Bill W.

We're Nearing Crunch Time for Oil

• Sir, Oil and natural gas are not the answer. You're left off solar as a new mega trend. It may be that in your mind set that alternatives can't power America. This is simply not true.

And the cost of continuing to do what we are doing is ruining our economy. Switching to alternatives will end the estimated $800 billion in annuall hidden costs of oil. Instead of giving the oil companies and estimated $80 billion annually in tax credits and subsidies, we could be investing in something with a future. And solar and wind and other clean energies won't cause wars in the mideast costing trillions of dollars and thousands of GI lives.

If you were paying for the hidden costs of oil at the gas pump, the price would be approaching $12/gallon.

The Greenies could be the smart ones. They aren't burying their heads in the sand.

And here's an example of what solar can do. and do it without any of the dangers of hidden costs of nukes and oil.

Yes alternatives need subsidies to get up to scale. So far they are miniscule compared with the subsidies for competing fuels.

Scientific American A Solar Grand Plan
sciam.com/article.cfm?......

"Solar thermal power plants such as Ausra's generate electricity by driving steam turbines with sunshine. Ausra's solar concentrators boil water with focused sunlight, and produce electricity at prices directly competitive with gas- and coal-fired electric power."

"Solar thermal power plants can store energy during daylight hours and generate power when it's needed. Ausra's power plants collect the sun's energy as heat; Ausra is developing thermal energy storage systems which can store enough heat to run the power plant for up to 20 hours during dark or cloudy periods."

"Solar is one the most land-efficient sources of clean power we have, using a fraction of the area needed by hydro or wind projects of comparable output. All of America's needs for electric power – the entire US grid, night and day – can be generated with Ausra's current technology using a square parcel of land 92 miles on a side. For comparison, this is less than 1% of America's deserts, less land than currently in use in the U.S. for coal mines."
ausra.com

blogs.business2.com/gr... /
And go to Green Wombat to see what's already happening in California with solar thermal power plants
•
frflyer
Mar 30 01:44 PM
Sources of estimates of oil's hidden costs and subsidies.

setamericafree.org/saf......
monitor.net/monitor/10......
progress.org/2003/ener...
eoearth.org/article/Te......


Respectfuly,

Bill W.