Al Gore challenged America to make its electricity production completely carbon-free in 10 years, The Washington Post reports."We are borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that
destroy the planet," said Gore.
Gore's proposal would require Americans to scrap coal-fired power plants and create a new energy infrastructure that retains nuclear power at its current level, 20 percent of electricity generation, and expand the less than 3 percent of electricity currently produced by renewable sources.
He admits that the plan will initially drive energy prices higher, but is proposing a payroll tax cut to offset the higher prices for fuel and electricity.
Gore's speech was well received by both presidential candidates in the New York Times. While many energy experts greeted the challenge with skepticism in the Washington Post and were quoted as saying the challenge is a "superstretch goal," because renewable energy equipment manufacturers would have a hard time supplying enough equipment to meet the challenge.
However Washington Post Open-Ed Columnist, E. J. Dionne Jr., writes that the challenge is pointing America in the right direction.
Over at CNET, Neal Dikeman has an interesting take on Gore's challenge to produce 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and "truly clean carbon-free sources" within 10 years:
That statement is about like challenging your 2 year old to finish college by the time she is 12. Not exactly practical, more than a little crazy, and likely to be either ignored, or if you push it, to cause lots of therapy sessions by the time she is 8. I will, however, credit him with getting almost every renewable energy platitude I've ever heard into one succinct speech.
