Fargo ND. T. Boone Pickens, the billionaire oilman, has been hitting the airwaves, pitching a plan to use wind to replace all the natural gas that’s used to produce electricity, then using that saved natural gas to fuel cars.
In addition to weaning the nation from foreign oil, Pickens’ plan is not entirely altruistic. He’s investing hundreds of millions of dollars on a giant wind farm in the Texas panhandle, and his hedge fund, BP Capital, is said to own stakes in several companies that equip cars to run on natural gas. If his energy efforts pan out, he could get even richer in the process.
Then there’s Al Gore. The former U.S. vice president and Nobel Prize winner said last week that electricity generation should be completely fossil-fuel free in 10 years.
The question is, are these plans realistic or just dreams?
The nation currently relies on coal – the dirtiest of all fossil fuels – for 50% of its electricity production. Natural gas makes up about 21%, and nuclear power comprises about 20%. Hydro and oil each contribute a bit as well, while traditional renewables – wind, solar, biomass and geothermal – ring in at only 3% combined, according to the EIA.
Unpredictable wind
One of the big challenges with using wind to replace natural gas is that, unlike the steady flame from natural gas, the wind doesn’t blow all the time.
To make sure enough power is available when the wind isn’t blowing, backup generators would be needed.
That could mean maintaining those natural gas plants in case of emergency, or implementing even more novel ideas like systems in Europe that use excess wind electricity to pump water uphill when the wind is blowing, then release it through hydro dams when the wind stops.
Energy’s easiest fix: Use less
Want to help the country save a quick million barrels of oil a day? Drive 5% less. Slow down. Inflate your tires.
Those three steps would reduce U.S. oil consumption by 1.3 million barrels a day immediately, according to the Alliance to Save Energy, a conservation group running an efficiency campaign backed not only by environmental groups but also the auto and oil industries.
The United States consumes 20 million barrels of oil a day, nearly 10 million of which goes to making gasoline. The world gobbles up 85 million barrels of oil in all.
One of the Big Winners in Pickens Plan will Be The Great State of North Dakota.
Alternative to the Fargo Forum
The statistic from the Alliance to Save Energy was from our Drive $marter Challenge Campaign ( http://drivesmarterchallenge.org ) — a fuel-efficiency campaign aimed at helping consumers save money on gas. You can enter your specific vehicle data and figure out how much money you can save my taking six fuel-efficiency steps. They also provide discount maintenance coupons and myth busters to help you save on gas costs. – Kat, Alliance to Save Energy