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Like it
or not, we are in the boat together. And the boat is becoming overloaded.
In the US today, electric energy losses are increasing as we try to push
ever more power through a transmission and distribution system that was
not designed to handle the load. More than two-thirds of our boilers and
electric power plants are at least 30 years old, and more than 40% are
40 years or older.
By 2009, six of the countrys ten electricity regions -- serving
about 65 percent of U.S. customers -- will fall below the traditional
power industry standard of a 10 percent safe reserve capacity margin without
substantial increases of new power generation.
By 2020, EIA estimates that U.S. electricity requirements will more than
double from today's 700,000 megawatts to approximately 1,500,000 megawatts.
Our goals should be to replace and expand our domestic energy supplies
through renewable or alternative methods of generation, develop advanced
and highly-efficient systems to deliver this energy, and improve end-use
energy efficiencies.
As we revitalize and expand our national energy infrastructure, this strategy
will help reduce transmission system congestion and energy losses by placing
energy generation at or near the point of consumption. Given the advance
of technology, (Moore's Law) this resource will be ready for us, before
the system is ready to use it.
The President of the United States, in his National Energy Policy, called
for "Reliable, affordable and environmentally sound energy for America's
future." The key word here is "future."
The Energy Web will be part of that future.
Gary D. Cox,
Interdisciplinary Studies
Marylhurst University
This informational
site is an educational site on the Energy Web. Any educational facility
is granted permission to use any of these contents. If there are any questions
contact the writer at the link below or consider visiting ASK
AN ENERGY EXPERT at the Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy Site.
CLICK
HERE to go back to the Energy Web map. CLICK HERE
to go back to the top
This material
was originally prepared as a projected outcome for ENV 356, Energy Resources
of the Northwest, taught at Marylhurst University by Michael Fitzgerald
This entire
site is copyright 2003 by Gary D. Cox
www.garycox.com gary@garycox.com
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