TM7. How would transferring coal burning power plants to making synthetic diesel and gasoline dirty? Since 75% of carbon emissions are coal burning power plants, converting them to nuclear power would eliminate that. Vehicles are the remaining 25%. It doesn't matter if they are burning imported oil or synthetic coal derived oil. My plan would make everyone happy except maybe people who are afraid of nuclear power. Coal companies stay in business, oil companies stay in business. Then we can begin the long technology curve to hybrid and later electric vehicles.
The problem is with the current infrastructure. We have enough pipelines carrying oil, gasoline, diesel, and natural gas to go to the moon twice. Until hydrogen cracking can be massively done on an economical scale and the infrastructure for transporting it, for the 175,000,000 vehicles we have in this country, it will be a very long haul curve taking several years to eventually get away from fossil fuels for vehicles.
My plan would take 5-10 years to implement. Beginning right now it would take 5-10 years to build an place in service a nuclear power plant. Coal gasification plants may take less time. But both should begin now. Throw in some windmills in the plain states and coastal states, we can easily get away from coal burning power. In order to keep the coal workers, railroads, trucking etc busy delivering coal and not loosing jobs, that industry can be converted to coal gasification for synthetic fuels, until we can get hybrids and electric cars low cost and practical, and mass produced. Half of our imports is oil, solves the trade deficit, keeps jobs at home, and produces good high paying jobs, especially in nuclear power plants using already trained retired navy personnel and in the coal gasification plants It may take 20 years or more to get hybrids and electrics to make a significant impact on the vehicles.
Another thing to consider, diesels get higher mileage than gasoline vehicles. Now if you make a hybrid diesel, you might could double mileage. Another thing to consider, you get more diesel fuel from a barrel of oil than gasoline. Less oil needed, less imports.
France produces 85% of its electricity from nuclear, Germany 50%, Great Brittan, 50%. Germany also produces about 10-15% from wind. Europe is way ahead using nuclear and wind, especially those three. We produce about 25% from nuclear, 40% from coal, 15% from natural gas, 10% from hydro, the rest from wind and fuel oil. We have not begun to scratch the surface for wind, except in some plains states and California.
