| Global warming can be halted only by stopping all | | | | saved if existing coal plants can be retrofitted |
| fossil fuel combustion. Electric power and liquid | | | | with steam produced in nuclear reactors to |
| fuels must be produced by converting renewable | | | | replace coal fired boilers. Steam turbines, |
| energies. Technologies based on solar energy, | | | | generators, substations, administrative buildings, |
| wind power, marine power, and geothermal heat | | | | and cooling towers can continue their operation |
| will eventually produce energy at affordable costs. | | | | with only minor performance reductions. |
| Nuclear heat will become a major contributor. | | | | This new type of reactor must be designed to be |
| Processes for replacing petroleum with substitutes | | | | absolutely safe by installing both passive and |
| from biomass can be developed. | | | | redundant safety systems. Retrofit reactors |
| After years of warning the world about global | | | | should become available in a very few, |
| warming and its dire consequences, Al Gore, the | | | | standardized designs and in sizes that fit up with |
| Nobel Prize winner, has finally taken the next, | | | | the predominant sizes of coal fired boilers in use. |
| logical step. He is proposing a solution. | | | | While the US will be replacing, retrofitting, or |
| Mr. Gore has realized that conservation measures | | | | shutting down its fossil fuel fired plants, it is an |
| and "Cap and Trade" measures do not work. The | | | | opportune time to prepare the US to regain its |
| world can be saved only, if we completely | | | | independence from foreign oil imports. |
| eliminate all carbon dioxide emissions during the | | | | Very soon, such activity can save the US more |
| next forty years. | | | | than one trillion dollars annually. Past experience |
| Converting the electric power generating sector | | | | shows that petroleum prices and consumption of |
| first, does make the most sense. All major | | | | transportation fuels will maintain their unstoppable |
| technologies for generating electric power from | | | | growths. |
| renewable energy sources are in various stages | | | | Ideally, the world will continue using its fleets of |
| of development. Installations using wind power, | | | | cars, trucks, trains, ships, and airplanes. Ideally, the |
| solar energy, geothermal heat, and marine power | | | | world will keep its oil refineries operating and will |
| have been started up and are slowly gaining a | | | | preserve the huge distribution systems that |
| measurable foothold. | | | | deliver high quality liquid fuels to all corners of the |
| At present, coal fired power plants generate the | | | | world. Replacement of transportation fleets, oil |
| least expensive electricity. Therefore, market | | | | refineries, and liquid fuel distribution systems will |
| forces will never lead to the shutdown of the | | | | cost too much and may break the economies of |
| most egregious greenhouse gas emitters. Only | | | | even the richest countries. |
| legislative action can prevent the construction of | | | | We must realize that the world cannot live for |
| any new, coal fired power plants. | | | | more than a few weeks without transportation of |
| We must also be aware that it will be very | | | | foods, goods, and commodities. Famines, riots, |
| difficult to satisfy our growing electricity demand | | | | and economic upheavals will become unavoidable |
| by building only windmill farms, solar plantations, | | | | consequences of the lack of plentiful and |
| and geothermal power plants. For many years to | | | | affordable transportation fuels. |
| come, there will not be enough manufacturing | | | | To protect against such looming, economic |
| capacity to build an adequate number of electric | | | | disasters, the US must take the lead and learn |
| power plants using renewable energies. Initially, the | | | | how to produce petroleum substitutes from |
| capital costs of these plants will be high, risks for | | | | biomass. Recent events have taught us that we |
| meeting rated output will be well above average, | | | | must never again abuse arable lands to make |
| and elevated maintenance costs will be a common | | | | ethanol or diesel from food crops. |
| experience. | | | | Instead, we must find plant species with very high |
| We also need to address a few unresolved | | | | energy contents and must grow these plants on |
| technical issues. The most pressing one is the fact | | | | arid and infertile lands. By using desalinated water |
| that both wind power and solar power can supply | | | | and novel industrial farming techniques one can |
| energy only on an interruptible basis. Electric | | | | grow enough biomass to supply the entire world |
| power is a fleeting commodity and we have not | | | | with transportation fuels for several centuries. |
| yet developed technologies that are capable of | | | | Arid lands are abundant. Best of all, making |
| storing large amounts of electric energy. | | | | petroleum substitutes from renewable biomass |
| It seems unavoidable that nuclear power | | | | sources will not have to cost more than $50 per |
| generation must assume a more substantial role | | | | barrel. |
| during the next decades. Nuclear power has | | | | Building plants for the domestic production of |
| become safer and public resistance to nuclear | | | | electric power and of transportation fuels from |
| power plants is slowly receding. Nuclear power | | | | renewable energies will make the US strategically |
| plants can be installed faster once we begin to | | | | more secure, will make us economically stronger, |
| rely more on standardized reactor designs. | | | | will reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by |
| Nuclear reactors with smaller capacities need to | | | | one quarter, will create a huge number of jobs, |
| be built as replacements for coal fired plant boilers. | | | | and will pay for itself by producing large, domestic |
| Huge amounts of capital and much time can be | | | | revenues for many decades to come. |