I’m confused about the proposed approaches to US of A energy independence.  

A few years ago, I did a back of the envelope calculation about how many nuclear power plants it would take to compensate for petroleum.  As a nuclear scientist, I know that it’s really tough to beat the energy density equation of E=mc².  Thus, we should be able to use this method to have enough energy to crack water and move to a hydrogen economy.  That led me to look into the Energy Information Administration, commodity markets, and a very revealing energy distribution chart courtesy of Lawrence Livermore National Lab, the really big think tankers paid for by Joe Six Bagel’s taxes.

 I rapidly came to the conclusion that messing with our electrical energy supply does absolutely nothing for energy independence.  No amount of windmills, solar panels, or gas capture devices on belching cows will have any affect in that sector.  Nearly all of our electricity in the US is created from internal domestic sources.  Foreign despots and friends need not apply.  Creation of electrical energy is already domestically solved.   Thus my confusion about the utility of  ’new’ electrical approaches vs. energy independence.

The stats: 

• 73% of input energy is domestically produced.  
• 70% of input energy is for non-transportation.  
• 40% of input energy is used to make electricity, all domestic! 
• 52% of foreign oil  comes from our hemisphere.  Can you say Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela?

 Expand the accompanying chart and study it carefully.

 So how do we become energy independent?  Certainly not with un-reliable windmills on the electrical grid and no storage buffers.  The focus has to be on how we power our transportation sector, some 28% of our input energy.  State and federal legislators could go a long way by providing incentives to install electric car recharge meters on streets and at businesses.  How about giving a tax break for Wal-Marts, restaurants, and all similar outfits with parking facilities to install 5% coverage each year for the next 20.  Require new parking lots to have 10% to start.  By building this infrastructure we make it attractive to change the fuel and only then does messing with the electrical grid make any sense.  We can also use non-carbon ammonia for fuel supplement; some of the distribution is already available.  Ask a farmer.  We can also create fuel from proper combination of air, water, and carbon dioxide.  But, that may take some heavy base load electrical capacity improvements.

Before we make drastic mistakes by messing with a system that works, let’s take a deep breath and look at the root causes and real issues.

The final zinger:  The hype about global warming and reducing CO2 emissions actually has nothing to do with US energy independence.