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[Rolo]

The world could use less oil by energy conservation, new technology, and by changing to renewable energy.

The EU have made a plan to have 20% of its energy from renewable energy by 2020 (they are currently working at 10% by 2010). The EU will save some €400 billions, and create 2 mio more jobs in the EU, because the renewable energy is a local industry, which can not be outsoucred to 3rd world countries or pumped up in some middle east country.
European renewable energy industry projects that 50% of ALL world energy can be renewable by 2040, however it will take investing now (ofcourse ;-) ).

The US also have some programs, but they are not even close to what the EU is doing, and this could lead the US to problems when oil prices gets to high (and its only a matter, when this will be, not if). I think it would be great if US politician started to look at renewable energy as good investments both when it comes to creating jobs, better environment and making the US more secure. Renewable energy should be the next big thing on wall street, but it needs politicians to create a situation, so it can compete with oil, before oil gets so expensive, that it hurts the economy.

Renewable energy should be something every US politician supported - the arguments for using oil or other fossil fuels will only get weaker with time - no need to hold on to something, which can be replaced today, and be good business in the future.

My favorit renewable energy is wind power, but we should be using many different renewable techonlogies in the future, since each technology has its advantages.

Ex. Wind turbine energy balances takes 9 months to generate as much energy as is used in their entire life cycles. This is from the extraction of the raw materials, usage to final disposal. A Wind turbine can produce energy for more than 20 years, meaning you will have atleast 19 years and 3 months of FREE energy (this is energy, not cost).
Wind turbines today can produce 4+ MegaWatts, one of these turbines can produce enough electricity to power 1000 US households yearly.
It is also possible to store energy from wind turbines in the form of hydrogen - this hydrogen could be used later when energy is needed or it could be used as fuel in future fuel cells. Only problems with wind turbines is where to place them, since you are harvesting the wind, then you need to place them where there is alot and constant wind. The ocean is a good idea (especially if you want to produce hydrogen, because you got direct access to water), but actual 6% of the US landmass is producing enough wind to supply 150% of the current electricity used in the US.

And there are other renewable energy, and good ones are solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal, oceanwaves etc.

But one of the big challenges in technology is the price of Fuel Cells.
Fuel Cells, which can be used in cars, are too expensive, because no one is massproducing them, however many companies are looking to change that, and they think that by 2010-2012 fuel cells will be cheap enough to compete with current car engines using fossil fuels. This could have a huge positive impact on the oil usage, pollution, and other problems, which will only get bigger with time.

Bottomline is that politicians need to do something today, and it will pay off as we go from the oil age to the renewable energy age.