Hi John,
I'm not sure if you responded to my post or Ray's, or both. In any event, my point was that the larger oil companies have, indeed, been at the forefront in many ways of research and in owning patents and intellectual properties, where alternative energy sources are concerned. At the same time, I submit that they are likely using a form of reverse muscular tension in disseminating those capabilities for business related reasons. Just as Verizon, a company that could have blanketed the land with VoIP five years ago if they really wanted to, didn't, in order to preserve for as long as possible the pricing model that they enjoy using their legacy boxes, which has enabled them to sell services at the higher, circuit-switched tier, akin to extracting oil from the provervial rock for as long as possible, if you don't mind my using one of your terms.
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Jim,
While no one in their right mind would disagree with you that the doubling of power generating capabilities, on the surface at least, would be a monumental undertaking by any measure, one also has to take into account the percent utilization of existing utility assets, and how much room those have to grow.
If these are topped out at this time, then your point makes double sense. But is this the case, where nuclear and many other forms of generating plant are concerned? And while you cite brownouts and shortages right here in the States as proof of a number of stress points already existing, are those the result of insufficient infrastructure and fuel supply, or are those situations the result of someone's hands on the controls to limit generation for other reasons?
Dumb like a fox power cos and energy brokers engaging in games of hedging and arbitrage, where market prices of fuel and regulated kw-hr rates to end users take center stage, perhaps?
Likewise, does doubling necessarily mean building new plant structures from scratch, or can doubling be achieved - in part, at least - by growing existing plants and capabilities in an organic manner (add-on) while alternative forms of energy are being slipped into the model slowly over time, as opposed to building discreet new entities and new generation capabilities from the ground up to make up the x2 difference?
FAC |
