Gore: U.S. Can Get 100 Percent Renewable Energy in 10 Years ?

[LMagic007]

Gore: U.S. Can Get 100 Percent Renewable Energy in 10 Years ?

Washington, D.C., United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]
In an effort to get American citizens and policymakers to think more aggressively about combating climate change, former Vice President Al Gore challenged the U.S. to procure 100 percent of its electricity from renewable resources within 10 years.

Gore: U.S. Can Get 100 Percent Renewable Energy in 10 Years

Gore for Vice President ?

[prashamk]

Great news. But news seems impossible. US needs around 1 TW electricity per year. If obama is really willing to follow, I am planning to start a Solar equipment manufacturing company.

[LMagic007]

Hmmm I thought this post might attract firm opinion. I thought the US grid was at about 1 TW now. I think it's more about setting bold goals so they can work more aggressively toward them, even though it might seem rather unlikely to occur in reality. And of course Al has been out of the spotlight for a while, so he now gets spend his time in the sun again.

Having said that at current growth rates for Solar PV, I think it might have been shown that before 2025 this could perhaps occur, of course we can't predict such strong growth that far into the future with certainty. However stranger things in the world have happened. I suspect the reality is though that no single energy source will be reliable enough to be solely depended upon.

[brianidaho]

Gore is such an idiot... He's a politician and I believe was a lawyer, not an engineer, scientist or even a businessman, and has no understanding of the state of the available technology. At today's energy prices for fossil fuels, alternative energy is viable and the market is responding to address this business opportunity. The government getting involved, making bad decisions, focusing attention on companies or technologies that are not competative is the worst thing that can happen to alternative energy. In addition, government funding of private companies breeds bad behavior within the company, they focus on getting the next taxpayer dollar and not on making a better, cheaper product. I worked for a company that got government welfare...a good competative company with a viable technology was nearly taken under by some of the behavior it drove.

Give it a little time and let private industry respond, good technologies and well managed companies will thrive and offer solutions, while poor ones will fail and go under...without wasting taxpayer dollars on a massive scale. Gore is the typical liberal pol, wanting the government to provide solutions, even though they have never proven capable of doing so in the past.

[LMagic007]

Originally Posted by brianidaho

Gore is such an idiot... He's a politician and I believe was a lawyer, not an engineer, scientist or even a businessman, and has no understanding of the state of the available technology. At today's energy prices for fossil fuels, alternative energy is viable and the market is responding to address this business opportunity. The government getting involved, making bad decisions, focusing attention on companies or technologies that are not competative is the worst thing that can happen to alternative energy. In addition, government funding of private companies breeds bad behavior within the company, they focus on getting the next taxpayer dollar and not on making a better, cheaper product. I worked for a company that got government welfare...a good competative company with a viable technology was nearly taken under by some of the behavior it drove.

Give it a little time and let private industry respond, good technologies and well managed companies will thrive and offer solutions, while poor ones will fail and go under...without wasting taxpayer dollars on a massive scale. Gore is the typical liberal pol, wanting the government to provide solutions, even though they have never proven capable of doing so in the past.

Rather philosophical and the article does not even mention the word government, though it does mention policy makers that obviously includes government and much of the science behind Climate Change is driven by government, so I don't think they can be removed from the process. I do agree with funding methododoligies that minimize waste be the preferred approach. As with most matters of public interest, the government has a vital role to play and sometimes it's underplayed and you only have to look at the US and in fact global financial system melt down to see that, with too loose regulation on loan shark practices.

Gore may be a politician, an idiot I doubt and he does have backers with technical expertise. Unfortunately there simply is no single solution or philosophy that will resolve all the worlds environmental issues. I think the more extreme views are also useful, because they help us focus on what's realistic and reasonable and hence achievable.

[Deathridesahorse]

Originally Posted by LMagic007

Gore: U.S. Can Get 100 Percent Renewable Energy in 10 Years ?



Gore: U.S. Can Get 100 Percent Renewable Energy in 10 Years

Gore for Vice President ?

No, he says to Katie Couric that he won't be doing any such thing...

YouTube - Eye To Eye: Al Gore

[Deathridesahorse]

Originally Posted by prashamk

Great news. But news seems impossible. US needs around 1 TW electricity per year. If obama is really willing to follow, I am planning to start a Solar equipment manufacturing company.

You'd want all your business acumen with you....

But, I say good on you!

[Deathridesahorse]

Originally Posted by LMagic007

Hmmm I thought this post might attract firm opinion. I thought the US grid was at about 1 TW now. I think it's more about setting bold goals so they can work more aggressively toward them, even though it might seem rather unlikely to occur in reality. And of course Al has been out of the spotlight for a while, so he now gets spend his time in the sun again.

Having said that at current growth rates for Solar PV, I think it might have been shown that before 2025 this could perhaps occur, of course we can't predict such strong growth that far into the future with certainty. However stranger things in the world have happened. I suspect the reality is though that no single energy source will be reliable enough to be solely depended upon.

It's very exciting news that a common education has been reached to the people about this, tho.

That is exactly what advertising, not to mention an owned system, obfuscates.

(I'm not entirely sure obfuscates is a word but it sounds good, lol!)

PV will become so huge very soon, surely?!?

[Deathridesahorse]

Originally Posted by brianidaho

Gore is such an idiot... He's a politician and I believe was a lawyer, not an engineer, scientist or even a businessman, and has no understanding of the state of the available technology. At today's energy prices for fossil fuels, alternative energy is viable and the market is responding to address this business opportunity. The government getting involved, making bad decisions, focusing attention on companies or technologies that are not competative is the worst thing that can happen to alternative energy. In addition, government funding of private companies breeds bad behavior within the company, they focus on getting the next taxpayer dollar and not on making a better, cheaper product. I worked for a company that got government welfare...a good competative company with a viable technology was nearly taken under by some of the behavior it drove.

Give it a little time and let private industry respond, good technologies and well managed companies will thrive and offer solutions, while poor ones will fail and go under...without wasting taxpayer dollars on a massive scale. Gore is the typical liberal pol, wanting the government to provide solutions, even though they have never proven capable of doing so in the past.

Take drilling for oil...how is that going to help anything when China is constantly upping the price through pure population size coming online to automotive personal transport? Then there's India next door which combined is over 1/3 of the worlds population.

The people are being given false solutions and roadblocks to true freedom and need to realise that this addiction will lead to ruin only. Then, and only then, can they do something about it.

Gore has given them this awareness on a scale that trumps all advertising.

You can't drill your way out of the situation and they all understand this now. You will witness a massive upturn in voter turn out for this election!

The American people will listen as they love any thing to do with the philosophy of freedom: don't we all?!?

[LMagic007]

Originally Posted by Deathridesahorse

It's very exciting news that a common education has been reached to the people about this, tho.

That is exactly what advertising, not to mention an owned system, obfuscates.

(I'm not entirely sure obfuscates is a word but it sounds good, lol!)

PV will become so huge very soon, surely?!?

Not sure about most of that obfuscation, but yes I agree PV will become a significant player along with other renewables. It depends on how growth trends. If growth continues at its current rate ( around 40% ) for the next 10 years then definitely yes the solar PV industry will be massive by 2020. The question is will growth continue at its current rate ? Probably not but that's difficult to be sure about. Even an average growth of around 20% per year would see a significant solar PV industry by 2020.