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Celebrating energy independence
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Air Force One over the Statue of Liberty shows both our addiction to oil and our strongest feature.
This fourth of July's discussions about energy should absolutely include the topic of energy independence and what it takes to start buying back America from our creditors. Without a doubt, we stand at a crossroads with two very different futures laid out before us. The future reality will undoubtedly dwell in the grey area between the extremes; but on the one hand exists the possibility of business as usual ensuring future energy demand increases exceeding current capacity, and the other where additional capacity is added in the form of renewables.
What kind of energy did our forefathers, the Founding Fathers of America envision to power their country of vision. As America expanded westward, the reality of energy needs in a growing country was further developed. Centralized sources of power generation spider-webbed a grid across the landscape. In addition to rennovating the hubs of energy, linking together the regional centralized sources into a national transmission highway is almost a matter of policy and is gaining traction as part of the smart grid idea.
The entire Interstate road system was built out so we could all own an automobile and get around with the freedom of mobility to drive anywhere in this great land with a valid DL and proof of insurance. Owning and operating an automobile is relatively easy; and on the docket is whether or not renewable energy policy and legislation get fast-tracked like cars were when America was building out its automotive industry. Is an energy industry that incorporates automobiles into the electrical grid by increasing renewable energy and is developed on a longer-term platform not so directly tied to instability in the oil markets, but rather is tied more directly to the developing instability in climatological conditions, is that energy industry any more stable in the long run?
Renewable energy will develop into the space it is given, just like the idea of America did. As the country expanded westward to the Pacific, and the size and dversity of the nation began to unfold, the idea of democracy spread to include much more space than was initially imagined to be there. The concept of America expanded to include all of the regional and geographical charateristics that make up our country and is reflected in domestic markets. Domestic renewable energy development fits directly into that equation and honors those differences, and since there is considerable room for growth in the renewable marketplace, development curves have decades of time to adjust. Nonetheless, the shift of resources from a sector driven mostly by imports to one domestically centered, generates scientific research and technoligcal advances that turn into exports to major economies around the globe.
It turns out renewable energy is as American as baseball, apple pie, and Ford after all. I can't imagine that the Founding Fathers would have envisioned an energy policy that encouraged escessive foreign debt needed to meet the needs of an economy dependent upon a non-domestic source of energy. While the Declaration of Independence is a document which inspires generations of Americans to this day, we are also talking about the passage of a significant amount of time. The Founding Fathers hadn't imagined the Westward expansion and exploding populaton figures of the twentieth century; but I imagine they would say renewables were more in line with the declaration of independence than oil. Domestic, sustainable, clean, stable energy versus a continuing overexposure in the oil markets of the world is the choice we are faced with. I would have to agree with my imaginary Founding Fathers when they say that renewables are more American than are more foreign oil imports.
There are celebrations of Indepenedence across the world, marking the beginning of democratic representation. Ours celebrates the victory of the American Revolution. America is a beacon of freedom to the world, although looking at energy consuption would lead one to observe otherwise. For transportation fuel, America is dependent upon foreign oil; for electrical energy supply, America is dependent on impactful coal mining practices and CO2 emission increases. Anyway it is sliced, global energy use patterns indicate that America is dependent upon fossil fuels. Our democratic representation is just getting around to that fact.
This fourth of July, Americans can celebrate the development of wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass industries, smart grids, higher efficiency buildings, and electric vehicles right here in the U.S.; we can also celebrate our baseload of power generated primarily from domestic coal and natural gas. It is of the same spirit of independence that the Founding Fathers possessed whereby policy and equity investment generate a partnership that keeps America moving in the direction of energy independence by diversifying our own domestic energy assets.
Independence day is celebrated every year to remind us of the idea that was generated from thirteen relatively small colonies. This year, we are being asked to start developing a plan whereby we pay back our creditors and start developing a national energy policy that generates significant amounts of energy from domestic sources.
This fourth of July, don't forget to watch some of the fireworks in the sky!
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