| The flow of energy has always been important to | | | | the huge expansive distances it needs to cover, but |
| advanced civilization. The ancient Egyptians used | | | | really we should be looking into the infrastructure costs |
| people power. They used elephants to move things | | | | on a pay as you go basis. It seems a little un-nerving |
| and even in battle. The water wheel was used as | | | | that all of a sudden we have this huge problem, the |
| early as 4000 B.C. as power. Steam Engines are | | | | expanding countries building reactors right now are |
| much newer. Animals, water and many other | | | | China, Taiwan, India (8) and Russia building six meaning |
| improvised methods allowed for the making of | | | | it along with India will most likely export energy. Thus |
| machines. Simplifying life, from farming to water pumps | | | | proving my point that we should be producing and |
| for mills, etc. By freeing up the time needed to sustain | | | | selling to Mexico, Canada and Central America. Ships |
| life, mankind is able to use that extra time to increase | | | | with giant ion lithium batteries could also take power to |
| his flow of thought and thus coming up with other | | | | the islands of the Caribbean, since the technology |
| inventions and devises. Now, fast forward to modern | | | | exists now and can be used for such a purpose. |
| times where we often take for granted our electricity, | | | | Three ships, one in route, one loading their battery, one |
| until of course; it is shut off by a black out. | | | | docked and supplying electricity. There is a Canadian |
| What we see as the ultimate hardship other third | | | | company with this technology, which puts large |
| world countries do not have at all. And in places like | | | | batteries on a huge rail car system. We should be |
| Baghdad only for three hours a day and they are | | | | looking into this also a terminals for Burlington Santa Fe |
| thankful for that. We should not forget the gifts of | | | | and CSX, if you get a power outage you will have |
| Tesla and Entrepreneur Westinghouse for the | | | | enough minimal power back in service to keep chaos |
| Hydropower and for free enterprise, which funded the | | | | at bay within 8 hours. As a matter of fact Energy and |
| beginnings of what, we now take for granted every | | | | Power have become so important that it is one of |
| time we flick a switch. We all felt the affect of the | | | | those things that you need triple redundancy back up |
| recent Black out of the Northeast Regional Power | | | | for all the time. There are many different ideas for |
| Grid, now we realize that we need to upgrade the | | | | back-up batteries during power outs, think of the |
| transmission lines through out all the grids. SCARDA | | | | back-up which means the would be international |
| the real time computer system saw the problem but | | | | terrorist thinks he can disrupt your system and as |
| nearly all the defensive options include mean shutting | | | | soon as he tries he is caught by a series of sensors |
| down parts of the gird, power to millions of people, | | | | and all he did is cause a flicker, while the most |
| which is a hard choice to make, although if not | | | | important systems reboot and spring into action. |
| covered in a timely manner the cascading would | | | | The flow of energy and the integrity of the system |
| occur. We also saw the rolling blackouts in California | | | | can be maintained. Having automatic back-ups means |
| and the vulnerability of getting the grids energy to the | | | | we can do just that. Computer hacker, attacker, |
| Los Angeles basin where Southern California inhabits | | | | mothernature, no problem, back up and running in a |
| over 16 million people. | | | | nano-second. Regarding the de-regulation of energy, |
| The newest pebble reactors are easy to build and | | | | this is not such a bad idea really, even the |
| manage and have extremely high out put considering | | | | commoditizing of energy is not such a bad idea. This |
| their small size, perfect for islands set down wind from | | | | can be done correctly and can assist businesses in |
| populations. Unfortunately the Three-mile Island and | | | | judging costs and allow entrepreneurs to understand |
| Chernople incident make populations feel | | | | their costs and turn variable costs into fixed costs |
| uncomfortable with Nuclear. Therefore the increased | | | | meaning more investment in R and D, co-generation, |
| regulations have made the cost of construction almost | | | | and larger capital expenditures for manufacturing, |
| not worth it. The ROI of a nuclear power plant could | | | | knowing things will be okay. We see a huge problem |
| take as long 150 years. This is so unfortunate seeing | | | | with factories which switched to Natural Gas to save |
| how great Nuclear power is and how clean it can be | | | | the environment and get some tax breaks and this |
| when handled correctly. For this reason in the past | | | | winter may be put out of business due to the rising |
| three decades no new permits have been granted | | | | costs during the coming shortage of Natural Gas. We |
| and we continue to have a large percentage of our | | | | cannot lose anymore manufacturing jobs in this |
| power coming from fossil fuels which is a problem for | | | | country, especially the ones which have survived so |
| air quality and long term it has many issues such as | | | | far which have been those specialized high paying |
| acid rain. Battell is fixing this problem with clean burning | | | | niche manufacturing jobs or those companies which |
| coal. Imagine having all nuclear power where you turn it | | | | have done well since plant and equipment have long |
| on, monitor it and it just sits there and produces | | | | been paid off. Those very high tech robotic |
| energy? We no longer lead the world in Nuclear | | | | manufacturing facilities will lose out to third world labor |
| Energy, now in the age of International Terrorism we | | | | costs due to high costs of energy, we need stable |
| are afraid that if we build Nuclear Power then they | | | | power and the flow of energy. |
| could become a target. This is not proper thinking in the | | | | This is merely one reason we are putting this report at |
| day and age of radar guidance SAM sites, automatic | | | | such a high level. It appears if we are going to spend |
| sensors and back-up systems. We can defend | | | | some 500 plus Billion on a new power grid then |
| Nuclear Power Plants from any type of attack. And | | | | perhaps we might like to look into some of the new |
| generally the newer plants will be put in the middle of | | | | physics we are learning about? Just because Enron is |
| nowhere, thus lessoning the risks even more. | | | | embroiled in scandal does not mean the energy or |
| Now then how many people will breath polluted air if | | | | pollution credits should not be traded or that free |
| we do not have a continued mix of these nuclear | | | | markets should not soften the fluctuation in pricing or |
| plants contributing to the grid. And is the grid safe any | | | | that energy should not be deregulated. It really is time |
| way, seeing as we already had one blackout, which | | | | to get the grid together, get the back ups in place, set |
| was purely a failure. Iran, N. Korea, Pakistan, India, | | | | our selves up for flawless energy and lower the costs. |
| Argentina, Armenia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, | | | | It appears to me that when it is possible companies, |
| China Red, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, | | | | individuals and government agencies should in fact |
| Hungary, France, South Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, | | | | generate their own power. At their houses with fuel |
| Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, | | | | cells, solar, wind, etc and plug into the grid so the grid |
| Sweden, Ukraine, UK and USA all have nuclear power. | | | | can work net-centric with sensors allowing for the |
| France is at 68% derived from nuclear. Spain 60%, | | | | closing off or opening of connections to the whole, |
| Sweden 65%, Ukraine 73%, UK 81%. Are we crazy? | | | | when every thing works, it works well, but right now |
| Why are we using so little nuclear? Because we do | | | | when it doesn't everything goes to hell. Why not think |
| not have neighbors yelling at us next door that have to | | | | of it like a ship with a hole in it, the hatches are closed |
| breath our pollution and also because we have little in | | | | and the water coming in is limited to one small area, |
| the way of population compared to land mass. But | | | | meanwhile that small area has a back up, get back on |
| Nuclear only makes sense. Countries have often | | | | line, fixes its problem and then once that is done, |
| thought of over producing to export to nearby | | | | reconnection occurs. Not one fail safe many, many |
| countries and the USA has only 20% of it's energy | | | | smaller fail safes, sensors at each house, street, |
| coming from Nuclear, it ought to be 80% and we ought | | | | housing tract, census tract, zip code, city (maybe many |
| to be producing enough to light up all of the modern | | | | individual sectors), country, state, sub-region, region, |
| countries of Central and North America. We should be | | | | country. All can run independently or all together? |
| producing and exporting our extra, this would mean | | | | The idea is to have all the important items with minimal |
| energy would be cheaper and we would all have | | | | back-up systems while things are restored. There are |
| higher standards of living and better quality of life and | | | | so many ideas we have not explored and should |
| why not? What if we produced 125% of demand? | | | | explore. With a little proper usage and conservation |
| Such a system could work. And yes we could through | | | | and a cohesive plan, the Grid should be so safe and |
| in some Solar, after all we have the technologies; Solar | | | | capable that it no longer will be looked on as a target |
| Power. We could also use some wind, we already | | | | of those who wish us ill. Even devises can be made |
| have some, huge wind farms out there in many places. | | | | that lay on the drive way and the drive wheels of the |
| Our Hydro-electricity accounts for some 20% of our | | | | car sit on them and they spin wheels generating |
| current needs. We do use the most electricity per | | | | electricity for the house. People would not be totally |
| capita than any other country in the World, but we also | | | | without electricity in the event of a Black out, rolling |
| have the strongest middle class and rank near the top | | | | brown out, or large transmission line failure. It is time to |
| in quality of life and standard of living. | | | | put together a complete plan for the next 100 years to |
| For instance try living in Baghdad at 120 degrees with | | | | insure trouble free electricity and power for the |
| no air conditioning. Droughts can hamper hydropower. | | | | country and then the world. Maybe at that point we |
| Instead of paying attention to our needs as the | | | | can look into some revolutionary harvesting of space |
| population grows we are covering our situation we | | | | energy? People need power to sustain civilized |
| immediately find a scapegoat when things go wrong: | | | | societies. If the flow of energy breaks down we will |
| Heads rolling on the Black out blame. Heads Rolling? | | | | we maybe reduced to chaos in the streets, we need |
| It must be obvious to anyone who is reviewing these | | | | to be able to have piece of mind when it comes to the |
| things from a far that we love to blame others after | | | | flow of energy. In the United States we do, but it can |
| the fact instead of covering the bases before the fact. | | | | always be better and as the future moves forward so |
| It is said that the transmission lines for the power grid | | | | should be and we must be committed to reliable, |
| need an upgrade of 600 Billion, which is not significant | | | | affordable and trouble free confidence, power and our |
| especially considering the enormity of the problem and | | | | ENERGY. |