New Energy Summit

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Comment by greg lampert on February 21, 2009 at 10:37am

I have found solar panels at $2.58 a watt, but that is just the solar panels. So by the time you put in a complete system, it would be $7.00 or so a watt. Manufacturing needs to increase dramatically and this would create several jobs. Who will pay to get these manufacturing businesses started? I looked at the national debt clock and we the people owe near 9 TRILLION DOLLARS! When do we have to pay that back and what will happen when this debt comes due? It is a run away debt and this country better figure out a way to make enough money to pay down the debt little by little or energy problems will be one of many. Not that we don't have enough problems as it is. I hope we start a huge funded project soon to save this country. Maybe Bill Gates could help out a little bit.

Comment by Chuck Moore on February 21, 2009 at 6:27am

Eric, et.al. perhaps I was not too clear. I was talking retrofitting current passenger vehicles to CNG. Heavy trucks that use diesel would not be good candidates so these would have to be new off production lines. The 10 year scenario is plausible but retrofits could be done much quicker - perhaps 3 years.

Eric, thanks for the comments. All this discussion points to one thing. There is no one item solution and it will take an integrated program. I would love a high efficiency mass transit solution. If we were to act on it right now it would take 5 years for the feasibility study, design, contract lets and construction.

Wind and solar energy are great too. The price of solar panels is going up because of demand. I just calculated a $7 per watt price. This would go higher as demand increases = there is not enough manufacturing capacity. Wind power also is a clean source of energy but it will take some time to acquire land, manufacture machines, design wind farms and construct infrastructure.

All this said we have to start the process somewhere. I can retrofit my vehicles as an individual and not have to wait for the "machine" to catch up with demand. That was my point. It is not the only point and we need to cover those as well.

Comment by Eric Koch on February 20, 2009 at 8:27pm

Chuck,...and every one else for that mater.

I've heard it would take ten years to convert the national truck fleets to CNG...but i'm not saying it shouldn't be done.

as a new car has an energy cost attached as it rolls of the line,the cost in barrels of oil to "retool" American commuters is staggering...please consider ETT Maglev (a transit solution at 96% efficiency) as a host to new grid installations.

That is 96% on electricity that a NG fired power plant can convert at around 60% ..Compared to a 20% efficiency IC engine burning CNG with a vehicle to cargo weight ratio that takes the over all efficiency down under 1%.

nothing personal....just common sense.

Comment by James Everitt on February 20, 2009 at 6:07pm

National Clean Energy Project: Building the New Economy

From the desk of T. Boone Pickens

Army,

This coming Monday I will be participating in the National Clean Energy Project Summit hosted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund in Washington, DC.

The event will be broadcast on the Pickens Plan website so you can follow the policy discussion - log on to National Clean Energy Project Summit at 10:15 am EST on Monday.

This event will feature a lot of people who know what they are talking about when it comes to energy policy - including John Podesta from the Center for American Progress Action Fund, U.S. Senator Harry Reid, President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Climate Czar Carol Browner, Owens-Corning CEO Michael Thaman, American Electric Power President & CEO Mike Morris, Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope, and many others.

Center for American Progress

The forum will focus on modernizing and expanding the electricity grid, integrating energy efficiency and distributed generation into operation and regulation, rapidly increasing transmission capacity for renewable energy and reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil by examining short- and long-term solutions to replace foreign oil with domestic resources to fuel vehicles and trucks, including natural gas.

Join us by logging on to National Clean Energy Project Summit at 10:15 am EST on Monday.

-- Boone

Comment by Jean Weiss a/k/a Miss Green Jean on February 20, 2009 at 5:27pm

I am going to my local Senator, Steve Israel, Monday 2/23 at 10am...I anticipate discussing these very issues with him....keep you posted!

Comment by Chuck Moore on February 20, 2009 at 4:14pm

I am reading the discussion below and think all have good points, especially Kati's. My next thought is/was ok we get the go ahead to spend billions on the grid. Where will all the Electrical Engineers, System Designers and other infrastructure engineers come from? As an Electronic Engineer I know that I do not have the knowledge to attempt electrical design: there are thousands of local, muni and state codes that need to be complied with. I suspect that a grid upgrade would take nearly as long as it would take to bring a new nuclear power plant on line - 20 years. Still we have to start somewhere.

To me the biggest bang for the buck would be to convert a major portion of the USA trucking fleet to CNG. All technology to convert, transport and dispense CNG exists today. Think of the reduction to oil imports and then add personal vehicles, WOW. This is known technology and is inexpensive to implement on a home owners level. OK, sorry for the campaign but I have watched for years as other countries convert mass transient systems to CNG and I always thought "why not us"? This is a chance in a lifetime to do something really, really important and I think the PP is a business person's way forward.

Comment by david@PickensPlan on February 20, 2009 at 6:50am

Hi William - I think the more elected officials see what we are trying to accomplish here the better. There is no reason why we wouldn't welcome their input or thoughts.

Comment by Kati Alter on February 20, 2009 at 5:37am

Having lost power for two weeks in September, many from the Dayton area should understand the importance of modernizing the electricity grid. It was like a war zone around here. This nation will be crippled if something happens to our electricity. We need to do something about it.
We need to be smart too. There is much to consider. We need to think not only about the investment and how to best it can be used, but other consideratons as well. Such as greenhouse emissions, and natural resources. People need to break away from their narrow-minded thinking and take in the big picture. The business as usual approach is what has put us in this position to begin with.
It seems like a no brainer to me. We can create jobs, lesson our dependence on foreign oil, and help save our planet. Any questions?

Comment by Carolene Endersby on February 19, 2009 at 11:05am

Nye County is an important component in the options to "green the grid". The citizens of Nye County are some of those key stakeholders and need to become aware of this important event. It is hoped that the knowledge from the forum will help willing citizens reach consensus and common ground. Therefore, bringing Nye County into it's full potential as a partner in the national energy policy.

Comment by William "Leland" Luster on February 19, 2009 at 9:40am

Can we get Senate and House Reps. to endorse Pickens Cause by commenting to this page David? I think some of the Pickens Army Members have influence in Washington inner circle and can do the inviting one to one, we should appeal to them to do so. Just a thought,your friend Leland.

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