I remember the same objections to the Internet and the disintermediation it brought to businesses.
Dude, the push for alternative fuels has NO SIMILARITY to what occurred with the creative destruction brought on by the internet.
The internet revolution was CLEARLY a productivity enhancing, leading to cutting out middle men in the retail sector, as well as creating the proliferation of information, essentially for free. The internet created avenues for MORE competitive forces to access the consumer and compete in a virtual marketplace.
Alternative fuels, thus far, are attempting to replace an economically productive energy source (albeit with environmental consequences) with a MORE EXPENSIVE substitute that is not as reliable or efficient. Alternative fuels, so far, do not provide an economic benefit that exceeds the existing infrastructure. They cost more, produce less energy, or in the case of this crazy ethanol craze, place an economic cost on vital consumer staples.
IOW, it's like already having the internet, but proclaiming that you have exploited high technology that will allow you to FedX a document around the world in 10 minutes, despite the fact that you could ship the PDF file via email and have it there instantly (or up to 5-10 minutes depending on network traffic).
The reality is that we need an alternative energy policy that exploits the infrastructure we already have (bio-fuels most likely created from Algae/bacteria or NG) while we're waiting for R&D to provide us the technology to accomplish mass scale energy conversion and/or storage.
We're on the cusp of this, IF we can obtain mass electrical storage capacity. Ultracapacitors represent the greatest promise, IMO, but they hold inherent risks as well (every car would become a potential EMP IED that could put our network infrastructure at risk).
But it has to be done in a manner where economic benefits outweigh the costs. It must be profit enhancing for business and/or cost reducing for the consumer and yield economic productivity growth.
We ain't there yet.. and the direction we're taking doesn't seem to be the one that will get us there anytime soon.
Hawk |
