Reply #36: I completely agree. [View All]

The Feds should be funding a national laboratory, you know, like the ones at the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, to design a cheap, sturdy, renewable material based solar array.

That's step 1.

Step 2: ALL new government buildings must be a minimum of 50% solar starting that day.

Step 3: ALL old government buildings in areas with the greatest benefit from solar power are to be retrofitted.

Etc. The statement has to be made that the future counts, that uncertainty in energy supplies can't shut us down, etc. The business community loves uptime. Onsite power generation via solar/wind reduces downtime due to bad grids, local utilities accidentally cutting the main lines, etc.

Buildings are still built without energy savings in mind. Houses are built with black shingle roofs that heat up and make the occupants use air conditioning more frequently. Etc.

It's maddening.

If the rest of the world wants to fight over declining oil fields, that's super. We should be making sure that we have the infrastructure to not require it in farming, pesticides, fertilizers, automobiles, etc.

I'm counting the days until my hybrid's warranty expires, and then I'll be converting it to plug-in hybrid.