| After years of warning the world about global | | | | reductions. |
| warming and its dire consequences, Al Gore, the | | | | This new type of reactor must be designed to be |
| Nobel Prize winner, has finally taken the next, logical | | | | absolutely safe by installing both passive and |
| step. He is proposing a solution. | | | | redundant safety systems. Retrofit reactors should |
| Mr. Gore has realized that conservation measures and | | | | become available in a very few, standardized designs |
| "Cap and Trade" measures do not work. The world | | | | and in sizes that fit up with the predominant sizes of |
| can be saved only, if we completely eliminate all | | | | coal fired boilers in use. |
| carbon dioxide emissions during the next forty years. | | | | While the US will be replacing, retrofitting, or shutting |
| Converting the electric power generating sector first, | | | | down its fossil fuel fired plants, it is an opportune |
| does make the most sense. All major technologies | | | | time to prepare the US to regain its independence |
| for generating electric power from renewable energy | | | | from foreign oil imports. |
| sources are in various stages of development. | | | | Very soon, such activity can save the US more than |
| Installations using wind power, solar energy, | | | | one trillion dollars annually. Past experience shows that |
| geothermal heat, and marine power have been | | | | petroleum prices and consumption of transportation |
| started up and are slowly gaining a measurable | | | | fuels will maintain their unstoppable growths. |
| foothold. | | | | Ideally, the world will continue using its fleets of cars, |
| At present, coal fired power plants generate the | | | | trucks, trains, ships, and airplanes. Ideally, the world |
| least expensive electricity. Therefore, market forces | | | | will keep its oil refineries operating and will preserve |
| will never lead to the shutdown of the most | | | | the huge distribution systems that deliver high quality |
| egregious greenhouse gas emitters. Only legislative | | | | liquid fuels to all corners of the world. Replacement of |
| action can prevent the construction of any new, coal | | | | transportation fleets, oil refineries, and liquid fuel |
| fired power plants. | | | | distribution systems will cost too much and may |
| We must also be aware that it will be very difficult | | | | break the economies of even the richest countries. |
| to satisfy our growing electricity demand by building | | | | We must realize that the world cannot live for more |
| only windmill farms, solar plantations, and geothermal | | | | than a few weeks without transportation of foods, |
| power plants. For many years to come, there will not | | | | goods, and commodities. Famines, riots, and economic |
| be enough manufacturing capacity to build an | | | | upheavals will become unavoidable consequences of |
| adequate number of electric power plants using | | | | the lack of plentiful and affordable transportation |
| renewable energies. Initially, the capital costs of these | | | | fuels. |
| plants will be high, risks for meeting rated output will | | | | To protect against such looming, economic disasters, |
| be well above average, and elevated maintenance | | | | the US must take the lead and learn how to produce |
| costs will be a common experience. | | | | petroleum substitutes from biomass. Recent events |
| We also need to address a few unresolved technical | | | | have taught us that we must never again abuse |
| issues. The most pressing one is the fact that both | | | | arable lands to make ethanol or diesel from food |
| wind power and solar power can supply energy only | | | | crops. |
| on an interruptible basis. Electric power is a fleeting | | | | Instead, we must find plant species with very high |
| commodity and we have not yet developed | | | | energy contents and must grow these plants on arid |
| technologies that are capable of storing large | | | | and infertile lands. By using desalinated water and |
| amounts of electric energy. | | | | novel industrial farming techniques one can grow |
| It seems unavoidable that nuclear power generation | | | | enough biomass to supply the entire world with |
| must assume a more substantial role during the next | | | | transportation fuels for several centuries. Arid lands |
| decades. Nuclear power has become safer and public | | | | are abundant. Best of all, making petroleum |
| resistance to nuclear power plants is slowly receding. | | | | substitutes from renewable biomass sources will not |
| Nuclear power plants can be installed faster once we | | | | have to cost more than $50 per barrel. |
| begin to rely more on standardized reactor designs. | | | | Building plants for the domestic production of electric |
| Nuclear reactors with smaller capacities need to be | | | | power and of transportation fuels from renewable |
| built as replacements for coal fired plant boilers. Huge | | | | energies will make the US strategically more secure, |
| amounts of capital and much time can be saved if | | | | will make us economically stronger, will reduce global |
| existing coal plants can be retrofitted with steam | | | | greenhouse gas emissions by one quarter, will create |
| produced in nuclear reactors to replace coal fired | | | | a huge number of jobs, and will pay for itself by |
| boilers. Steam turbines, generators, substations, | | | | producing large, domestic revenues for many |
| administrative buildings, and cooling towers can | | | | decades to come. |
| continue their operation with only minor performance | | | | |