Energy Independence... in four years???

[LibertiORDeth]

Is it possible for America to gain energy independence in four years? If not, what is the earliest time we can achieve it?

I was discussing this with a friend, and he claims that we need to occupy the middle east in order to get oil, which he says that we desperately need. I think that if we are energy independent as early as possible we do not need the middle east or any other country.

[trey4sports]

wrong section of the forum bud

[ThomasJ]

If the free market is allowed to move freely then yes we could be.

The largest problem is all the cars on the market. There is a large amount of oil production here in the US though a large amount of that production is peak oil.

Most of the diesel fleet here in the US could go to Bio-diesel very quickly with little cost increase. Production of bio-diesel is available here with the amount of AG that is available. Plus if you add in leading edge stuff like algae bio-diesel we could get there very quickly.

As for grid electric most of that comes from coal. There is very few oil or gas fired electric plants here in the US.

Realistic goal is for having complete independence for everything but gasoline vehicles in 4 years.

What we really need is a way to convert that huge fleet of gasoline guzzeling cars to something else quickly and cheaply.

[ggibson1]

Lithium Ion batteries 10x more powerful..
http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/19/stanfords-nanowire-battery-leapfrogs-li-ion/

Google decides to get in on renewable energy business..
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20071127_green.html

Recharge batteries in minutes instead of hours...
http://www.a123systems.com/#/home/hev

High quality electric vehicles...
http://www.teslamotors.com/

Unlimited and truely SAFE nuclear power supply (No Chernobyls possible and no liquid waste)...
http://www.pbmr.com/
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.09/china.html

[Man from La Mancha]

November 23, 2007 · Filed under CleanTech - Solar, Energy by Jessica Hunt
Solar now cheaper than coal and in prodction now...http://www.celsias.com/2007/11/23/nanosolars-breakthrough-technology-solar-now-cheaper-than-coal/ 10,000watts on house power hydrogen generation for gas electric hybrid cars going hundreds of miles

Their mission: to deliver cost-efficient solar electricity. The Nanosolar company was founded in 2002 and is working to build the world’s largest solar cell factory in California and the world’s largest panel-assembly factory in Germany. They have successfully created a solar coating that is the most cost-efficient solar energy source ever. Their PowerSheet cells contrast the current solar technology systems by reducing the cost of production from $3 a watt to a mere 30 cents per watt. This makes, for the first time in history, solar power cheaper than burning coal.

These coatings are as thin as a layer of paint and can transfer sunlight to power at amazing efficiency. Although the underlying technology has been around for years, Nanosolar has created the actual technology to manufacture and mass produce the solar sheets. The Nanosolar plant in San Jose, once in full production in 2008, will be capable of producing 430 megawatts per year. This is more than the combined total of every other solar manufacturer in the U.S.



!5 year light requires no electricty
http://ecoble.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/glowing-bike-with-litroenergy.jpg

GlowPaint glow-in-the-dark paint company, MPK Co., has come up with self-luminous micro particles called Litrospheres™ which they say are inexpensive, non-toxic, and will stay on for 12+ years (half-life point) continuously -- without having to be plugged into any power source. It is a betavoltaic technology, using a radioactive gas, whose "soft" emission of electrons from the beta emitting gas cannot penetrate the glass or polymer wall of the microspheres.

The Litrospheres™ are not affected by heat or cold, and are 5,000-pound crush resistant. They can be injection molded or added to paint. The fill rate of Litroenergy micro particles in plastic injection molding material or paint is about 20%. The constant light gives off no U.V. rays, and can be designed to emit almost any color of light desired.

The company seeks to mass produce this mateiral and supply OEMs.

"This has potential to save billions in energy costs world-wide. Litroenergy™ surpasses all known available lighting options for cost/durability/reliability and safety." -- Steve Stark, MPK Co.