Billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is putting his clout behind renewable energy sources like wind power.
The legendary entrepreneur and philanthropist on Tuesday unveiled a new energy plan he says will decrease the United States' dependency on foreign oil by more than one-third and help shift American energy production toward renewable natural resources.
"The Pickens Plan" calls for investing in domestic renewable resources such as wind, and switching from oil to natural gas as a transportation fuel.
In a news conference outlining his proposal, Pickens said his impetus for the plan is the country's dangerous reliance on foreign oil.
"Our dependence on imported oil is killing our economy. It is the single biggest problem facing America today," he said.
"Wind power is ... clean, it's renewable. It's everything you want. And it's a stable supply of energy," Pickens told CNN in May. "It's unbelievable that we have not done more with wind."
Pickens' company, Mesa Power, recently announced a $2 billion investment as the first step in a multibillion-dollar plan to build the world's largest wind farm in Pampa, Texas.
Everyone talks the talk about getting us off of foreign oil, I want to see someone walk the walk. If you have a plan to get us to the point where we don’t need a drop of foreign oil, including from friendly sources, I’m all ears.
Personally, I think the idea of compressed air cars are our best option, as well as wind/solar/wave power for our electrical needs. Our trucking industry is going to take a long time to get to the point where they are off of diesel as well, but let’s take things one at a time.
First up, foreign oil. We import billions of dollars worth every year. Let’s get ourselves on a renewable resource for our commuting needs. I like compressed air cars because they are cheap, easy to fill up quickly, and there’s no batteries to recycle at the end of their lives.
Next up, electrical needs. Solar works best in areas like California, Arizona, Florida, and all along the southern border. Wind would work better in areas like the Pacific Northwest, where I live. Hydroelectric can work anywhere there is a running river. As for wave, we can line the coast with wave generators.
There’s really no reason why we can’t do it, it’s just a matter of wills.
If you want to, start at home. Replace ALL of your bulbs with compact florescent ones, or if you can afford it, LED bulbs. Although I don’t see them being a decent alternative until they are cheaper (they are at around $30-$60 a bulb, but use significantly less energy then even compact florescent ones), as well as providing better light.
Buy a programmable thermostat. You can get them at Home Depot or Sears. A nice one will run you about $50-$100, and if you don’t know how to install it, an electrician will run you about another $100 or so. Set it to turn off whenever you aren’t in the house or you are sleeping. Mine turns on at 5:30 am to get the home to a comfortable level. I get up at 6 am to a nice warm/cool home. I take my shower and get ready for work. Once I leave for work, the thermostat turns everything off and it stays off until about 1/2 hour before I get home. Once I get home, it stays on until about 1/2 hour before I go to bed. It then repeats the cycle all week long. It stays on all weekend.
My electric bill went from $160 to $80 that month. I use less energy, and I still have a comfortable home. There’s no point in making the house a reasonable temperature when no one is there. The added bonus is that nothing really has changed. I’m comfortable in my home when I’m typically there (you can turn the scheduling off on my thermostat), and yet, I saved about $80 a month.
Just simple changes that aren’t going to probably even be noticed will save you a ton of money and help take the burden off of our energy needs.
Travis
No comments:
Post a Comment