Reducing dependence on foreign oil through cleaner energy
NPR interviewed T. Boone Pickens this morning, a Texas oil tycoon with designs on greatly expanding wind farms in the U.S. to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Clearly wind farms are poised play a much larger role in U.S. energy production and provide a cleaner, positive alternative to burning fossil fuels. However, wind power (or solar or tidal) is not likely to do much of anything to our dependence on foreign oil.
The issue is that our electric grid is nearly entirely disconnected from our transportation energy needs. When asked about the disconnect, Mr. Pickens suggested that increasing wind power could free up some natural gas reserves which could then be used to expand the natural gas driven transportation sector. This hypothesized chain of events requires a number of events that do not necessarily lead to each other. There is no obvious reason to believe that natural gas, as opposed to other resources, would be freed up. Even if it were, this notion requires greatly expanding our vision on our currently limited natural gas transportation infrastructure, which is already limited more by our vision and will rather than by natural gas resources.
There is an obvious solution, though. The electric car (or plug-in hybrids) would forge the link between the grid and transportation energy resulting in advances in wind power and other renewable resources having direct and substantial reductions in foreign oil dependence. I have been a proponent of electric cars in the past because of their non-polluting nature. However, with gas at over $4 a gallon and rising electric cars are becoming more attractive for economic and security reasons as well. Can we muster the political will to bring them back and actualize T. Boone’s vision of reducing our dependence on foreign oil?
(2 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
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James Conder is a professor of Geophysics in the Department of Geology at SIU-Carbondale. His research specializes in tectonic and mantle processes at island arc volcanic chains and other marine plate boundaries. 
We are certainly at a point where great interest exists in finding alternative means to meet our energy needs. It seems that people are looking for that silver bullet solution that’ll magically eliminate our use of oil. This post seems to hypothesize that the electric car would be such a solution, when it is obvious that it will not be.
Certainly, it will be a good option for some people. There’s no harm in pursuing the technology in the hope that someday it would be our dominant energy source for our vehicles. Let’s just not place our bets on it. There are many immediate steps we all can take now:
i. Conserve energy, and save a little money in the meantime.
ii. Conserve goods. We are a disposable society. Perhaps we should cut back on our buying of goods and fix things that break.
iii. Downsize our needs. Do you need that super duty pick up truck to haul your little toolbox around? (if you’re union, you barely use half your tools anyway)
iv. Put your money towards businesses that use energy wisely. Put the energy hogs out of business.
v. Certainly look to make use of alternative energy sources. Electric, diesel, hybrid gas, hybrid diesel, or simply a smaller car all will help.
Finally, don’t forget about those huge batteries in that electric car. They will cost a bundle to replace, and you must recycle them. If you get an electric car, bundle it with a windmill or solar panels.