Looking For Replacements: Electricity Vs Oil
One of the major criticisms of John McCain's recent Financial Times op-ed that's been flying around has been his call to "reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources" with nuclear energy. "Foreign energy sources", of course, is just another way of saying oil, and only about 2% of our electricity is generated by oil. So more nuclear doesn't really help us replace oil. Right?
Well, maybe not. There is a kernel of unintentional truth here. While there are definitely problems with nuclear (cost, storage, and the difficulty of convincing communities to allow a power plant nearby), electricity can and probably will replace oil for transportation, especially once electric cars and plug-in electrics are widespread. At that point it doesn't matter if the energy source is coal or nuclear or wind. In the best case scenario, electric cars could be charged without increasing demand for electricity, and in the worst case, we could still recharge them using electricity generated without CO2. With biofuels losing favor and every car manufacturer picking up renewed interest in electrics and plug-in electrics, replacing gasoline with electricity seems like a safe bet. (And certainly much more feasible than a sci-fi hydrogen economy.)
The caveat here is "once electric cars and plug-in electrics are widespread", and the key to getting there will be for government to mandate electric and plug-in electric cars. John McCain isn't going to do that. But in the meantime, it's probably a good idea to rethink how we look at energy replacements. Energy is energy, whether it comes from coal or nuclear or wind or oil.
Comments
Janet Reno said on Thursday, May 8 2008 at 4:04pm
Michelle Obama should be ashamed.
"GLORK" Michelle Obama should be ashamed of her separatist-racist connection to Farrakhan and Chicago's Trinity United Church trumpeting Barack Obama AKA Barack Hussein Obama as the second coming of the messiah. Beneath that Darth-Vader-Mace-Windu-Jedi-Me ssiah Helmet Hairdo of Michelle Obama lurks a Wildabeast. If Michelle Obama new what her husband -- the Hope-A-Dope, Fonster Monster -- Barack Obama AKA Barack Hussein Obama did in Harlem, she would wash her wide-open, Hus-suey loving MUSILM mouth out, with twenty-four (24) mule-team double-cross X-boX-BorraX. The Lexis-Nexis-Albatross-Abacus-Complex of Barack and Michelle's relationship with MUSLIM "PATWANG-FWEEE" Rev. Wright, Louis Farrakhan, and black demagoguery of Obama's Stump Lines Echo Malcolm X; is about as much of a Hoax as Oxfam volunteers believe in HIV-- AIDS Witch Doctors in Africa they feed.
"God damn America" - Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama.
"God bless America" - Pope Benedict XVI and Hillary Clinton --
Michelle Obama AKA Wildabeast -- failed the Illinois Bar Exam. If Barack Obama had married Shaniqua instead of the leftist-separatist-racist-beast-'ist Michelle, his jackanapes' excitedly-fixed-elitism, Nemet-Oure-Saxas Our Father Our King -- black rage, and "GLORK" black demagoguery of Obama's Stump Lines Echo Malcolm X; would be taken a lot more expeditiously. Its expected that Obam will manage his explosive MUSLIM JIHADI -- FATIMA EXTREMISM obsession bitter. He is a MUSLIM "Glork" It’s time to introduce this false, fake "GLORK" Xerox - X box Obama and invite the self-indicting thief plagiarizing pipsqueke Xerox - X box to meet the Buffalo "GAZOWNT-GAZIKKA" Police Department Buffalo Creek. He's MAD!!!
http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/
Olivia said on Thursday, June 26 2008 at 3:47pm
@Janet Reno: Wow, that's relevant.