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Home economy

Tesla-ism

by Dana Blankenhorn
April 28, 2007
in economy, energy, environment, ethanol, solar energy, The War Against Oil
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Nikola_tesla
The biggest mistake being made in The War Against Oil is Tesla-ism.

Nikola Tesla is the father of our modern electric grid. His work with alternating current proved that Edison was wrong, that you didn’t have to build big generators in peoples’ houses, and that you could effectively deliver power to them from hundreds of miles away.

There are some forms of renewable energy, especially geothermal energy, that require a lot of capital to tap, and should be tapped centrally.

But there are other forms of renewable energy, specifically solar and wind energy, that do not require a lot of capital to tap, and thus don’t need to be tapped centrally.

Unfortunately our current political decision-makers are so accustomed to the Tesla system that they really can’t conceive of anything different. So they’re backing huge solar energy projects which will lose more than half their power in today’s inefficient delivery systems.

When you think like that, and act like that, you’re not fighting The War Against Oil effectively. You’re wasting money and wasting energy.

The most important work we can do with capital right now is to improve grid efficiency, and to enable two-way transfer of power. The first will cut our requirements for new major energy generation. The second will enable individual homes and businesses to sell their own generated power back to the grid.

Some examples from the front lines:

  • Opti-Power of California is building a 40 megawatt "solar farm" in Canada. This is a boondoggle. Most of the power will disappear in the delivery.
  • New
    Hampshire has passed a bill that requires power companies to generate
    23% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. 
    Burning wood is defined as renewable energy, and the plan envisions the utilities building new plants. This is short-sighted.
     
  • Iowa is pushing an Iowa Power Fund, $100 million, most of which will go into the production of ethanol. Ethanol comes from plants, but ethanol is hydrocarbons. Ethanol is the methadone against our oil addiction.
     
  • North Dakota passed a renewable energy plan, but over half the money is going into ethanol projects.

The use of ethanol hydrocarbons, which merely extend our present system into the future and don’t do anything about global warming, as well as the extension of centralized electrical generation, need to be fought if we’re to win the War Against Oil.

Tags: alternative energyelectrical gridelectricityethanolNikola Teslarenewable energysolar energy
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Dana Blankenhorn

Dana Blankenhorn

Dana Blankenhorn began his career as a financial journalist in 1978, began covering technology in 1982, and the Internet in 1985. He started one of the first Internet daily newsletters, the Interactive Age Daily, in 1994. He recently retired from InvestorPlace and lives in Atlanta, GA, preparing for his next great adventure. He's a graduate of Rice University (1977) and Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism (MSJ 1978). He's a native of Massapequa, NY.

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Comments 7

  1. Jesse Kopelman says:
    18 years ago

    Is there evidence that the grid even needs improvement to allow 2-way power transfer? I’m thinking this is more of a case of electric companies not bothering to offer the option as opposed to not being able to offer the option. Remember, being a successful monopoly has nothing to do with operating efficiently.

    Reply
  2. Jesse Kopelman says:
    18 years ago

    Is there evidence that the grid even needs improvement to allow 2-way power transfer? I’m thinking this is more of a case of electric companies not bothering to offer the option as opposed to not being able to offer the option. Remember, being a successful monopoly has nothing to do with operating efficiently.

    Reply
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  6. Tesla generator says:
    13 years ago

    Until now, I just can’t imagine how great is Thomas Edison. His invention and discovery is our primary need nowadays.

    Reply
  7. Tesla generator says:
    13 years ago

    Until now, I just can’t imagine how great is Thomas Edison. His invention and discovery is our primary need nowadays.

    Reply

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