Energy and technology, Part I
9/17/07
The technology boom over the past 25 years has been the most life-changing human accomplishment in the past 150 years, at least. In a matter of 10 years, or less, the world learned of the internet and started using it, for everything from dating, to buying groceries and books, to arguing, and to reading the news. No industry has been unaffected by the internet and improvements in computer technology.
We are, us the living, incredibly lucky to have lived through this boom. Most Americans remember when few people had computers, and even fewer used them for anything productive. Thus we have seen a truly unique advance in technology for a number of reasons.
My interest is in energy. I am very excited about a world full of solar panels, hydroelectric dams, wind farms, biomass farms, etc. This interest stems quite a distance from the normal reasons people like renewable energy, such as reducing the greenhouse effect, global warming, conservation, etc. While these are very, very important they aren’t what is most attractive for me. And, I truly believe, they aren’t what should be most attractive to you. Sadly, I do believe that we’ll blow ourselves up way before we choke on carbon dioxide, drown in glacier water, cook in a greenhouse, or stave from lack of meat. Therefore, I’m most interested in renewable energy as a form of national security, foreign policy, and creating a domestic economic transfer. These are all far too large to discuss in one blog article, but suffice it to say that I believe that the Right and Left in America should see this issue similarly although through different lenses.
Getting back to technology, I love it. I really truly love surfing the web. I chat with people from around the world, buy things, read interesting thoughts, and log my own life’s actions and thoughts online. I have a laptop and cell phone that I bring with me wherever I go world-wide. In 1992 my Mac Classic cost me around $1,100. For about the same price, 15 years later, I have an experience so totally different, and better, that there is truly no comparison. It is almost hard to understand why people even bought computer back then.
So, how can we learn from the Technology Miracle of the past 30 years? Below I outline some general differences that I've seen, off the cuff. Eventualy, I hope to create real suggestions for developing an energy policy based in large part of what we've learned in the process from the Timex Sinclair of 1982 to the laptops of today.
Energy companies are large enough to be able to contort public policy. Tech companies are usually start-ups with no lobbying power.Technology requires energy.Currently, some technologies such as the internet are highly modular, which energy is most centralized.Tech has been historically American, while energy is world-wide, although mostly in the mid eastEnergy uses centuries old technology, which technology is relatively new as an industry.Technology attracted the best and brightest from the 70s to the 90s while energy has been seen as blue collar.Technology has had the allure of massive profit for those in it; energy has historically held no such power.Mankind achieved much success with 10% of the technology we currently have; a 90% reduction in available energy would cause the death for billions, rather quickly, too.Technology is manmade, while energy is at base natural.Technology improves by small companies. Energy companies are large.Technology lacks the foreign policy issues that are wed to energy.In future posts, I'll flesh these out.