Obama energy options may be long wait …Technology costly, scarce
President Obama’s plan to move quickly to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources relies on technology that analysts agree is neither affordable nor available on a commercial scale and won’t be for many years to come.
Expensive, small-scale pilot projects are under way that convert vegetation into fuel for cars and capture carbon dioxide before it is released into the air from coal-burning power plants. But these prototypes have not been proved at levels that would make even a dent in the U.S. appetite for fossil fuels, casting doubt on the viability of the president’s plans.
Still, the administration continues to promote policies that assume that these pilot programs will soon become large-scale projects and is seeking funds to bring that day closer.
“It’s promoting a vision that no one knows what the true cost will be and [whether] these technologies will succeed on a large scale,” said Bryan K. Mignone, a climate and energy analyst at the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution.
“The administration wants a solution fast to the technology problems,” said Nathaniel Greene, director of renewable-energy policy for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
But a solution might not emerge as rapidly as the administration would like. Mr. Greene said energy specialists joke that the “next generation” of biofuels is five years away from commercial use - and has been that way since the 1980s. Despite some promising breakthroughs in ethanol, he said, it will be years before the next-generation fuels are widely available.
Read full story at Washington Times
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment