Unit 4: An Energy Plan for the Future

Americas energy supply and infrastructure is ancient. According to the chart below, over 80% of our energy comes from non-renewable energy sources such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas. These resources are finite and their use is very detrimental to the environment. Another problem is energy lost through the distribution network. The inefficiencies of the US energy grid resulted in a loss of 6.1% of energy generation in 2005. The percentage is even greater when you factor in the energy not only lost in transportation but in generation. 

Generation

I believe that an immense problem with both our reliance on fossil fuels and our massive energy inefficiencies with power generation lie with nuclear power. We don't have enough of it and we don't have the right type of it. The future of American energy and the future of nuclear power is the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor. This reactor is not only safer and more efficient, but it uses a much more abundant fuel source. The LFTR offers a boost of 63% efficiency from the standard light water reactor. The diagram below explains how the safety measures built into this reactor would greatly reduce the risk of an accident. And with safety now at a much higher standard this technology can be more easily accepted by the general population. Good PR wouldn't hurt as well. To improve air quality in major cities, LFTR should be placed near larger cities  as a supplement for coal. This new abundance of electricity should prove extremely useful for the next step. 

Transportation by Electricity

Electric car technology has come a long way since the 90s. New electric cars have begun to pop up all across the country, not just in California. The new Tesla Model S is at the front line of new innovative electric cars that could pave the way to a better tomorrow today. This car has the capability to travel from 200-300 miles in one charge depending on the model. Depending on the model of car and the charging station, charging can take from up to 8 hours to as little as 20 minutes. 

Another method of transportation that I believe can be accomplished in the next 15-20 years is the hyperloop transit system. This new technology was proposed by Tesla and SpaceX engineers and an alpha-level design was released in 2013. This technology is new, but I believe that if properly executed it can bring fast efficient transit between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and eventually all of the United States. As the development is not closed books, the plans were released to the public and people were encouraged to analyze and provide feedback on the designs. I believe this type of open development on this project will help ensure that this system does get implemented within the next 20 years. 

Infrastructure

I believe the greatest problem with our infrastructure is the lackluster support for electric powered cars. As electric cars such as the Model S become more popular and more used, rare charging stations will become crowded and dysfunctional. The same problem happened during the beginning of the 20th century when internal combustion engines became widely available. The introduction of these charging stations will not be as grueling a task as when petroleum became a needed commodity for cars but it is still a necessary one.