cure were found ….. i am skeptical of big government and macro economics….. good luck to that small limpid oil

Agreed we cannot “drill ourselves out” of the energy crisis, but wind power alone will not change the nature of the problem. It seems to me that what we really need is to find a cost affective solution that enables us to not only maintain our lifestyle but revolutionize both energy production and the way we use energy itself. We need to look at ways to use renewable, clean energy sources. How can we break free from our dependence on foreign oil? By changing the way we use energy itself without actually reducing our energy consumption. That much is obvious. Again, the question is HOW? And the solution has to be affordable to the public.
A tall order, to say the least. Whatever the solution will be, it won’t be simple, and it won’t be something we can achieve without a major investment in our infrastructure. Since transportation is at the center of the problem (not to minimize the need to heat homes, etc) both in green house gases and oil consumption, we need to make that our top priority. Electric cars that have to be plugged in at home will not be enough to change the landscape of the problem. Alternative fuel that requires energy to produce (hydrogen) or produces even more toxic greenhouse gases (methane) are not the solution. Again, wind power alone will not do it, but it couldn’t hurt.
My idea is rather odd and certainly requires development by a truly scientific mind. And I’m sure it’s being looked at somewhere by somebody, but apparently not yet successfully or we would have heard about it (or would we?). Anyway, I’ll give you a hint:

Solar power, electromagnetic energy, and bumpercars.

Think about it.

It’s been more than thirty years since the oil shocks of the seventies and we are now more dependent on ever-decreasing foreign and domestic oil supplies than ever. Collectively, we are pitifully stupid. Setting that aside, let’s make the required course changes in energy generation and consumption that will have to be made. Further, let’s not just change for change’s sake (as in corn based ethanol, a net energy loss rather than a gain), but let’s make the right changes. Solar and wind seem like brilliant options from where I sit. Someone mentioned that a problem with wind is that it is not continuously reliable and we don’t have a means of storing surplus energy in the massive quantities required to take up the slack during non-windy periods. I’m not a physicist or even a numbers guy, but let me just throw this idea out for discussion. Picture a giant wind farm with the enormous structures T. Boone Pickens has described. I think he said that each turbine would be about forty stories tall from ground to tip of blade. Now suppose that all, most, or a large portion of the surface of these structures could be covered in photovoltaic material of some sort. Now imagine that the towers themselves not only support and elevate the turbine blades, but they also serve as giant water towers. The wind causes the blades to spin, generating electricity, day and night. During the day when demand is greatest, the photovoltaic potential can also be utilized. A portion of the the surplus power is used to pump water into the towers. When the wind slackens, water can be released at a controlled rate to generate hydroelectric power using other turbines housed within the towers. Maybe some of the water could even be split into its elemets, hydrogen and oxygen, using electrolysis (again using only surplus power). The hydrogen produced would be another form of stored power. You would have a giant wind farm that also produced solar electric power and hydroelectric power, as well as tanks of hydrogen that could fuel vehicles. You could also capture the oxygen for its many uses. Like I said, I’m not a physicist or numbers guy, but some of you are. Does this have any possibilities?

Boone is a shyster of the first order. He is notoriously greedy and unscrupulous. Folks in the Panhandle have been at the ass-end of his schemes for a long time, so much so, that he packed up his company and fled town in a huff for Dallas because he couldn’t get his way. Oh he comes across real simple and plain-spoken..just think of Daniel Plainview in *There Will Be Blood*

The thought of him at the helm of the renewable energy revolution ought to make your skin crawl. He does not have our best interest at heart. Lining his dirty pockets is all that’s on his mind.

Energy and Water are the life blood of the nation. We need smarter solutions to our energy problems than the simplistic scheme he has in mind. We can develop better plans than he’s got and do it without making him even more rich and powerful.

I think Mr Pickins does have a plan(NO ONE else does) . But the wind dont always blow, the sun dont always shine, But Solar Energy as a backup system for wind power sounds feasible to me . We still need OIL and we still need natural gas. China and North Korea are drilling right off the Coast of Cuba, there must be some kind of barrier between our Coast and the Coast of Cuba that would stop any major oil spill from The Cuban Shores, GET REAL. Drill for oil in the Gulf, Drill for oil and natural Gas in Anwar. Put 100,000 people to work building the Power Plants and putting the oil rigs up and operate them ,Build the refineries that are needed. The TVA project worked and saved Millions of lives here in the USA by putting thousands of people to work. Eisenhower put thousands of people to work with the Interstate System.. LETS BUILD and Build More …….H Musselwhite

Pickens is headed in the right direction. If he and others can make money doing the right thing then all the better. Isn’t that what spurs American or nearly any kind of ingenuity, self interest and profit? Not only will he be making alot of money( do the math), he will be fighting terrorism, staving off the market manipulation of the middle east oil barons and starting to repair the earths atmosphere after nearly 200 years of pouring tons of pollutants from coal, oil and other fossil fuel sources into the helpless atmosphere. It’s about time someone intelligent, who is rich enough to do something, did something…Bill Gates and Warren Buffet what the heck are you waiting for? Why not invest in hydrogen infrastructure and start marketing affordable hydrogen fuel cell cars at 300$ /month. Honda has a hydrogen fuel cell car on the market for 600$ month lease which most people can’t afford. We have the technology we just need to take a deep breathe and start using it. If we don’t, Honda and Toyota will dominate the auto market before you can say Ford and GM are bankrupt…oh Toyota and Honda already dominate the auto market..Why?… cause they sell affordable, fuel efficient and well made cars? Come on it’s time for us to start competing again …and this time win!

T Boone Chickens is a welcher and a coward. I wouldn’t trust anything his name is on.

Mr. Pickens has the resourses to build a refrinery to make liquid fuels from coal. We have between 500 and 2500 years supply of coal in North America. He could immediately solve (short term – 500 years) our dependence on foreign oil while making his heirs richer. He is well aware of the technology to accomplish this since the Germans were doing in in the 1940’s. Wind power is wonderful when the wind is blowing. When its not those multimillion dollar wind generators are setting idle. Incidently, if offered an option to invest in a coal refrinery I would certainly invest.

I think the basic idea is sound. We have to look for a renewable resource in place of our oil addition. I see a multitude of different modalities being the answer, not just one. Solar should be able to take advantace of the technological advances and become more user friendly and cost effective also.

How about we reharness energy we have alreadt expended? Can we create energy from let’s say a fan that is spinning? It takes energy to run it, but can we harness energy from it in action?

We need to think outside the box. Big oil will NOT hand you a solution. It’s not in thier financial interests to do so. T. Boone is a visionary who instead of a foundation that maintains the status quo,
is willing to take his money and try to help humanity in a different manner. Make no mistake…..he will find ways to profit from his investment, but it’s an investment in our growing energy needs that our government to date has not addressed in a sufficient manner.

I would also like to see the exploration of fast growing and oil rich plants as a source of ethanol instead of food crops such as corn, wheat, sugar. This will only increase (we are already feeling the first pangs of this) the cost of basic food elements.

Why not find crops that are now not used at all in any part of the food chain and utilize them. Hemp is a perfect example of a product we know well from hundreds of years worth of utilizing it, that can help on a number of levels. Large scale production of this fast growing plant might even help erode some of the carbon dioxide problem we are facing.

We need forward thinkers, not bureaucrats who are stuck in a phoney
moralistic view. We need to look in every conceivable location for answers to ALL our energy needs and we need to pay attention to the
“relational” effects of our decisions.

Why do we always consider this choice to be an either/or? We should be looking at and investing in many different types of alternative energy. Bio-fuel programs should be developed that provide fuel but don’t deplete the food supply. Wind and solar energy should be used where it is viable. Nuclear fuel should be used where there it can be done so safetly. And natural gas and oil should be used where there is no cheaper, cleaner alternative fuel.

And we should invest in technologies that reduce our need for these fuels. How about taxing incandenscent light bulbs? How about taking the tobacco subsidy (as suggested in an earlier post) and give it to companies who want to manufacture solar panels and wind turbines so they become less expensive? How about a tax credit for those who buy hybrid or hydrogen cars?

Can’t we meet this problem with the excitement that we met the challenge of going to the moon or developing the internet?

We’re all still dealing in the theater of the “likely” (though expensive and risky) solutions…what about what HASN’T been thought of yet?

We need to radically depart from technologies that “cost” us anything…meaning, we need a source of energy that every American–every person–can have access to in their own backyard. Something they can buy and own…and leave both the utility companies and big oil on the OUTSIDE looking in.

(don’t know about you, but it’s not just the pump that’s squeezing me…water bill is up 25 percent, electricity bill is up 30 percent, and during the winter the heating bill is up over 50 percent from when I moved in…THREE YEARS AGO.)

A windmill outfitted with solar panels. Solar shingles. Collectors that capture and transfer human energy…from walking up the stairs to walking around town. A backyard fusion reactor. A way to convert our everyday garbage into sustainable energy while limiting emissions…the “Mr. Fusion” from the movie Back to the Future.

Most of all? We need to put Big Energy and Big Oil traditional business models out of business in the United States–we need to stop seeing HOW MUCH MONEY we can make on an idea or solution…and realize that there are SOME ideas that transcend wealth. The idea of getting T. Boone Pickens rich….needs to somehow be replaced by…earning a great living while saving the world rich.

At least T. Boone is promoting new thinking. To those who think more nuclear is the way to go… I lived through TMI. Having your family and everyone within a 150 mile radius of a plant evacuated because some yahoo failed to properly maintain the cooling levels at the plant is not an entertaining experience. Just look at the recent investigations that resulted in firings of security guards caught asleep there… Granted it produces a substantial volume of energy, but its not without its negatives(security, meltdown wastewater dumped into the local river), not to mention the left over radioactive waste that we have to put somewhere(how much room is left near yucca mountain…).

As to the drilling in ANWAR and off shore… give Ocean city, NJ and MD or NYC one good oil slick from a leak or a tanker and the outcry will be huge…

The way to go is renewables. Wind, solar, air, and wave action generators. Each of these may have general consequences, (sleep discomfort… I’d like to see that report please… and is it any different than the people living under large megawatt power lines?) If solar and wind weren’t effective, why is most of europe buying up the solar cell and wind turbine technology? The only reason we aren’t moving forward is because big oil and the automakers want to keep us addicted to preserve their business model. They consistently complain about the ability to produce sufficient supply and that it costs too much to comply with all the red tape… yet they generate the highest corporate profits in the history of corporate profit calculation. Ridiculous.

This plan is at least a start, and I applaud T. Boone. Hopefully this kind of ground swell will take root and continue, now is the prime opportunity to grab hold of some of these ideas and attack problems of global warming, renewable energy, and national security all at once. Rather than spending billions on a war to colonize an oil producer to make Dick Cheney’s Halliburton wealthy. Clearly, their concern is not national security or they wouldn’t move their HQ to Dubai.

Mr. Pickens is on the right track. Transition of this large a scale takes time. The infrastructure does need upgrade and the engineering science needs to improve significantly. All these things can be done so lets get started. The last 35 yrs we’ve been fat, lazy, and unaware as a country. Time to let the smart people run things. I’m tired of the dummys.

Why is there more ice in the arctic this year than last year?
aren’t we supposed to have less ice? and virtually free?

Compare 2007 Arctic Ice Caps to 2008 Arctic Ice Caps

http://igloo.atmos.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/test/print.sh?fm=07&fd=13&fy=2007&sm=07&sd=13&sy=2008

the govt need to stay out of the energy business.set enviromental standards with guideline to be in compliance very stiff penalties if not allow drilling everywhere we control. allow windmills if investors choose teach ducks and geese and other birds how to miss them.let the states with wind profit and potentially offset their income taxes for their citizens. in the early years regulated energy provided state of art production and transmission lines without subsidies by govt. i would bu a higher priced non gas vehicle if it were designed to last and could travel distances

I very much agree with T. Bone. I’ve had the opportunity to experience both wind generated electricity and cars powered by natural gas. They both work very efficiently.

Windmills on the nearby hills where I used to live in California continually generated electricity. In fact, many of them were often turned off because the electricity was not needed at the time.

I rode in a cab in Austrailia powered by natural gas and it was just as powerful as a car powered by gasoline and produces little or no emissions.

T. Bone is right. If he can manage to sway other leaders to join in it will be a good thing for this country.

What are his thoughts on nuclear power for future electrical generation? Realize if we go after this big right now it would still be several years down the road but we need to start somewhere and engage on this technology.

I think T. Boone is right on in terms of at least having a plan. I understand his interest in wind energy (a big part of his personal and business portfolio), and I agree with him. To a large degree, wind power performs its own balance if distributed over a large area like the Midwest from northern border to southern, because the wind does not always blow all over at the same time. It may be 20 mph here today and 5 tomorrow, while 20 miles away (or 200), it’s exactly opposite.

It’s the power grid that is important here. Our energy future will be greatly enhanced by the application of nano solar photovoltaics soon to come imbedded in roofing shingles and mixed into house and automotive paints. The potential of widely distributed generation, i.e., from every roof in the country, combined with other “natural” sources of power like wind, would provide tremendous resilience to the country’s energy distribution network. It’s the old adage “diversity breeds stability.” And it would free up oil for things oil does best. For me, I want an electric car I plug into my roof every day. Actually I would be plugging into the same old grid as before, but my roof would have sold the energy to the grid that is charging my car overnight.

The crazy thing is that all this stuff is possible, but the enormous momentum of the oil economy just seems to be unstoppable. I give T. Boone tremendous credit for getting his message to the general public about this losing predicament we find ourselves in, especially the part about purchasing increasingly larger shares of our oil from people who really don’t like us. There is no need to keep doing that if we could come together on a plan to change direction.

See the problem. Just look at all the competing ideas (some half baked). We will remain in this holding pattern until we study the issues completly and then agree on a plan that meets our goals. Some compromises will be necessary, but we can not continue to moan and groan and do nothing about something so important.
As an energy engineer I do know that solutions are not generally simple and usually will not be acceptable to all. We do need to get to work and sort this problem out though.
keep in mind, serious issues like energy usually require diverse and multiple soulutions. Think of it in phases-short term, near term and long term.
There are solutions, now or later for all the phases.

sounds like he is bidding for the Republican VP slot. A man with a plan….and will make lots of money!

Use wind energy to create hydrogen gas. This solves storage issue. Also allows for energy to be transported via pipelines to areas where needed.

I applaud T. Boone. as has a legion has said already, and daresay, Can we get some more imaginative Exec. out there to invest in Solar as well as Hydrogen(cars, NOT bombs). We need NO more nuclear, NO more fossil fuels. What we do need is the aforementioned and any thing else a creative sort can come up with without making our planet filthy and dangerous. steve

nuts!

T Boone has presented a realistic plan to help significantly address America’s excessive (and growing) addiction to foreign oil. His representation of the wind resources available in the US is accurate. Americans and the governmental leadership (both parties) need to make energy independence a high priority. So far neither party has been willing or able to present any significant and realistic plans for addressing this issue. Hopefully T. Boone can help light a fire in the minds of the American people. The global economy is driven by energy resources and the US economy is a slave to its energy needs. WE need to address this issue now or America will become the next former world leader; much like Great Britain is the last ‘former world leader’.

BTW, wind power is not just a pipedream. With 5,249 megawatts of wind power installed in the United States in 2007; wind energy comprised 35% of the new electric capacity installed in the United States last year. The economic works and big business is investing.

I have worked in the technical end of renewable energy for over 12 years. America is facing an energy crisis that may well profoundly cripple the US economy. It is not a question of if it will happen, but rather how soon and how crippling will it be? The current high gasoline prices are the tip of the iceberg. How many Americans will suffer profound economic loss due to the lack of leadership in Washington? How far does the US dollar have to drop on the world market before American owns up to it addiction to the global energy resources?

I say kudos to T. Boone for naming the elephant sitting in the middle of the living room floor, and for suggesting a realistic plan to start addressing the problem.

Hi,

At least it is a bold plan. I would love to hear Mr. Pickens comment on the use of algae or “pond scum” to create gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel fuel. There is a man with a small company in west Texas who is already producing thousands of gallons of fuel from algae. The stuff EATS Co2 and releases it when burned. It is as close to carbon neutral as we will get except for solar. Is this really a viable alternative to the use of oil?

John Dodig

The current plan from Washington boils down to More Of The Same, which just postpones the pain until the current crop of bureaucrats is gone and won’t have to deal with it themselves.

Pickens’ plan acknowledges that Just Drill More doesn’t *solve* the problem. The US, *as a matter of national security*, needs to find ways of weaning itself from the foreign-oil spigots. Increased use of nuclear, wind, solar, and geothermal, along with the consumer uptake of hybrids and hopefully plug-in all-electrics for short-hop driving, might get us there **IF** we can get the politicians to show some spine and (a) tell OPEC to literally pound sand and (b) push back on the NIMBY crowd that don’t want their pricey beachfront views interrupted by wind farms, etc.

Moderator. Why did you not approve my last post?

I am all for it, but we do need some way of storing energy for a “rainy” day. I am also thinking we need to make our next generation of cars all electric. We have the technology, why arent we doing it?

Do you have an alternative? No? Didn’t think so. Let’s do it and use the time over the next 20 years to figure out a viable replacement.

Settle down, there Bruiser…. I see two from you published here — one on the 10th, one yesterday, and both thoughtful and relevant. If there was another one from you that got lost among the 300+ comments here, my apologies. Please re-send if there’s another one you’d like posted, and as long as it follows the basic rules it will get posted:

To review, the rules are:
Keep it clean
No personal attacks on others here
No libel
Keep it relevant
No spam.

Thanks
Peter Dykstra

A couple of things to think about:

1. Wind is not “on demand”. We can’t turn it up or down. And we can’t store it. We’d need peaker plants to account for power requirement spikes, and they are typically woefully inefficient and heavy in emissions.

2. The amount of wind turbines required to power a significant portion of our requirement is incredibly high. There are studies that show how many hundreds/thousands of square miles would be required for them. It’s a huge undertaking.

3. To implement, what would be the environmental impact on building and installing all of this equipment. Another thing, is there enough copper available to wire it all up?

As a graduate of Pampa High School, I’ve followed T. Boone’s enterprises with interest for years. This wind energy initiative is vintage Pickens. The real immediate financial return to T. Boone comes not from phenomenally expense wind turbine infrastructure. It comes from exploiting water rights he has aggregated in the Texas Panhandle and intends to sell fresh water to a thirsty Dallas/Ft. Worth and wider central Texas market.

However, in order to get his water to his customers, he needs eminent domain status to lay a fresh water pipeline through the Texas Panhandle. Since West Texans aren’t in any hurry to have T. Boone’s giant straw draw down the remaining fossil water in their acquifer, his easiest method of obtaining the necessary easements is to use the same route for electric transmission lines above ground and bingo, fresh water pipeline underneath.

Know this though. Natural gas will never be viable as a transportation fuel. This is something of science that an economist or businessman can never grasp. Natural gas cannot be liquified, therefore it must be stored in gasseous form. That means a gas tank full of, well, gas. The problem is that in it’s gasseous form it takes up a lot of space. So the gas tank on your car would have to be very very large. Currently we do run a few cars on natural gas, people have done it. But with the limited amount of fuel you can carry, the range of such a vehicle is limited to a hundred miles or so at best. People just are not willing to have to stop for gas four or five times as often. Not to mention the added weight of a tank to hold the compressed gas, which will then cut down on the vehicles efficiency. This sort of idea may work for the very small car that only travels local routes, but what about the big rig that is the backbone of our economy, or the long distance commuter who may have to stop at the filling station every day.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO NUCLEAR ENERGY. NOBODY MENTIONS IT ANYMORE ALONG WITH OTHER IDEAS OF REDUCING OUR DEPENDENCE ON OIL IMPORTS

His plan sounds great, but there are some problems. First, who is going to tell the current electrical generating plants that use natural gas to stop, so the natural gas can be used in vehicles. Second, there are few places now where natural gas can be acquired for use in a vehicle. So it is still no short term solution to our energy problems. I am in favor of using wind power and solar to generate electricity so that no new or expanded electrical generating plant are needed, but that doesn’t help too much with getting gas and diesel vehicles off the road.

Mike’s long post sums it up the best. I cannot help but reinforce the idea that reducing demand / conservation through smart design and following good practices will save us billions of kW/h even without alternative sources of energy.

The other thing that no-one has mentioned is that our energy demands (when it comes to transportation and home heating/cooling) are so high due to the suburban model we adopted post-WWII. It’s a very “new” form of human community that can only exist with a lot of cheap land and cheap energy, and right now we’re going to have to basically stop building suburbs and let them re-densify into more traditional small towns and neighborhoods.

Re-establishing passenger rail service (including light rail and intercity high-speed rail) is going to be the other component. Frankly, the future is not going to really allow the “individual commuter” model to continue; it’s going to be much more local-urban or local-rural with none of this ’suburbia’ in between that blends the worst aspects of both.

There are several contractors that make small nuclear power plants for ships. These power plants are extremely safe and don’t put any carbon in the atmosphere. With 200 such plants on each coast we could produce enough hydrogen ( use nuclear plants to produce the electricity for electrolysis and produce hydrogen) that we would need no foreign oil what so ever. This would keep almost one TRILLION DOLLARS in the US instead of going overseas. Our cars are able to run on hydrogen with the only biproduct being H2O! This could be done with a cost less than $400B in less than 10 years. Also as technology improves fission reactors could be replaced by fusion reactors. We have a storage facility already built in Nevada for the waste. Certainly in the future some physicist will find a use for it and instead of hiding it it will become a commodity for something else.

I think that wind power could operate pumps to take downstream water and return it to the hydro-electric reservoir.

Typically a hydro generator has a ready source of water for spinning the turbine. By adding water back into the reservoir, there is potential energy stored –or restored if you will.

This should mitigate the impact of times when wind is calm.

What about these things? They are planning to build a full scale Wly Wheele project in Stephentown NY and this sounds like the right mix of tech. for wind power?

About Flywheels

A flywheel energy storage system draws electrical energy from a primary source, such as the utility grid, and stores it in a high-density rotating flywheel. The flywheel system is actually a kinetic, or mechanical battery, spinning at very high speeds (>20,000 rpm) to store energy that is instantly available when needed.

Upon power loss, the motor driving the flywheel acts as a generator. As the flywheel continues to rotate, this generator supplies power to the customer load. Performance is measured in energy units indicating the amount of power available over a given period of time. Typical single-flywheel systems, such as the Smart Energy 6 and Smart Energy 25, are intended for standby power applications.

A more recent Beacon Power flywheel design proposes an integrated system of 10 higher-power (25 kWh) flywheels, interconnected in a matrix to provide energy storage for utility-grade applications. The Smart Energy Matrix™ is designed to deliver megawatts of power for minutes, providing highly robust and responsive frequency and voltage regulation capabilities for increased grid reliability.

A Word About Sustainability

Sustainability is a philosophy and set of practices that have gained considerable acceptance among global organizations in recent years. The concept of sustainability refers to business conduct that addresses the economic, social and environmental impacts of operations; the so-called “triple bottom line.” More than 50% of Fortune 100 companies have adopted sustainable business practices and issue comprehensive annual progress reports. These companies, including many in the energy sector, have begun to take a longer-term view that considers the total impact of a product or service, from development through end-of-life.
Flywheel-based energy storage systems, unlike lead-acid batteries, are sustainable “green” technology solutions that do not use hazardous materials for production, nor create them during operation. Unlike batteries, flywheels operate reliably for many years with little or no maintenance. Their life cycle cost benefits and ROI have proven to be far superior to those of lead-acid batteries. Despite higher initial costs, flywheels offer an attractive and long-term cost-effective energy storage alternative for the growing number of companies implementing sustainable business practices.

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I think this is a great idea. He is saying that 22% of the total energy consumed by the United States comes in the form of natural gas. If we use wind instead for that 22% then we have freed up natural gas for other things (like vehicles… and some vehicles are already using natural gas to power themselves). Natural gas is cheap, clean for the environment and in abundance domestically. Well done!

I keep seeing people post comment criticizing the federal govt for not doing this sooner. It’s not the govt’s job. It’s always been the private sector that has provided the push for such plans or programs. If Mr Pickens is involved, there’s money to be made, and money makes the world go ’round folks. It also makes the lights go on.
I say more power to him! (No pun intended but it was a good one)
Hopefully this will spur other wealthy business people to invest in other such projects.

There are three natural renewable resources we should be using for power:
1. Wind
2. Solar
3. Water Currents (Ocean and Rivers)
The only thing I think we could do is store the energy in batteries to run cars. We could also use water/electricity to get hydrogen to power the cars.
We need to get started on this before we all go broke trying to pay for gas and diesel fuel.

Someone (Steve I think) used the term ‘competing ideas’, and deemed some of those ideas half-baked. These ideas for solutions to the world’s energy crises should not be seen at all as competing with one and other. We obviously need a wide range of mixed solutions in order to bring it all together into a working plan. Reliance on gas as some sort of god should have taught us that. And as for half-baked ideas, some of the most fantastic ideas, like Leonardo Da Vinci’s submarines and airplanes, were entirely half-baked at the time. As with Jules Verne, It takes dreamers sometimes to come up with ideas which later prove completely sound. I read much about not trusting T Boone Pickens as far as you could throw him. I have to ask, who cares? No one is asking you to marry him or have him watch your cat while you’re on vacation. You don’t have to trust him; trust his sound nose for money and a good investment! He himself has not mentioned a sudden urge for sainthood; he just sees a way to profit from wind, and that alone should tell you it’s a good idea!

Mr. Pickens, are you available to run for President?

Look, half of the people in this country don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to energy, or economics. Sugar cane won’t work because we cannot possibly grow it on a mass scale here. America is the middle east of coal and we are already exploiting this opportunity. Third, a majority of the people who called for a halt to nuclear energy stateside are the same clueless individuals who are now calling for it. Lastly, oil will be a major source of energy for a long time. BP Capital is right on, and I commend them for taking a cooperative position in this issue.

Natural gas powers a good amount of utilities plants throughout the country. Taking the natural gas from those utilities (which would be replaced by wind power) and putting it into autos is a great idea. All we need is time.

Keep in mind: Europe is at the equivalent of $11 per gallon in some parts.

Mr. Pickens is throwing a bone hoping we’ll all jump on it. The american public are really in the dark when it comes to producing and maintain a electrical grid. Think of the grid as water hoses at 120psi instead of 120v. Now, each consumer is taking water from that common hose, and each time somebody opens that valve the pressure drops, do we all agree with that? Now lets say that solar and wind power is maintaining this 120v electrical grid. When the voltage drops do we call the Almighty to kick up the wind or keep the sun out a little longer today, or do we just open the valves to the turbine a little more to allow more steam in to make the generation. Let’s get educated here, the majority of power produced in the USA is coal followed by nuclear,natural gas and hydro. You can’t store natural gas very well, water is only available when the water source is at high levels. So that leaves Coal and Nuclear steamed driven power generation. Oh my but coal is so dirty and nuclear is hazardous, this is all true. But, is there clean coal technology out there that hasn’t been proven yet? ABSOLUTELY!… So let’s get cracking on putting our best minds and technology in burning coal clean. We are putting all of this energy right now into producing cars without gas, let’s get some focusing on clean coal technology. Heck people we only have about 500 years worth of coal deposit lying out in the Powder River Basin alone. Instead of selling off our coal to China and South American which is taking place, we better begin keeping our own resources here and make the best of it. Don’t be sold on the Wind-Power and Solar Power as the savior of our woes!

When someone like T. Boone Pickens says we need to focus more on natural gas, then America should listen. Natural gas is still very plentiful in states like Texas and is much easier to obtain and transport than coal. Yet I don’t think we should switch to natural gas as a primary fuel for American automobiles.

Such a move could cause wild price inflation rendering the solution a useless one fast. For an example of this one merely has to look at diesel prices. Diesel is much easier and cheaper to produce than it’s more refined cousin, gasoline.

This fact alone makes it the perfect fuel for industries like trucking. Yet because of geo politics and oil company greed, diesel prices in the U.S. are sharply higher than gasoline, creating a crisis situation for the trucking and railroad industries. Even American public schools are drastically affected by the staggering high price of diesel.

Natural gas does make a great fuel source for fleet vehicles such as delivery trucks and school buses. But if everyone in Americal started burning it in their SUV’s then we would be no better off than we are now.

Instead natural gas should be used primarily for heating, and as primary and reliable source of fuel for the American electrical grid. Especially during the winter months when solar & wind are not as dependable.

As for solar and wind, America has been foolish for not investing more than we have now.

There are hundreds of thousands of square miles of dry desert land in the SouthWest that are just aching for gigantic solar arrays to be built. Much of this is federal land and is of little ecological value. Solar farms could cut America’s energy cost to a small fraction of what it is now.

Texas and California are to be commended for the new wind farms that have been built, but we need so many many more.

T Boone Pickens is absolutely right when he states that good leadership is the key to our energy crisis.

If it is not renewable energy it is not sustainable. We delayed the problem in the 1970’s. Everyone went back to using oil just as the oil companies wanted but at a higher price. They are doing it again.

Drilling or mining for fuel means not renewable clean or not. Uranium for nuclear power is mined and not renewable.

No oil, no coal (clean or not), no nuclear and no natural gas. We went to the moon “not because it was easy”. We will have to solve this the same way. National resolve is not waiting for it to be profitable.

We are supposed ho have a government of the people and for the people not of and for big business. The people need change now no matter how many expensive commercials the energy companies run with our gas money trying to convice us they are leading the way in alternatives and expensive oil is all we can have now.

Listen to the congressional hearings. Half of the price of oil is because of a demand not for real barrels of oil but for paper barrels of oil by unregulated speculators who are not in the business of using oil. They would be shocked if a tanker emptied its tanks with their oil in their back yard.

Solar at the home is the answer for homeowners. We just can not yet afford the answer.

Energy companies and those that are beholding to them will fight the answer as long as possible.

Just look at it this way. Suppose the price of a solar-power system were zero!

Homeowners would have no energy costs for perhaps 95% of their lives. Cars would fill up with electricity at the house for free.

Its not like the Sun is going to start charging you for electrons!

If anyone wants to argue this, be my guest.
——————————————————————————————-

So, the question is how much above the zero price, stated above, is the homeowner willing to pay? And, how much is the government willing to pay?

“Why would the government be willing to pay anything?”, you might ask. The answer is that the government should be willing to subsidize solar to at least the same degree that oil is subsidized in all its various forms. We as a nation have more security if we control our own energy supply. Today, USA economics are directly, and negatively, affected by OPEC decisions.

Once you have a number, then the universities and R&D organizations know the target. I suspect that sufficient breakthroughs have already been made. They just need to be commercialized. Homeowners can probably buy a cost-effective solution within the next five years. However, it may be another 50 years before that really happens because every purveyor of a different solution will push their pet solution that makes them money.

What they can’t do over the long-term is come up with a cheaper energy source than the Sun. Over the next 50 years the solar solution will only become more attractive.

—————————————————————————————-
Neither candidate this season is likely to get a Congress to fix the problem in the next 4 or 8 years.

So perhaps the following presidential cycle we can get a candidate that instead of promising “a chicken in every pot”, they can instead promise “solar at every house”. Democrat or Republican it does not matter; they have my vote.

Pickens is great – who cares if he is an oil man – seems that makes him MORE credible, as he’s saying oil won’t solve the problem….!

Yeah, you’re going to have to install transmission lines – how else does the electricity get to your destination! Even if they just transmitted the power more locally to Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, St. Louis, Minneapolis, St Paul, Denver… that’s 6 big cities not far from the wind corridor. And as far as the wind turbines not turning, I think you’d be surprised how consistent the wind is out in the flat lands, especially at the height these turbines are installed. Pressure = force/ area. So if you have a large enough area, the pressure (wind) doesn’t have to be that large to have a large enough force (work or energy) to turn the turbine…

this will not lower the price of oil one red cent…unless every square inch of the country is immediately covered in windmills, and even then it’ll be less efficient than oil. Pickens is a ridiculous fool. Even using the ocean’s tides to generate electricity is more efficient than wind. We need oil NOW.

Mr. Pickens and others who promote renewables are right on the money (so to speak). The people who need to get educated are those that still perpetuate the fantasy that fossil fules, whether oil, natural gas OR coal, are the answer to our energy problems. And while nuclear energy may be clean, in today’s world it’s hardly safe — from a political, public relations or national security stand point. So good luck there.

Wind, solar AND wave power from the oceans AND geo-thermal (lets not forget these!) are the answers to our energy woos. All are abundant across the nation in one way, shape or form. When Jimmy Carter was president, he had an energy plan that, if we stayed on the course, would have had us off of fossil fules by now. But, like all things Carter, Ronald Regan trashed the plan.

I agree it will take time to switch. Look at the cross over from horse-drawn buggies to cars; it took about 40 years before people completely stopped using horses to pull goods and the nations economic and physical infrastructure was capable of completely accomodating cars. So the sooner we start the better. And don’t let “W” with his plan to start drilling off the coast fool you. Why should we believe an oil man who has lied to us for the past 8 years, when he says we need to start drilling for oil off the coast of our nation? It’s an ill conceived plan, promoted in an election year by a simpleton. Who is this going to benefit? How ’bout the same people who have brought us $4/gallon gas.

OH, but wait! What about those people who have brought us $4/gallon gas. Do you think they will welcome renewables? Of course not. The oil speculators and big oil industry who have put themselves out on the financial line for decades to come will do whatever it takes to thwart any renewable plan. I just hope that when the time comes, and it will, that these people who have gotten rich off oil, take a financial nose dive. That they’re houses are being forclosed on, that they can’t pay their heating bills, that their cars are repossed. But then they’ll cry boo-hoo and the American tax payers will bail them out like we’ve done the savings and loans, and the mortgage banks. Wont that be the ultimate irony.

even if his plan is not deemed viable his underlying message is clear….ACT! DO SOMETHING! As opposed to our doing nothing Congress and White House. I never seen a bunch of phonys who get up before a microphone and pontificate about nothing. All each party does is point fingers at one another and squawk like a bunch of chickens. They don’t give one hoot what the American public has to say…cause if they did they’d be DOING SOMETHING!!! Its a shame watching this great country slowly go down the toilet

I believe a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) electrical fee would be quite helpful. This would be: if you live within 100 miles of your power generation source, your electrical rate is the same as it s today. If your generation source is 100-200 miles, add 3 cents to your rate, 200-300 miles, add another 3 cents, etc. All the billing/metering mechanisms already exist, so no additional cost is necessary to put in place.

30% of electricity generated is lost in transmitting energy long distance, so this much energy could be saved, cutting carbon if that is a goal, as well.

Off-shore wind (as well as oil & gas) is available, but those living in coastal areas want others to bear the cost (financial & environmental). Those in coastal areas can either pay a NIMBY charge, or pay a fee to build the necessary infrastructure for transmitting wind produced energy great distances. Or the fee could be given to those living near their power generation source.

For environmentalists, the NIMBY fee would be like a carbon tax.

“The 667 turbines are capable of generating 1,000 Megawatts”
Less than one thousandth of total 2006 US capacity, 1,075,677 Megawatts

Doing all Pickens can, take a while, significance is the idea.

Zubrin’s methanol plan, would stop, in several years, the financial beheading.

Pickens and Zubrin should talk this over.

I don’t understand the NIMBY fee? First off, the cost lines are everyone’s back yard. When Exxon springs a leak at one of it’s oil rigs off California’s coast, it affects everyone in the nation when a coastal National Park is splattered with oil. Second, who do you think ultimately pays for clean up when a rig springs a leak or something catastrophic happens. Either the US tax payers or the customers of the oil company.

Hydrogen is the way to go. Use solar panels on your roof to produce the electricity required to extract hydrogen from water. Store the hydrogen in a tank buried in your yard and use it to fill your fuel cells to run all the appliances in your house. Electrolysis machines are about the size of a washing machine and will produce more hydrogen than you will need to run your house and your car. Unfotunately, this will never happen because no one can make any money from it except the companies making the solar panels and electrolysis machines.
If these systems, which are being used today in a few homes in the US are made affordable, we will all be able to produce free hydrogen from water using nothing but sun light.

Pickens is right, but his plan, if implemented, will cause a prohibitive increase in natural gas prices.
Wind and solar can only be suplementary to our energy mix as these sources are intermittent. Thus cannot be relied on by themselves to solve our energy problems. We need reliable BASE LOAD sources like nuclear or clean coal. Since clean coal is yet to be demonstrated, nuclear is the only ready to serve energy source that is non polluting and totally domestic. The putative problems with nuclear are political, not technical. Even the politicians are slowly coming to recognise this issue.
To be completely independent of the middle east oil for transportation the US needs to do ALL possible options. Solar, wind, nuclear, more domestic drilling and some biofuels. Work to develop practical automotive batteries is a basic requirement so as to make possible the development of plug ins.

History teach us the US will do the right thing eventually.

As Churchill said.”Leave it to the Yanks to eventually do the right thing, after they first try evrything else ”

Costas Spalaris

Yeah, so let’s trust the 21rst century to the same folks who got us
where we are today on the fuel crisis.

Their the same folks that control the vehicle industry, the food, the land, the “everything” else.

It’s time to retire these dinosaurs and put people in charge that have
concerns about all the people and not just the 2% that controls every-
one else.

Oh! and buy the way, these are the same folks who buy their ideas.

Wind energy is fine but not natural gas… What is needed is Nuclear, Wind and Solar. The only quick way out of the problems with Oil and Natural Gas is an all electric future. A change to an all electric future is easy as we have the country wired already but we need to replace the oil, coal and natural gas power plants with Nuclear. Wind and Solar need to be backed up with Nuclear.

This could be accomplished in the next 20 years! We just need political leaders that want to work for the good of the people not the good of special interests.

“you get about 600 kWh of useful electric energy from burning 1 barrel of oil”
“The 667 turbines are capable of generating 1,000 Megawatts”
“generators total 2006 US capacity, 1,075,677 Megawatts”
That is one tenth of one percent (one thousandth) of total.

Barrels saved per hour 1,000,000 kwh/600 kw/barrel =1,667 barrels/hour
If the 20% natural gas is displaced 200*1,667 = 333,333 barrels/hour
Oil imported Apr-08 Thousand barrels/day = 9,921 or 413,375 barrels/hour.

Eliminating 80.63% of oil imports. Someone please check my arithmetic !

No nuclear. Yes there is no smoke stack, it is not a carbon fossil and splitting an atom releases a lot of energy.

The best solution is simple and renewable energy. Nuclear is non renewable as uranium is mined from the ground. Nuclear power plants are not simple.

Nuclear power produces radioactive waste that needs to be saved for generations. Nobody wants the waste in their back yard or even transported near by. Newer “cleaner” nuclear technology doesn’t change the fact it is not renewable and not clean.

Nuclear is dangerous, some of us remember Three Mile Island in the US and the Chernobyl disaster in Russia. Reactors are poorly secured. Reactors are located near water and populated areas. Can the reactors really survive a major natural disaster, major equipment failure, human error or worse?

$2 billion per 1,000 Megawatts, one tenth percent US generating.
To replace all Natural Gas (20% US total) 2*200 = $400 billion

“US Oil Import Bill to Top $400 billion this Year”
If you could save 80% of imports, $320 billion, quick payback.

Germany is producing 5 Megawatt wind generators.
Next batch, Pickens should supersize, at 4 times the propeller area ?

Can US industry catch up to Germany ?

The human race is made up mainly of morons. The scientists have been telling us for years (many, many years) that there are too many people on planet earth, that oil will actually run out (duh), that fisheries will fail, etc., etc., etc.

I cringe when I go to a walmart and see a parking lot filled up with gas hog vehicles. And then when I go inside I’m faced with the hogs who own the gas hogs outside.

We are simply getting what we deserve. We suck.

Sam Sharp

Oil was a great fossil fuel for many years but it is dirty and non- renewable. it’s time is about up – $5/gallon gas will prove to be a great motivator for us after we take our medicine for being stubborn to read the handwriting on the wall. Let’s get on with it and forget about drilling for the last barrel.

Conservation is finally happening now (hooray). Remember less is more (MVRohe). The free market actually works at some things.

Our goal now should not be cheap energy but stable renewable environmentally benign energy generation. That means a combination of solar, wind, geothermal and bio fuels. The quicker we realize this the better.

Mr. Pickens,

How about this:
1 All homes with a clear view of the southern sky, with very few
trees or obstructions, would receive a 75% savings for installing
solar panels. There are different advances in the area of
photovoltaic panels, from the old “standby” of silicon, to
germanium-telluride, flexible panels, panels “printed” on a
special inkjet printer, and solar panels enclased in a special
glass so that the sun is ALWAYS at the proper angle.

2. All energy modifications get a tax break.

3. The tax break for hybrid cars is brought back.

4. Add solar panels to the roofs of all automobiles and trucks. The
primary purpose is to run the a/c (electric heat pump), but can be
used to feed power back into the grid.

5. Longer lasting batteries are added to hybrid vehicles in an effort
to double their current mileage and fuel savings.

6. Verticle wind towers added to every home in a “wind zone” to
further add to the electrical grid and reduce the customer’s bill.

It can be done now. The tax breaks are the icing on the cake. The
idea of putting solar panels on residences, schools, office buildings,
fire/police stations may sound ludicrous, but what are roofs good for
beside protection from the elements?

Get rid of any Congressman who’s been in office for more than two terms or is older than 50. Younger candidates are more aware of what the country needs and have the energy to accomplish it.

“Where there is a will there is a way” to solve this non renewable fuel and resulting climate problem. There was no will in the 1970’s and there is now only a will to make more money at the expense of everything. A national will with a clear immediate plan is the way to solve the problem.

There is no time to wait for the complete end of fossil and non renewable fuels or more dramatic climate change. The time is now.

Greedy, selfish, ignorant money makers get your heads out of the piles of money you love. The money makers hope someone in the future will solve the problem in a profitable easy way. They certainly don’t want to solve it now if it will cause expense, inconvenience or loss of profit for those making the money. Their answer is to wait another 50 years for a solution after they have made their fortune and died, We must ignore the moneymakers

Nothing will be done in time to preserve our current way of life, the climate and perhaps our selves if our leaders keep delaying action on this biggest human crisis in order to make money. A tipping point exists and then money of the rich will not prevent the crisis. Denial will not prevent the crisis. When the tipping point is reached wars will be for human survival not he petty reasons we fight now. Elect leaders who are not in denial or convinced there is plenty of time.

We don’t need to save the planet as it will survive for a few billion more years if it isn’t hit by a big rock in space. It does not need humans or any life form to survive. The earth has not always been the human freindly place it is now. Humans are changing the planet in ways that can quickly lead to our extinction. There are natural events that may cause humans to go extinct like the dinosaurs but we seem to be our own greatest enemy. If we like our way of life it must be sustainable by ourselves the planet doesn’t care.

i like it- sometimes you just have to know when to get out of the boat and start walking. When we put money behind something it seems to get done. Money made by selling windmills is still as good as the money from selling oil.

This past weekend I drove through what is said to be the largest wind energy project in the world. This was south of Interstate 20 just below the Abilene, texas area. What struck me as I drove through 20 miles of uninterrupted wind generators on a Sunday afternoon was the fact that only fifty percent of the generator blades were in use. At that point I asked myself a question . Why couldn’t that unused generator power be used to split water into Hydrogen / oxygen for use in cars ? It might be a better way to use all of our wind power during the off peak generation times.

Whether people like or trust T Boone or not is irrelevant. The reality is
we need to go “green” and as soon as possible. There are tax breaks available in most states to install solar panels to heat homes. By using solar energy and/or wind power technology as well as others (e.g., geothermal) we can not only save money, create jobs, be less dependent on foreign oil but we can also start saving this planet that is being destroyed by pollution via emissions and wars over resources. At the beginning stages to make this happen, there will be money out of our own pockets but imagine this, solar panels on your roof and have your “plug-in hybrid” get charged by energy from your own solar panels & a hybrid that can get 100 miles per gallon (e.g.,Future Chevy Volt, Next generation Prius). There will be money out of our own pockets initially but think about the savings and our payback to the environment as well. As a quick example, my brother, Mark just bought solar panels in upstate NY. He said the initial payout was $8,000 but her received $4,000 back so it only cost him $4,000. He is now awaiting the “right hybrid to purchase.” My husband and I are in the midst of researching the tax breaks and cost of solar panels in CT and awaiting the best hybrid. As has already been demonstrated with global warming, the government is not tackling this problem so “we/us” should to tackle this issue and we can save money and help the environment as well. It’s a win-win if people are willing to pay some of out pocket for a better, cleaner , and more secure future.

[...] Pickens has a plan to beef up our wind and solar energy sources (although many rightfully have questions for him), and economists are saying the worst is still [...]

After reading a ton of comments about the PIckens Wind Power Plan I am amazed how uninformed our people are. My favorite comment is from the guy who thinks the windmills capture the wind and we won’t have any when we need it.
The last time I drove thru the California Desert the windmills were all turning and what was left over was blowing my car off the road.

THE PICKENS PLAN COULD ENERGIZE OUR COUNTRY POLITICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY AS A FOCAL POINT OF REAL PROGRESS ON A VEXING ISSUE. AMIDST THIS CREDIT DEBACLE AN APPROPRIATE CONCESSION SHOULD BE IN THE FAVOR OF TAXPAYERS. THE COST OF THE BAILOUT OF WALL STREET’S EXCESSES SHOULD CLEARLY BENEFIT THE AVERAGE CITIZEN. INVESTMENT IN, DIVIDENDS FROM, AND OWNERSHIP OF GREEN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGED BY CUSTODIANS GIVEN FAIR COMPENSATION WOULD BE A COMPELLING STRATEGY.
WELL,,,,,

So when the wind isn’t blowing (which will be the majority of the time), what powers the windmills? The answer is a hydraulic pump which gets its power from??? You guessed it! A gas powered motor! This plan is nothing more than a scam.