This guy make alot of sense...

[Gerritt]

http://www.pickensplan.com/index.php

 

G

[OhioFisherman]

His commercials are on all the time here, but? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Boone_Pick..._Boat_challenge

[Reef Runner]

T. Boone Pickens, a least he's trying to put forward a solution, and his own money. That I can commend. Might have never stepped up, if he didn't stand to profit from this venture into the billions of dollars. Of course, this is addressing the US's energy problems.

 

As for Canada, energy "independence" is an issue non-grata, not much talk of it on the campaign trail. As holdfast has mentioned in another post, Canadian gas retailers are really taking advantage of the "Shock doctrine" of economics. Start-up wind farms are being blocked with lengthy and expensive environment assessments that only large energy suppliers can afford, turned away in bidding for government contracts and when finally they have enough investors to start a project, have resistence from the bigger energy suppliers to tap into the grid. We have the second or third largest resevoirs of dirty crude in the world, oilsands are only profitable when gas is over $35 a barrell, but little to none refinning capacity and supply chain troubles that see areas in Alberta that pull gas out of the ground not have enough to pump in thier trucks.

 

Energy and it's role in the Canadian economy should be a big issue in this election. But the pollsters, pundits and politicians are more focused on the retail aspect of politics that highlights personalismo, knit v-neck sweaters and all, over policy.

[bigfish1965]

It isn't too far in the future when we will all be making our own electricity with a combo of wind and solar power. In a few years the technology will be priced so that building into a new home will add 5% to the cost. Factor that into the lifetime of your home and it is cheap!

Pickens is right about a few thing, IMHO.

We need fuel cell technology and a bridge to get there.

[OhioFisherman]

Attempt to sell natural gas with a California Ballot Initiative

 

Pickens owns Clean Energy Fuels Corporation, a natural gas fueling station company[26] that is the sole backer of the November 2008 Proposition 10 on California's ballot. Much of the measure's sale of $5 billion in general fund bonds to provide alternative energy rebates and incentives ($9.8 billion after interest) could benefit Pickens' company to the exclusion of almost all other clean-vehicle fuels and technology.

 

There are wind farms in the states already more of them would be a good thing, but things like "could benefit Pickens company to the exclusion of almost all other clean fuels and technology"?

 

Putting one man or company into an elitist position? Trading one monopoly for another? I believe the figures stated for Canada are the worlds second largest oil reserves? So much for the people of Canada and cheap fuel from your natural resources. It`s business, gouge the customer.

[Casey123]

Hey G, Michelle and I have been watching this since July with keen interest. I don't really care if the man profits from it, someone is going to profit from new energy technology. Another really cool project is the Nevada 1 solar project just outside of Vegas.

 

"It isn't too far in the future when we will all be making our own electricity with a combo of wind and solar power. In a few years the technology will be priced so that building into a new home will add 5% to the cost."

 

Just before I went on vacation, I went to see one of my customers projects north of Maple. He is a retired janitor from the TDSB, he has a 120acre farm and just built his own wind generator. He creates enough power for his farm, house and for the neighbours. The entire project cost him a little over $40 000.00 or approximatley 18 months worth of energy bills for his farm.

 

Next on his agenda is making his own bio-diesel (ala fryer grease) and converting his trucks and tractors over. I know it is not possible for everyone, but I beleieve that alot of the coming changes in energy and enrgy policy will be driven by people in rural areas.

 

On a slightly differnet note, I was reading that Toshiba has created small portable Nuclear Plants that are capable of running 200 to 300 households. They have no fuel rods and the waste associated but use a uranium enriched pellet that is suppose to be a much cleaner by product then traditional nuclear facilites. These are already forsale and in use in Japan and are suppose to be in the European Market and North American Market by 2010.

 

It seems that there is finally some alternatives on the horizion to centralized energy that profits the few and costs us all.

[OhioFisherman]

4reel a news item here a few weeks ago, food places used to have to pay to have waste cooking oil hauled away, now it is being sold in some places for over 2.00 a gallon, and being stolen from outside storage facilities at food places.

 

Miles and miles of interstate highways here, with lots of state owned land adjacent to them, why give the business away, put wind turbines on the vacant land.

[Canuck2fan]

Well lets all be realistic NOBODY in government, private enterprise or for their own consumption is going to anything about cutting fossil fuel use until they profit from it somehow. That is why I said what I said in the holdfast's thread. We have to decide that as a nation it is in the best interests of everyone to get going on electric cars. If fuel cells ever work it might be too late to switch to them. Electric cars with a Canadian Power grid supplying the juice would be the fastest cheapest most practical solution....

 

As for T Boone I say let him make his money just like we should let any body here who comes up with solutions or works for those people make theirs. Getting off fossil fuel is inevitable doing so now will have slightly higher start costs. But who ever leads the race in developing the tech needed will lead the world financially so why not us? We have the smarts, the potential for HUGE tidal power stations, wind farms, even solar fields and we definitely have the unused manufacturing capacity to build the cars in ON and QC.... We just need a leader who isn't owned by big oil to inspire us instead of scaring us.

Edited September 16, 2008 by Canuck2fan

[canadianboy]

the thing i cant wait for is when they discover anti matter (probably within the next 5 year) because if they can have a water bottle full of matter collide with a bottle full of matter thats enough energy for the entire world for half a year