Growing up in Nebraska, one becomes accustomed to a constant 15-25 MPH wind.  I jokingly reason that we have this wind because there is only one tree separating us from the North Pole, but in reality the prairie is unique situated for wind.  I’m not a climatologist, but I suspect the warm, moist air that is generated over the Pacific rises up as it warms, then hits the mountains, cools, and descends along the prairies generating a constant wind.

I took a trip from Omaha to Minneapolis by way of Des Moines.  In the north central part of the state is a massive array of wind turbines.  It’s an amazing drive through the area, and I suspect that we’re only slightly leveraging the capacity of wind in the area.

It seems T. Boone Pickens has an idea on how we can invest more in wind and solar power.  Check out his site.

Oil is that primary factor in our economy.  Changes in the price and availability in oil have a direct impact on all other areas of our economy.

I strongly believe the energy independence is the greatest challenge we face as a country. Forget any idealistic or “global warming” reasons, we are exporting $700 billion each year. We’re increasingly at risk for volatility in oil prices. Venezuela and Iran are trying to use oil to threaten our security.  We’re borrowing great volumes of money to fund our habit.  Now that we’ve tied food with energy, we’re seeing inflation in all areas.  For the same reason I think a “victory garden” revival would be great, I think we need to look at sustainable energy.

T. Boone is no idealist. If his idea is successful, he’ll be even wealthier.  I don’t have a problem with that.  He will have earned it. A reduction by 50% would be such a stimulus to the economy we could eliminate our deficit.  We could face the next renaissance in technology and job creation, and it’s sustainable.

I’m not saying T. Boone’s plan is the best idea, but it is a tangible plan and he’s willing to put up his own money to back it up.  We need to look at transition technologies that allow us to migrate to other energy sources.  These off-the-grid “green” activists that argue for immediate elimination of oil are unrealistic. We need the ability to maintain an economy, but we need to see some action around it.

There is still the challenge of fluctuations in wind and solar availability.  We need a comprehensive plan for energy that leverages wind, direct solar and solar tubes, nuclear, coal, and other energy sources, and improvements in battery technologies and transmission capabilities.  Our transmission network for electricity is old and needs improvements in both management and efficiency.

I think there are some very exciting opportunities that are being proven:

• Solar towers for ensuring 24/7 availability of electricty generation using solar power.
• Honda’s hydrogen home fueling station
• Carbon nanotube batteries that drastically reduce charging time, have less environmental impact, and last much longer.

I realize this is a bit off the topic of travel, but I’m reminded as I drive across the country how vast a space we have at our disposal.  I also want to ensure we have both a sustainable economy and the ability to appreciate our natural areas for future generations.  You need to travel by land to appreciate what resources we have at our disposal.