Our commander in chief has stated that we need more than a temporary solution to our energy crisis. That we need an "all of the above" solution. That we need more than just oil, but also wind, solar, and bio fuels as well. Unfortunately, with today's technology, the only ones that are truly viable are natural gas and oil, both of which he seems to intentionally avoid, while wasting billions of dollars and solar power projects that we already knew weren't ready.
Wind power is should only be considered profitable by the wind farmers themselves. This is due to the fact that they often receive more in subsidies then receive from the actual energy sales themselves. What this means in short is that you, the tax payer, is paying a large, unknown amount for wind energy. Without large government subsidies, wind farms across the country would be shut down.
Bio-fuels are nowhere near ready either. The absolute best projection out there would take an algae farm roughly the size of Maryland. To use corn, it would take a farm the size of nearly a quarter of the entire country just to make a dent. Maybe in the future, we can come up with a way to make this more efficient, but it seems to me that it's not really worth bothering with at this point.
Next is Solar Power. I admit, Solar Power is the future of our energy, and it's not that far off. One day soon, it may very well replace both oil and natural gas. Today, it's not the case. Though experts predict that in 2020, solar panels can be compacted into square inches, it's not plausible today. I think Solyndra is proof of that. Even with over half a billion dollars of the tax payers money, they tanked. It's just not profitable, therefore inefficient. One day it will be, but to cram it through today, finished or not, is simply a waste of money. We already knew it wasn't ready. The Bush administration turned the same opportunity down because after looking into it, it was clear it wasn't ready. The Obama administration did no investigating, they just took campaign contributions.
Lastly, we have oil. The claim is that there is a shortage, but this is just untrue. Our very own home is rich with it. However, we refuse to drill, even in this present energy crisis. The above alternative fuels currently contribute to one percent of energy. That's all. Like it or not, it's currently our only real source of energy. And it's right here. By allowing more drilling, we could virtually eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.
I'm all for an "all of the above" energy policy, but it needs to be done responsibly. We need to determine the viability of these alternative energies, and decide what to devote to each one. The only truly viable source of energy is oil. Solar Power is on it's way, but until it's actually ready, it can't be depended upon. This obsession with having alternative energy immediately is irresponsible, and reckless. If you truly want to see solar power thrive, our economy first needs to thrive. To do that, we need to take the solution that actually works. That solution is oil. It's dirty, but it's cheap and plentiful, so long as we actually drill for it. Removing the pressure on our economy will speed the process up. Ironically, the best thing environmentally is oil.
Wind power is should only be considered profitable by the wind farmers themselves. This is due to the fact that they often receive more in subsidies then receive from the actual energy sales themselves. What this means in short is that you, the tax payer, is paying a large, unknown amount for wind energy. Without large government subsidies, wind farms across the country would be shut down.
Bio-fuels are nowhere near ready either. The absolute best projection out there would take an algae farm roughly the size of Maryland. To use corn, it would take a farm the size of nearly a quarter of the entire country just to make a dent. Maybe in the future, we can come up with a way to make this more efficient, but it seems to me that it's not really worth bothering with at this point.
Next is Solar Power. I admit, Solar Power is the future of our energy, and it's not that far off. One day soon, it may very well replace both oil and natural gas. Today, it's not the case. Though experts predict that in 2020, solar panels can be compacted into square inches, it's not plausible today. I think Solyndra is proof of that. Even with over half a billion dollars of the tax payers money, they tanked. It's just not profitable, therefore inefficient. One day it will be, but to cram it through today, finished or not, is simply a waste of money. We already knew it wasn't ready. The Bush administration turned the same opportunity down because after looking into it, it was clear it wasn't ready. The Obama administration did no investigating, they just took campaign contributions.
Lastly, we have oil. The claim is that there is a shortage, but this is just untrue. Our very own home is rich with it. However, we refuse to drill, even in this present energy crisis. The above alternative fuels currently contribute to one percent of energy. That's all. Like it or not, it's currently our only real source of energy. And it's right here. By allowing more drilling, we could virtually eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.
I'm all for an "all of the above" energy policy, but it needs to be done responsibly. We need to determine the viability of these alternative energies, and decide what to devote to each one. The only truly viable source of energy is oil. Solar Power is on it's way, but until it's actually ready, it can't be depended upon. This obsession with having alternative energy immediately is irresponsible, and reckless. If you truly want to see solar power thrive, our economy first needs to thrive. To do that, we need to take the solution that actually works. That solution is oil. It's dirty, but it's cheap and plentiful, so long as we actually drill for it. Removing the pressure on our economy will speed the process up. Ironically, the best thing environmentally is oil.
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