tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505852456840827736.post4684669420461834436..comments2008-12-13T07:32:39.459-08:00Thomas Carmonanoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505852456840827736.post-19668484680446951232008-12-13T07:32:00.000-08:002008-12-13T07:32:00.000-08:00The Future of Alternative Energies and the future of America<BR/><BR/>I was driving home from work last week and noticed the latest gas price of $ 1.66, seems like we were just recently at over $ 4 per gallon. Oil is now $ 45 per barrel, commodities like steel are down, our national debt is skyrocketing, and all the once high flying Solar energy stocks and green eco funds have plummeted along with the global markets. They say we are in a severe recession, that demand will fall for energy and that gas could fall to $ 1 per gallon as unemployment hits multi-decade highs. Seems like we were just being shocked by $ 145 per barrel oil and record profits by oil companies, it makes me as an American citizen really feel manipulated and that our government hasn't had a plan for securing our country's future. How did we get into this financial crisis? Who caused this collapse? Seems to me terrorists couldn't have implemented a plan this exacting, yet we hear that this was triggered by only four percent of the outstanding US home loans being in question. Now all conversation turns to how many billions of US tax payer dollars will be reactively given to faltering industries to mitigate loss of jobs in America. These are global corporations asking for US bailouts. Will unsecured pension plans, hurt by the recent stock market collapse, be next to default? Where will jobs come from as we rise out of this global recession? Green technology jobs and projects may be now questionable due to falling energy prices. Will America be the country and we be the innovators of this Intellectual property? Can the hundreds of alternative energy startups get the financing they will need to stay alive through this recession and to successfully commercialize their products? <BR/><BR/>Barack Obama will take office soon and has stated his administration will invest $ 150B over ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future. Let's hope he isn't an advocate of 'clean coal', which many doubt exists or today's Ethanol as his green alternatives. Will Q Microbes hold promise for Ethanol production which is in it's early stages of research at UMASS Amherst? My hope is that he backs strong Solar, Wind, and Natural Gas based 'distributed hydrogen generation' projects, the building of Hydrogen distribution fueling stations, and Fuel Cell use in his ten year plan. Just to think, we could have used $ 25B to setup 20,000 hydrogen fueling stations in the US, instead, hundreds of billions will be wasted on reactive spending rather than implementing long-term energy solutions. Will our new president have the discipline and vision to invest in these energies and infrastructures, to create and capture these jobs, or will he drop these pre-presidential energy plan headlines until another day when prices start rising again? Where will all these billions come from, between the Iraq spending, financial crisis bailouts, and proposed alternative energy initiative investments? The more we print new money, the more we risk the value of the US dollar falling to all time lows and the American family's wealth further disappearing. As we recover from this financial crisis and recession, will India and China's thirst for oil reinitiate the high demand and prices as new cities continue to be developed in these and other emerging countries? Will inflation drive energy prices back up?<BR/><BR/>As a citizen and investor interested in the advancement of alternative energies, in America's future, and in managing these global wealth shifting trends, I sincerely hope we aggressively drive energy science, provide research and development dollars to these early startups, and reduce our dependency on dirty foreign oil and fossil fuels. We need a 'Hydrogen Manhattan Project' that integrates Solar, Wind and Natural Gas as a source of power to generate distributed onsite hydrogen coupled with fuel cell use. Focused research and development dollars solve problems through science advancements. Innovation and diversification into green energy is the answer for America and the world. For more information visit and bookmark my website; www.go-h2.net <BR/><BR/>Send comments to:<BR/>info@green-solar-wind-hydrogen-energy.comjohn_merlinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14616208414759721362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505852456840827736.post-4245425327658091832008-11-29T20:25:00.000-08:002008-11-29T20:25:00.000-08:00Finally someone else who has done something. Instead of just talking you have built a project. I'm tired of the people trying to save the world one key stroke at a time. Hopefully, I'll know by next week if I'm moving forward with my next project.neilsmeltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687147425670694124noreply@blogger.com