EV Affordability or Gas Engine Efficency? Determining America's Transportation Future

Which will come first: Vehicles like the Chevy Volt becoming more affordable (unsubsidized) or gasoline, and diesel, powered cars achieving the fuel efficiency of vehicles like the Volt (60 mpg)? Whichever reaches their ultimate goal will determine America's automobile future. If I can buy a Volt for $20,000 or a regular gas/diesel car that gets 60 mpg for $20,000, I am going to do that. Whichever comes first is going to be the game changer.

Net Zero Department of Defense

What is incredibly ironic of many clean energy supporters is that they support de-funding the Department of Defense. They believe that those billions of dollars will simply be able to directly transfer over to the Department of Energy for tax credits and subsidies for clean energy. Unfortunately, that is what every detractor believes when they want the military defunded. "It will go to fund Universal Healthcare...it will go to help issue loan guarantees for a renewable energy standard...." Pretty much everything except Veterans benefits is what detractors would want the money to go to. Instead, that money would simply go to give most government workers a pay raise, or to buy office supplies, or government vehicles, and would never find simply transfer from the DoD's bank account to the DOE's. For instance, if clean energy advocates occasionally did their homework, they would see that all branches of the military are aiming for some form or another of Net Zero capability, along with their individual energy plans. The Marine Corps will reduce their liquid fossil fuel demands by 50% by 2025. You'll notice that I said "will" instead of "plan to" because it is a direct order from the Commandant of the Marine Corps, James Amos. It becomes exceedingly clear to people that catch on that you do not have to go through Congress for these sorts of things, something I'm sure they can appreciate. Let's be honest, when you can achieves something that needs done, doing it the simplest way possible is what needs to be done. Now I'm not talking about not being transparent or bypassing congress, but informing people and then doing what needs done. Additionally, Marines are issued a REPPS kit, or Rucksack Enhanced Portable Power System, which is a 62-watt kit which can power anything. Here's a video on what the Marines are doing.





Here is a video on what the Army is doing.



Another video on what the Marine Corps is doing.

Here is a video of the Navy testing their MH-60S Seahawk Helicopter on Algae Biofuel

As you can clearly see, while the DOD may consume a large amount of energy it is  running, not taking steps, running in the right direction. There are clearly identifiable Net Zero goals through all the branches, plus the DOD is trying to have as positive PR as possible. Think about it: The price of renewable energy will drop significantly more and faster thanks to the DOD solving their fuel needs by implementing renewable energy. There have been no reports of any executives disagreeing over net zero or renewable energy at all. Since the Iraq War is concluding, more money is now available for getting renewable energy out to all branches of the military and quickly. I predict the entire DOD being Net Zero before 2030. Will it really take nearly twenty years to do that? At the rate the military is progressing, I do not think so. Anyways, keep an open mind when it comes to renewable energy and the military because the person it may benefit the most could be you.

Increasing Algae Biofuel Advocacy

A good way to bring certain environmentalists and your typical corn ethanol supporters over into the algae biofuel camp is to make a good apples-to-apples comparison. The way you do this is by saying something like "Every 100 gallons of algae biofuel produced is the equivalent to planting x amount of trees" because it is removing that CO2 from the atmosphere. On another note, it appears that Solazyme is the clear leader in the algae biofuel industry. They have infinite advantages over first  and second generation biofuels, and over the rest of the third generation advanced biofuels such as

• It can be grown 24/7
• They grow it vertically in enormous containers which can hold tens of thousands of gallons of algae.
• It has a very high yield content
• It has the best emissions data so far, with reductions in diesel emissions by 85-93%.

How to Educate People on Solar and Garner Acceptance Overnight

Pretty much the title of this blog is over the top. However, I believe there is an exception. How you achieve this is you take an enormously popular brand that millions of people use, and then integrate solar into the devices. What else could I be talking about other than Apple? Think about it: Most calculators and some keyboards have an integrated solar cell, and have had them for as long as I can remember. To bring solar closer to home you need to add it to Apple's product line. I would recommend starting with the macbook and moving to the iPhone. It could look something like this:







Now there are a bunch of dorky after-market products that can get your gadgets charging, but if you start with Apple and then go to all laptops you will really have people fired up. The caveat that comes with this is that they must sell it for the same price as usual. This will be something people can be on outside at a Starbucks under a nice shade and be getting some complimentary extended battery life.