Doing the math on Gore's electricity plan

In a "let's-do-the-math" look at Al Gore's proposal that the next president set the nation on course to produce every last bit of its electricity through "wind, sun and other Earth-friendly energy" within the decade, U.S. News & World Report's James Pethokoukis decided the plan was "almost unfathomably pricey."

It makes sense, he said, "only if you think that not doing so almost immediately would result in an uninhabitable planet."

Pethokoukis came up with this estimate for Gore's challenge: $5 trillion.

He reached that figure by playing out an estimate provided by Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens for a plan to generate 20% of America's electricity by harnessing the power of the wind and building the infrastructure to transmit the electricity: $1.2 trillion.

What does this have to do with a blog named "Countdown to Crawford?" Only this: The proposal is something for the current president to think about -- and get started on, if he chooses to accept the challenge in his final months in office.

And, if only 269 votes had shifted in Florida eight years ago from Bush to the man from a small town in Tennessee, the blog you may well have been reading would have been "Countdown to Carthage."

--James Gerstenzang

Photo: Ron Edmonds/Associated Press

Comments

[anonymous]

Complete the math. According to Pickens figures, we import 700 billion a year in oil. Over 10 years, that's 7 trillion. 7 minus 5 is 2 (as in trillion). From an ROI payback point of view, it is a good investment (if the technology is there).

[i mucker]

I recall the in depth article in Vanity Fair on the Florida election and between the shady ballots that had the Jewish community voting for a white supremacist candidate and the voting machine company that manipulated rolls to keep hundreds of blacks from voting through manipulation of felony records it is painfully clear that Bush did not win the election but cheated his way in. I love the scene in Farenheit 911 where he's on the plane with Jeb and says into the camera "Mark my words we will win Florida". Jeb has a look of shut up George on his face. Bush was predicted to lose Florida. Do the math. Haven't we spent close to a trillion dollars on Iraq and Afghanistan already. The bonuses to jobs, health and the environment will make that 5 trillion a bargain before the last dollar is spent. Gee spending money without killing to meet our energy needs what a concept.

[mthomas]

Mr. Gore is wrong about the necessary working technology.

Free Power Forever

http://nlspropulsion.net/Documents/Free%20Power%20Forever.pdf