Pickens Plans On Wind Power 587
Hugh Pickens writes "T. Boone Pickens (no relation) has launched an energy plan and social-networking campaign that calls for replacing Middle Eastern oil with Midwestern wind. The Pickens Plan would exploit the country's 'wind corridor' from the Canadian border to West Texas to produce 20 percent of the country's electricity and provide an economic revival for rural America. Transmission lines would be built to transport the power where the demand is and natural gas, now used to fuel power plants, would instead be used as a transportation fuel, which burns cleaner than gasoline and is domestic. Pickens proposed that the private sector finance the investment, which would result in a one-third reduction, equal to $230 billion, in the U.S.' yearly payments to foreign countries. Pickens has already invested heavily in wind, notably a planned 4,000-megawatt wind farm in his native Texas. 'We've got to get renewable into the mix. The problem for this country is that we're paying $700 billion — you heard that — $700 billion a year,' Pickens says. 'We can't afford that. In 10 years we'll be broke if we continue that.'"
Capitalisim at its best... (Score:3, Funny)
Get some added transmission lines to the main grid from the 'wind corridor' and we up and running.
-Pickens is putting his money where his mouth is and at the same time helping America, that is a true Capitalist and a Patriot.
Broke in 10 years ? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What about??? (Score:1, Funny)
you can get all of the hot air you'd ever need in washington DC
Re:What about??? (Score:5, Funny)
What about upright wind tunnels? They build a big structure a mile tall with plastic tarps 10ft above the surface for a few miles radius.
Air warms up under the tarp and goes up the tunnel. Estimates put power at around 500 MW. It was a project around Australia somewhere but it was cut to 1/2 mile for some reason (I dont know).
There was talk about building one over the Senate but it's believed the upward rushing hot air would cause a massive drop in air pressure for the surrounding neighborhoods endangering public health. The current system of not requiring Senators to attend most sessions seems to be working.
Re:What about??? (Score:5, Funny)
Not that it really matters, but since you were being a semantic pedantic, I might as well be too.
You can't be a pedantic, because pedantic is an adjective. The noun form is pedant.
Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Get off his nuts (Score:5, Funny)
I am amazed that you missed out public transport. One day, the people of the USA are going to have to get used to sitting next to strangers again.
Re:What about??? (Score:5, Funny)
'Pedantic' isn't an adjective; the word 'pedantic' is an adjective.
You give us pedants a bad name.
Re:Capitalisim at its best... (Score:2, Funny)
>> Are there things we could do to push the cost of some of those alternatives down?
Sure, all we have to do is HOPE really, really hard and the CHANGE will come. We can build up all of this HOPE, and then trade it for alternative energy CHANGE.
No, I'm New Here (Score:0, Funny)
No, I'm New Here
Solar Tower Dual Use (Score:2, Funny)
Perhaps we should build a solar tower and put a parking lot in the space under it. The cars would contribute their waste heat and increase the energy output of the tower.
Heck, they could even build a shopping mall under it for the triple-whammy. A solar tower that captures solar energy, recycles waste heat from cars and collects rent from retail space.
Re:I saw that commercial too (Score:3, Funny)
Not only that, but America has been DESIGNED for the automobile.
Wasn't it John Adams who used to cruise around Boston in his Ford F-150?