Interesting Take on “Oil, Gas & Wires” in Forbes
Nov 6, 2008 – Peter Huber has an article in the Nov 17, 2008 issue of Forbes. He states that, “The wires that move electricity from power plant to wall outlet have done more to raise efficiency and lower energy costs than all the improvements made to car engines since Henry Ford …” Think about his statement & how the world as we know it would be today without simple to use electricity. No computers [no blogs], no electric lighting, no telephones. What about cars and planes. Try fueling a 747 with a hand cranked fuel pump. He goes on with the following analyis. There is a huge capital investment in idle electric generating capacity that could be utilized efficiently if the electric grid was able to transfer electricity completely around the US as it was needed. He asserts that idle capacity could power all the miles that autos drive & a further 10% increase in electrical output would equal all the heating supplied by oil-fired home furnaces. The wholesale price of electricity changes during the day as capacity requirements change with the time of day and the lack of connectivity between the 3 main grids. He also states that $75 billion will be needed to build the 
necessary transmission lines and grid. R. Buckminster Fuller showed first in 1954 how the continents of the earth are closer to each other than one envisions when one changes the view of the earth from the traditional maps. There would be the possibility to transmit energy between continents. Other projections by Huber: 1. Alternative fuels to displace gas used to produce electricity would free up 10% of the oil for transportation. 2. Use electricity to displace oil & gas from heating sector will free up another 15% of the oil market. 3. Electrifying light-duty cars & trucks would displace another 30%. He concludes, “We have abundant supplies of or reliable access to all the fuels we currently use to generate electricity, and the development of wind, solar and other renewables will only expand our home-grown options.”
In summary, conserve, become more efficient, use solar, wind, other renewables and be creative.
Map © 2002 Buckminster Fuller Institute and Jim Knighton
