Okay, now we're talking.
There are millions like me who believe in the development and use of clean energy, but there are very few who combine a can-do attitude with the necessary resources for immediate action like T. Boone Pickens. The multi-billionaire and former oil magnate is pushing the Pickens Plan, a "blueprint to reduce foreign oil dependence by harnessing domestic energy alternatives" including a proposal for the world's largest wind farm. The Midwest, he says, is to wind what Saudi Arabia is to oil - and he has the maps to prove it. According to the Plan, the electricity produced through increased wind energy would free up natural gas for powering compressed natural gas vehicles (CNG), which are already available at competitive prices. The gas itself costs considerably less than gasoline. The ultimate goal: less dependence on foreign oil. Pickens presented his plan to Congress last week, and hopes to build popular support through town hall-style meetings and media appearances. It seems to be working. Even the Sierra Club's Carl Pope, who is far from Pickens on the political spectrum, has advocated the Pickens Plan. Regardless of the success of this specific strategy, Pickens has managed to infuse a new level of energy into the movement, not only for energy independence, but also for environmental stewardship. Not bad for an 80-year old oil tycoon.
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- Patrick Mendis
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Dr. Patrick Mendis serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Osgood Center for International Studies and is a Visiting Scholar in Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins University’s Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. An Adjunct Professor of Diplomacy at Norwich University and a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, Mendis is an alumnus of the Harvard Executive Leadership Program at the Kennedy School of Government and the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He and his family live in Virginia.
1 comment:
Not surprisingly, I think this is a good plan and wind can definitely provide 20% of U.S. power needs. Denmark has proven energy "experts" wrong again and again by increasing its wind power % past the 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% benchmarks. Not bad for a power source frequently dismissed as intermittent.
What is surprising is seeing a die hard, conservative, Republican Texas oil billionaire on TV, radio, web and testifying before Congress on a wind plan so ambitious it makes the Sierra Club blush.
One minor engineering challenge: natural gas is a less dense fuel than a gallon of gasoline. Cars need to become more fuel efficient (duh!) and storage/crash test/safety issues worked out before every vehicle on the road is safely cruising around.
Natural gas is a proven technology and immediately deployable for buses, ships and trains...so often overlooked in the transportation conversation.
Wind seller in Hinesburg
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