Windmills

Good morning, readers.

I've decided today to climb up on my high horse and, like Don Quixote, tilt against windmills. Or actually, tilt FOR windmills and solar panels and water turbines and any other forms of alternative energy.

I think most people agree that the U.S. needs to become as energy self-sufficient as possible. Too many of our policy decisions are forced by our need for imported oil. So how can we fix this?

I'm not an energy expert but I have some thoughts.

Lets decide that electricity is the power of the future. Homes and industries use it; our cars, buses, and trains could. So we need to generate more electricity. How?
We can explore all the options available; coal, nuclear, solar, wind, etc. But we spend too much time debating the source rather than moving forward.

Lets employ them all.
1. We already use coal. Let the federal government provide funds and resource to build new
clean, coal burning plants and revamp old plants with newer equipment.
2. Start the process toward building the next generation of nuclear plants. Offer tax incentives
to start production of new facilities.
3. Put solar panels and wind turbines on ALL federally owned buildings. Make this the law.
Use the vast areas of land owned by the military as solar and wind farms. You could even
put new nuclear and coal power plants on the facilities and send their power production into
the civilian grid. Less regulatory hassle if the government already owns the land.
4. Put more federal money into battery and transmission research. We lose vast amounts of
power in transmission inefficiencies and battery technology keeps electric car and bus
development limited.

As I said, I'm not an expert. But I think we need to act. These four steps would create jobs and foster energy freedom. They could help revitalize our infrastructure with the creation of new roads, buildings, and industries.

OK. I'll get off my horse.

For now.

But, I'm keeping Sancho Panza's cell number close and sharpening my lance!

Drawing by Pablo Picasso.