_________________________End of
Story___________________________
| THINK-ISRAEL |
| HOME | May-June 2006 Featured Stories | Background Information | News On The Web |
It is increasingly urgent to find alternatives to fossil fuels and shift the advantage away from rogue regimes that threaten Israel and the West. There may be something constructive that a group of motivated citizens can do to move us faster towards achieving energy independence. This opportunity is best undertaken by Americans, because the critical arena for seeking energy progress is located in the US. This article contains an Action Plan for your consideration. But first, some background.
The past century has seen the most astonishing technological progress in human history. In almost every field of technology - such as air transportation, information science, global communication, space travel, medical innovation, omnipresent computing, etc. - American ingenuity has dramatically transformed this nation, along with much of the world, as well. Except there has not been comparable progress in energy technology.
The 20th century began with American dependence on fossil fuels; i.e. oil, coal and natural gas (OCG). The 21st century now begins with America still overwhelmingly dependent on the same OCG. Even after the oil shock of 1973 we failed to heed that wake-up call to get serious about energy independence. There has been much talk about it, but during all that time our national leadership failed to create a coherent energy policy to achieve that goal.
We all know about familiar alternatives to OCGs, such as nuclear, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal power, as well as coal conversion, ocean waves, the bio fuels of ethanol and methanol, hydrogen, hybrid cars, conservation, efficiency, etc. Despite all of those options, our dependence on imported oil and gas keeps on growing. Our government has failed to fully utilize even these opportunities, while Brazil has now achieved energy independence using ethanol from home-grown sugar cane. SetAmericaFree.org (http://setamericafree.org/), with an impressive leadership comprising its board, has proposed spending twelve billion dollars in a four-year crash program, beginning immediately, to fully utilize all currently available alternatives, to increase energy independence.
Trying to resolve these questions by prolonged and heated debate will only paralyze us, waste precious time and resolve nothing. These issues are highly complex, as well as controversial, and even the energy experts disagree. There needs to be a better approach - and there is, based on verifiable testing of working models. We should develop our own proposal to expand on a new, but limited, energy initiative [See MewsMax news item below] (which includes verifiable testing) that was announced May 11 in the US House of Representatives and known as the "H-Prize Act of 2006". There is nothing to lose and everything to gain by our involvement.
An excerpt from that announcement states:
"Scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs will be able to vie for a grand prize of $10 million, and smaller prizes reaching millions of dollars, under House-passed legislation to encourage research into hydrogen as an alternative fuel."
This means that certain technology claims can eventually be put to the test and we can learn definitively whether or not they perform. But that could still be off in the future.
The good news is that this is a positive step that was long overdue. The bad news is that it applies only to hydrogen, which has serious limitations. It also ignores inventors with other systems that may be available right now. In 2003, the government committed $1.7 billion for a hydrogen research program. In early 2006, the Energy Department announced it would provide $119 million in funding for research into hydrogen fuel cells. A heavy bet is being placed on hydrogen while ignoring other possibilities. A small percentage of the nearly $2 billion already committed could fund additional reward money for other technologies, beyond hydrogen, as long as they achieved the desired results and are available now as working models, ready for evaluation.
It is time to form a Citizen Task Force to insist that our government promptly create a Public Opportunity Program for all energy inventors, not just for hydrogen technology. Our task force will examine the Congressional proposal and then formulate our own supplemental proposal. We will then carry our comprehensive energy message to elected officials, the media, environmental organizations, energy reform organizations, the business community and the general public. Almost every sector of society has a major stake in energy independence and lower costs. We will coordinate the operation working together from our homes via telephone and the Internet. Our objective is to spread our message rapidly and widely. Volunteers will contribute their spare time and a can-do spirit.
With fuel costs high, and rising, Americans are urgently seeking solutions. A window of opportunity exists for ordinary citizens, acting together, to possibly trigger an energy revolution and finally dethrone king oil. The task now is to enroll volunteers for our task force and begin operating.
Technical expertise is not required and volunteers will be adequately briefed by my associate, who has a background in this field and who will organize the entire project. Potential volunteers should e-mail me at rachterry@sbcglobal.net. Please indicate any relevant background. We will get back to you.
Enough talk; it's time for action! "Let's en-roll!"
|
The H-Prize: $10M Prize for Hydrogen Fuel Technology
WASHINGTON -- Scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs will be able to vie for a grand prize of $10 million, and smaller prizes reaching millions of dollars, under House-passed legislation to enAn excerpt from that announcement states: "Scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs will be able to vie for a grand prize of $10 million, and smaller prizes reaching millions of dollars, under House-passed legislation to encourage research into hydrogen as an alternative fuel." This means that certain technology claims can eventually be put to the test and we can learn definitively whether or not they perform. But that could still be off in the future. The good news is that this is a positive step thacourage research into hydrogen as an alternative fuel. Legislation creating the "H-Prize," modeled after the privately funded Ansari X Prize that resulted last year in the first privately developed manned rocket to reach space twice, passed the House Wednesday on a 416-6 vote. A companion bill is to be introduced in the Senate this week. "This is an opportunity for a triple play," said bill sponsor Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., citing benefits to national security from reduced dependence on foreign oil, cleaner air from burning pollution-free hydrogen and new jobs. "If we can reinvent the car, imagine the jobs we can create." "Perhaps the greatest role that the H-Prize may serve is in spurring the imagination of our most valuable resource, our youth," said co-sponsor Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill. The measure would award four prizes of up to $1 million every other year for technological advances in hydrogen production, storage, distribution and utilization. One prize of up to $4 million would be awarded every second year for the creation of a working hydrogen vehicle prototype. The grand prize, to be awarded within the next 10 years, would go for breakthrough technology. "Prizes can draw out new ideas from scientists and engineers who may not be willing or able to participate in traditional government research and development programs, while encouraging them, rather than the taxpayer, to assume the risk," said Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y. Inglis said the Department of Energy would put together a private foundation to set up guidelines and requirements for the prizes. Anyone can participate, as long as the research is performed in the United States and the person, if employed by the government or a national lab, does the research on his own time. He said the prize would not take away funds from any federal hydrogen programs, including the $1.7 billion hydrogen research program that President Bush first detailed in 2003. The Energy Department announced earlier this year that it would provide $119 million in funding for research into hydrogen fuel cells, including $100 million over the next four years to projects to improve components of fuel cell systems. Several automakers have made advances in hydrogen fuel cell technology or dual gas-hydrogen engines, but such vehicles are still very expensive and there's no viable infrastructure of fueling stations. |
This article appeared June 06, 2006 in Arutz-7
Rachel Neuwirth is a Los Angeles-based analyst on the board of
directors of the West Coast Region of the American Jewish Congress and
the chairperson of the organization's Middle East committee. Note that
the views expressed are strictly her own, and may or may not reflect
those of the American Jewish Congress leadership. Contact her by email
at rachterry@sbcglobal.net
(www.IsraelNationalNews.com). It is archived at
www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=6285
| HOME | May-June 2006 Featured Stories | Background Information | News On The Web |