An outreach and strategy consultant with a background in engineering and real estate who consults on land use issues and is involved in community energy policy, suggested to me that solutions to energy needs need at least the following components:
-- They need to be utterly practical, like making sure there's infrastructure in place for electric outlets in parking garages so that owners of plug-in hybrid cars can commute without fossil fuel burning and then recharge their vehicles while at work so they can get home - in those non-fossil fuel burning cars. And yes, there are things to think about with regards to fossil-fuel burning and electricity generation to run plug-in hybrids as a separate issue.
-- Utilize the engineering smarts within existing utilities and bureaucracies. Oh, if only.
-- Go for 90% pure energy solutions that can work now, with a 20-year planning outlook, vs. waiting for the 100% pure energy solutions and fighting over what those are.
-- Hybridize all systems. This can involve combining solar, wind and geothermal in the same system, possibly even with a fossil-fuels generated backup. This way you can deal with 24 hour and year round availability - along with capacity.
-- Look for community-based, even neighborhood-based solutions. You can have a combination system that distributes energy within a several-block radius. Especially if you're located close to an energy-grid substation.
-- Look for the best possible ratios that are -currently available- and will cover best-case scenarios for several years to come - in terms of net energy between btu's in and delivery out.
(note: image for this blog entry comes from here)
~
