The goal of this book is to move our government, by educating America, to a place of responsible energy solutions which will produce financial and national security. It will provide a grass root opportunity for constituents to demand results from elected servants based on facts - not opinions. These facts are derived from the EIA, DOE, USGS, IPPA, NDGS, and other reputable scientific agencies, not environmental or political opinions. America is facing serious issues concerning its energy and political policies. We, as a people, have to act now to avoid further degradation of our country's future due to special interest groups and political maneuvering that is leaving our nation crippled. It is time the truth is explored and for the masses of Americans to make intelligent decisions as to which strategic path to follow concerning its energy policies, economy, and political infrastructure. This book will be informative and should create a call to action for those who are interested in correcting our Nations energy and financial course.

Resurrection of a Nation

Solving the Energy, Financial, & Political Crisis in AmericaBy Kris Axhoj John P. Walker

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Kris Axhoj & John P. Walker
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-2353-3

Contents

1. America's Current Energy Synopsis.....................12. Cost of Renewable Energy..............................113. Environmentalist or Imperialists?.....................254. The US National Debt..................................395. Government Overhaul...................................496. The Crisis............................................657. The Solution..........................................778. Where we go from here.................................85

Chapter One

America's Current Energy Synopsis

It is evident that the fortunes of the world's human population, for better or for worse, are inextricably interrelated with the use that is made of energy resources. -M. King Hubbert, Resources and Man, 1969

The purpose of this chapter is to understand our country's energy consumption. We will explore the nation's current landscape of energy usage and then analyze the financials behind moving to clean energy in the next chapter. Let's see how dependent we are on fossil fuels and who is supplying our energy needs. We will briefly look at the Department of Energy and how it has helped us over the last thirty-three years of its existence. Finally, we will look at our imports and national security.

In bullet point format, we will explore:

* America's Energy Consumption * What Powers Electricity * Fuel Energy Costs * Where are the Profits * Who is Supplying America's Oil

America's Energy Consumption

There is no doubt America is currently based on a fossil fuel energy system. America's industry has its antennas up to move toward cleaner energy, but the conversion is expensive without government subsidies. The US Government is helping with tax incentives (lost revenue for the country) to help move this popular clean energy movement along. Even with all these intentions, it will take a long time to convert the country from fossil fuels. Take a look at the table below showing the current energy consumption breakdown by supply category:

US Current Energy Consumption Breakdown: 37.1% - Petroleum(ethanol fuel is included in "Renewable Energy.") 23.8% - Natural Gas 22.5% - Coal 8.5% - Nuclear Electric Power 7.3% - Renewable Energy Comprised of: 1% - Solar PV 5% - Geothermal 6% - Waste 7% - Wind 19% - Biofuels 28% - Wood (i.e. bamboo) 34% - Hydroelectric Power From the Department of Energy Annual Energy Review 2008

The dependence on fossil fuels in the US is - Eighty Three Percent! Logistically, that is a lot of energy to displace with "clean" energy. If we leave Natural Gas in the mix as an option for clean energy (accepted by some) but subtract out Petroleum and Coal, Sixty Percent of our energy will need to be replaced by renewable energy. This is not a stagnant number because the US Energy demand continues to increase. The energy consumption increased five percent in the last ten years. The strides to convert to clean "Renewable" energy equal only eight percent of the US total energy consumption after many years of technology advances. Like it or not, America has a long way to go to get rid of its fossil fuel dependency. So what are we going to do in the interim for our energy needs while we are waiting for renewable energy to become more affordable?

Electric Power

It is funny to hear people say we need to convert to electric energy so we will get rid of our fossil fuel dependency. Interestingly, most of the electricity generated in our country is not from renewable energy as the majority of people think. The great dams are not generating the majority of the electricity used for our consumption ... coal is. The following table illustrates the fuels behind America's electrical power plants:

"Clean" Electricity is Powered by the following Fuels: 1% - Petroleum 23% - Natural Gas 45% - Coal 20% - Nuclear Electric Power 7% - Hydroelectric Power 4% - Other Renewable Energy DOE (Electric Power Monthly with data for October 2009)

Electricity is not so clean considering sixty nine percent is fueled by fossil fuels. Coal has the environmentalists up in arms, but with newer "scrubbing" processes, staged combustion processes and now the processes of gasification, technologies exist that minimize pollutants before they can escape into the environment. All coal facilities built after 1978 had to have scrubbers installed to filter out sulfur pollutants.

Just a note on natural gas: It is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels and burns efficiently. Natural gas is composed primarily of methane. The byproducts of burning natural gas are carbon dioxide and water vapor the same compounds we exhale when we breathe. Not too bad for the environment.

Believing our current electric grid will allow us to become energy independent and take the US off fossil fuels using "Renewable Energy" is not the total answer at this time. There are major benefits of using electric power. Almost all the fuel used to power electricity is harvested right here in the US, it is extremely inexpensive, and there is lots of it. We have plenty of domestic coal and gas to power electricity ... essentially keeping dollars in America's economy.

Fuel Energy Costs

We have looked at the types and amount of energy the US is currently using. Let's look at the cost of generating energy from each fuel source to see which one is most efficient. Availability and costs of energy are extremely important to the American economy. As energy prices increase, the economy slows - elementary supply and demand.

The two main costs associated with energy, with traditional fuels or renewable sources, are infrastructure and harvesting/distribution. Infrastructure, which will be explored in the next chapter, can be extremely expensive depending on the technology and fuel type. After the infrastructure is built, the variable costs of harvesting the energy and its distribution are associated with every unit of energy produced.

The infrastructure, harvesting, and distribution systems for fossil fuels have been established and accepted for the longest period of time. The newer Renewable Energies (outside of wood and hydroelectric) are becoming more affordable as demand continues to grow, but are only practical when incentives, usually government incentives, make up the cost difference.

The latest published data by the Department of Energy show the costs per sector of energy:

Energy Costs (Cost in 1970 Nominal Dollars per Million Btu by Energy Sector): $17.89 - Petroleum $9.62 - Natural Gas $1.78 - Coal $0.44 - Nuclear Electric Power $3.18 - BioFuels Energy Information Administration, "State Energy Data 2006: Prices and Expenditures"

Isn't it amazing! The most expensive cost is from the largest commodity used in America's energy consumption: petroleum. It just makes sense to target this commodity to relieve pressure on the US economy and national security. Why have we not worked on this issue before? The obvious answer is to increase...