John's Blog (12)

WE must take the lead

I have seen many forum posts and blogs calling for the Government to come along and be our saviors. In my opinion, government guarantees and loans are not what we need. We need to take action for ourselves. It seems that government has messed up energy policy at every turn. I would rather have them out of it and let us get it done right. Choose you course with your dollars. Of course, I wouldn't say no to tax credits for doing what is right. In my opinion, that is the route that must be taken. B… Continue

Added by John on July 27, 2008 at 2:25pm — 5 Comments

Forget why, lets fight for what makes sense

If you have read any of the heated discussions in the forums, you can see not everyone agrees with history. That seems to be a common problem these days -- people interpret history to meet their current desires. The truth is that regardless of the reason for wanting to get off foreign oil, all sides want to do just that. The problem comes when people get stuck on the why instead of the solution. It doesn't matter if you believe in global warming and want to reduce the burning of foreign oil in f… Continue

Added by John on July 20, 2008 at 6:29pm — No Comments

The long haul

The Pickens Plan will lead us down the road to energy independence, but, like all other options, will take some time. The expected time right now seems to be about 10 years. True, work has already begun, but it takes time to build the infrastructure required to produce and transport electricity and convert to CNG cars. So, try not to get distracted or off target. The plan will need help and support for years. And, like any good movement, should spur other growth in other areas of the country. Ri… Continue

Added by John on July 19, 2008 at 9:16pm — No Comments

Why do we need multiple approaches to get off foreign oil?

Do you know someone who is truly poor? Do you know anyone who has to choose between driving to work and eating lunch? Do you know anyone who has to choose between driving to work and paying a babysitter to watch the kids while at work? Those people are more likely to use inefficient kerosene or fuel oil to heat their homes. These same people can't afford to go out and get a new CNG car and drive it. They can't even afford the hybrid to save a little cash. The point is someone has to think of the… Continue

Added by John on July 14, 2008 at 7:10pm — 2 Comments

The plan overview and where you fit in

It seems to me that T. Boone doesn't want to supply the major cities primarily. He is looking to CNG to power cars to get us off oil. Well, throughout the Midwest, gas pipes run to most homes. By making electric cheap and plentiful in that area, they could convert to electric appliances and start using CNG for their cars. As supply of electric is increased, the existing power plants will be forced to drop rates, making it cheaper and spurring people to get off gas in the rest of the country, all… Continue

Added by John on July 13, 2008 at 6:19pm — 7 Comments

So what next?

So what next? What next? We watched the videos, saw the interviews on the news, checked out the web site, joined the community, so now what. This week we should be contacting our congressmen and senators to call for action. Now, this could be done with a couple of emails, hit enter, and we are done. I suggest a little more effort than that. I think that we need to email each and every member of the state houses as well. For good measure, send an email to the president, vice president and govern… Continue

Added by John on July 12, 2008 at 8:56pm — No Comments

What can YOU do?

I have been pushing the idea of backing this plan while working at our own level, our homes, businesses and communities, while the wind farm is being built. For example, here is good old Dover, DE, the local power plant burns fuel oil to make electric. That means constant rate hikes and pollution. In my community, we need to do something like solar on every roof to get off foreign oil. Up the road a ways, they use power from a nuclear plant in Jersey. Their efforts could be first geared towards… Continue

Added by John on July 12, 2008 at 10:09am — No Comments

Drill for the short term, develop wind, solar, hydrogen and electric for the long term

The whole process of getting off foreign oil is something that will take 20 to 30 years. It will take years to build the windmills and several more years to convert vehicles to natural gas or other cleaner technologies. I think that the natural gas is a stepping stone while we develop completely clean alternatives such as completely electric vehicles. Because of the long time frame, I also believe that drilling for oil in this country is a short-term solution we must use to get us off foreign oi… Continue

Added by John on July 11, 2008 at 9:04pm — 7 Comments

Hydrogen powered vehicles and the environment

I view myself as a good steward of my environment, my home, my state, my country and my planet. While I do believe in the environment, I think it will take several years and multiple avenues to achieve a truly environmentally friendly and independent lifestyle. One option for transportation is hydrogen-powered cars. I have considered this technology, and think it is a viable alternative, but, as I am apt to do, I considered what the opposition would say. With almost every technology, there are e… Continue

Added by John on July 11, 2008 at 7:00am — 4 Comments

Hydrogen fuel cell technology

To quote a response I made to a comment on hydrogen fuel-cell cars: I disagree with the contention that hydrogen production is dirty. It can be done in a cup of water with a 9V battery. Little tiny hydrogen and oxygen bubble come out of the water. hmmmm dirty? NOT. Also, in the UK, they have built a prototype solar powered station that separates hydrogen and oxygen for free. HMMMM clean and cheap? YEP! Also, GM, Honda and others are starting to produce the vehicles. Yeah, Honda is charging waaaa… Continue

Added by John on July 10, 2008 at 7:51pm — 3 Comments

Why solar?

While looking into alternative energy for the average person in the average home, solar became the clear choice for me to back for several reasons. 1. In the average neighborhood, you cannot put up a tower for a wind generator because of zoning restrictions. 2. Wind is not entirely scalable. 3. The wind is not powerful enough for consistent generation in most homes. 4. Not everyone has a stream with enough head to power a micro hydroelectric generator. 5. If you have a limited budget, a solar sy… Continue

Added by John on July 10, 2008 at 6:04pm — 3 Comments

New legislation

I am usually not one that wants the government stepping in and telling us what to do, but it seems to me that they stick their noses into fuel efficiency of cars, so why not a building, too. I think that driving up demand for solar and wind by requiring new construction to produce at least 50% of its estimated electric usage on-site would spur production and eventually bring down the cost for those in existing homes and businesses. It seems to me that contractors could acquire the materials chea… Continue

Added by John on July 9, 2008 at 7:24pm — No Comments