Perhaps not a total solution, some are saying not doable - others say Yes. I've been in two of the groups since they opened up - and I believe it could cover a fair amount of territory for the good of the U.S.

What's your take?



Pickens' Plan
July 08, 2008 12:15 PM ET | Kirk Shinkle

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/the-ticker/200...ckens-plan.html

Billionaire oilman and corporate raider T. Boone Pickens is taking his fight for American energy independence public today, outlining his plan to wean America off its $700 billion-a-year foreign crude habit.

"Our dependence on imported oil is killing our economy. It is the single biggest problem facing America today," Pickens said. "As we import more and more of our energy, we are participating in the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind, sending billions of our dollars overseas to buy oil for a commodity that lasts 90 days until burned in our gas tanks."

Here's his list of fixes, from a characteristically bombastic press release:

Step #1: Using the United States' wind corridor, private industry will fund the installation of thousands of wind turbines in the wind belt, generating enough power to provide 20 percent or more of our electricity supply

Step #2: Again funded by the private sector, electric power transmission lines will be built, connecting these wind power generating sites with power plants providing energy to the population centers in the Midwest, South, and Western regions of the country.

Step #3: With the energy from wind now available to operate power plants serving the large population centers in key areas of the country, the natural gas that was historically utilized to fuel these power plants can be redirected and used to replace imported gasoline and diesel as a fuel for thousands of vehicles in our transportation system.

Pickens, a vocal promoter of "peak oil" theory, has already signed on to build a $2 billion wind farm in the Texas Panhandle and reportedly could spend $10 billion on the project.

He's also funding an advertising campaign to garner support in pushing the incoming administration to act on his plan. His website is live today, and Pickens told USA Today that he wants to "elevate that question to the presidential debate, to make it the No. 1 issue of the campaign this year."


WATCH HIS VIDEO:

http://www.pickensplan.com/

I think the estimate is high and factors like transmission loss could make it impractical in the form he advocates but wind farms are part of the solution. Regarding using NG for transportation it has somewhat limited applicability as it reduces the range per tank. or requires a much larger tank.

What an economic effect it's had on Stillwater, TX.. that's been completed and what an amazing turn around. When you couple that with some of the brighter minds at Tex State Tech College - who knows where this might lead. I'm not ready to write off the delivery of the power just yet, because I believe this is just the start of something much bigger.

If necessity is truly the mother of invention - we are certainly in need.

I'm not writing it off, but long distance power transmission has substantial losses that can kill an economically marginal source. That's the biggest reason they like to have power plants close to the end users, tweaking the plan so the wind farms are more dispersed isn't abandoning it.

I generally like his ideas.

he must be getting scared that his billions are at stake, and needs to steal the environmentalist ideas like Al Gore had
or Jimmy Carter had in 1979 so he could keep them

Have to say driving into California to Bakersfield last month, there must have been 1000s of windmills at one point,
all rapidly spinning
What a beautiful site, and coordinated and in sync with the music I was listening too
It was like a symphony

Gore told Face The Nation this a.m. he likes the wind end of the (cotton) Pickens
Plan...but reservations about not going directly to electric vehicles. I tend to agree.

However, someone in the BR Newspaper this a.m. pointed out there needs
to be a base-line plant for when the wind doesn't blow...and that will probably be nuclear.

So, if I had money to invest I'd look at a BR-originated company - The Shaw Group;
as well as GE and Westinghouse. You may notice the people first in line for new nukes
happen to be in The South. Y'all come see us - ya hear?

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/...&id=8775757

Proposed nuclear reactors being reviewed by the NRC
June 13, 2008 3:12 PM ET

All Associated Press news(AP) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has started reviewing these companies' license applications to build advanced nuclear reactors, a review process that takes up to two years.

_ NRG Texas, two reactors at South Texas Project near Bay City, Texas

_ NuStart Energy, two reactors at Bellefonte near Scottsboro, Ala.

_ UniStar Nuclear Energy, one reactor at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant in Lusby, Md.

_ Dominion Virginia Power, one reactor at North Anna Power Station near Louisa, Va.

_ Duke Energy, two reactors at William S. Lee Nuclear Station near Gaffney, S.C.

_ Progress Energy, two reactors at Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant near Raleigh, N.C.

_ NuStart Energy, one reactor at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station near Vicksburg, Miss.

_ Southern Nuclear Operating Co., two units at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Ga.

_ South Carolina Electric & Gas, two units at V.C. Summer Nuclear Station near Columbia, S.C.

Plants in seven other states plan to seek permits for a dozen more reactors later this year.

Source: Nuclear Regulatory Commission