Solution for Energy problems, think twice!

Because of the nation’s energy problems, some Republican politicians are calling for extensive and fast deployment of large scale solutions like drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, offshore oil development, constructions of new coal-fired and nuclear power plants and development of clean coal technologies.

A large scale technology agenda has been made into a single mantra: “Drill more, drill now”.

Large-scale technologies are centralized. Their social and economic effects are centralizing. Having large-scale technologies means we will have to depend more on remote energy sources

Small Source Energy

Actually there are many small scale technological solutions available.. There are plenty, indeed, starting with dramatic increases in conservation and efficiency, both of which can pay off hugely simply because Americans are such big—and needless—wasters of energy. These calls for thrift and prudence and increased conservation and efficiency will save consumers and businesses tons of money.

Creative destruction is at work right now. While solar and wind energy provide only a fraction of the world's energy today, they are the fastest growing forms of electric power. Capital investments in wind energy, solar energy, and biofuels grew 43% from 2006 to 2007. Despite the economic downturn, clean-tech market research firm Clean Edge reports a 40% increase in revenue growth for solar photovoltaic, wind, biofuels, and fuel cells in 2007, up from $55 billion in 2006 to $77.3 billion in 2007.

Renewable energy in the market

Hundreds of new clean and renewable energy technologies are in the market. These make possible the “distributed generation” of energy. That is energy generated from small source-solar, wind, fuel-and used nearby.

The technologies are not being made by tree-hugging, anti-growth fanatics or big government regulatory fanatics. They are coming from small entrepreneurial businesses.

Republicans profess to love entrepreneurships. But entrepreneurship has more to do with small rather than large scale enterprise. Big businesses are seldom entrepreneurial and they are seldom found in big business. Entrepreneurs can afford to fail on small scale but not on big scale.