James HolincheckI normally do not stray too far from the boundaries of human capital management and technology, but I am going to make an exception. I read a lot of interesting blogs. I came across two posts from very different avenues related to the energy challenges in the US that I thought were interesting. Cosmic Variance (a blog primarily focused on discussions related to physics) had a post about the stimulus package with a graphic that gives view into U.S. sources and uses of energy. I will not go into all of the details here, but it will give you a perspective about the daunting task of moving to alternative, renewable energy sources. The author makes the perfectly valid point that a lot of basic research will need to be funded in order to identify and develop new sources of energy.
On the Big Picture blog (a blog that predominantly focuses on the financial markets and the economy), they had a post that provides another lens into the energy challenge. The chart in the Cosmic Variance post showed coal provided more than 20% of the energy consumed in the U.S. The Big Picture blog shows coal usage to generate electricity by state and references a New York Times article about how geography is shaping the debate around energy policy.
So, two very different sources of information, but together they give a more nuanced view of the broader issue. Big challenges, and energy is a big challenge, sometimes require big solutions. So far, I see a lot of small bets being placed with the hope that some of them develop into big solutions. Given the magnitude of the challenge, I will venture to say that more a concentrated, dedicated, and longer-term effort is required to fundamentally reduce the dependence of the US (and other nations) on fossil fuels. Think the Apollo program on a much more massive scale.
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