Republic Rules - The U.S.A. is a great representative republic.

With all the worry about rapidly rising gas prices, I’ve been thinking about alternative fuels and ways to reduce our dependence on oil (foreign or domestic). Given that we’re a mobile society, it seems like cars (of some sort) are here to stay… but they’ll have to eventually be powered by something other than gasoline since that accounts for the vast majority of our use of oil in the U.S.

An aside: the current frenzy to use food products (corn) to produce ethanol to power cars is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen in a long time… but some people apparently “feel good” about this “renewable energy source”. It might be great for corn growers, and the agriculture lobby is a strong political influence in Washington, but it is a blatantly stupid solution to the energy problem. Why? It takes more energy to produce ethanol than it provides. It’s a net energy consumer, not contributor.

And that doesn’t even consider the side effect on food prices.

I’ve always liked the idea of electric cars, and there are a number of prototypes proven to be effective. A main problem that still exists are batteries that will power a vehicle for, say, 500 miles… AND… can be quickly recharged. Undoubtedly, advancements in technology will find a solution eventually. Even then, however, we’ll still have a basic problem:

Where will the electricity come from?

Today, the most common fuel source used in generating electricity is coal. Without getting into the discussion of whether coal is the right choice or not from an environmental perspective, it has an inherent problem: it is bulky and must be transported… which leads us back to oil to power those big train engines that carry most of the coal.  Doesn’t seem like coal is the answer.

Where else does electricity come from?  Hydro dams… but we’re pretty much maxed out on possible locations.  Wind power… this might be viable in certain areas once technology addresses some of the shortcomings, but it just isn’t likely in many areas of the country.  Solar power… again, future technology will address the problems, but it seems we’re further from a practical solution than most people think.

So, I thought about nuclear power. Yes, there’s the waste disposal issue, but using nuclear energy to produce electricity is about the most efficient and cost effective option we’ve found so far. Which leads to a logical question and I’m guessing many people don’t know the correct answer (I didn’t).

How much of the electricity generated in the U.S. is produced by nuclear power?

• 0%
• 1%
• 5%
• 20%
• 50%

Given the fact that the nuclear industry has been under such heavy environmental criticism and negative press for decades, I suspect most people think it is way too dangerous and that little or no nuclear power is used in the U.S. (except in the military, such as powering submarines).

There are 103 active nuclear power stations in the U.S. and they provide almost 20% of all our nation’s electricity. In fact, that’s been the case for 20 years! By comparison, France uses 59 nuclear reactors to meet over 75% of its electricity requirements.

Our nation’s future energy will likely come from a variety of sources. If our use of OIL must go down significantly, though, something else must pick up the slack… soon. Seems like nuclear power could handle a good portion of that.  The technology is already developed and proven.  While it might not be the ultimate long-term solution, it is certainly a viable mid-term solution.