Is it feasible to obtain all needed energy (heating, transportation,
etc.) from renewable sources by 2030 (20 years from now)?
Mr Obama has mandated lofty energy goals. One that is tangible to the
average consumer is the required MPG for vehicles. I believe the
mandate is by 2030 cars need to be getting 40-50 plus MPG. Yes we have
priuses and hybrids that get that. But I drive around a Tahoe and I
gobble up 15 mpg and I don't see this happening.
Leadership (the government) is setting lofty goals for industry to follow. I fully
support this although I am a skeptic. To achieve that kinda MPG
rating on a truck requires not only removing every lb of unnecessary
weight in the vehicle but it requires a kinda of efficient motor
system that technology does not have.
As a side note... the movie "Back to the Future" had us flying in cars
by 2012 and look at us. I am personally a little disappointed in our
society's development of handhelds and computer to date. It seems we
have forgotten or been misdirected to concentrate on improving
technology on the discretionary technologies and we have lost
improvement in the realm of motors and even power plants.
To end on a happy note... Through the law of conservation of energy,
energy is not destroyed just lost in inefficiency. I have heard that
the typical is much less than 10% efficient. Given that there is much
room for improvement.
We need to vote with our pocketbooks. Every time we spend 100 dollars
a month on our IPHONEs we are saying to the young minds to concentrate
on the next iteration of the iphone and not on more society benefiting
technologies.
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