OrionWorks - Steven V Johnson <svj.orionwo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> It is Dr. Storms' assessment that energy costs, at > least for the common man, might actually go up, temporarily, as we > make what might be a costly transition from traditional energy sources > over to CF. According to Storms, he envisions the likelihood of a > lengthy "transition" phase . . . I can't speak for Ed, but I think he means the price of energy will not fall as rapidly in the first world as in the third world and China, because we already have an energy infrastructure, and we have to do two things: 1. Make an orderly transition so that service is not interrupted. I mean, for example, if an elderly poor person is the last person left on the electric power distribution net in a town where everyone else purchases a cold fusion generator, we will have to see to it the elderly person gets a generator too, even if the community has to pay for it. 2. Clean up the mess from the old system. As I mentioned yesterday, this involves things such as digging up old gas station tanks. In third world countries where they have few gas stations. no regulations, and no social safety net, and no environmental regulations, cold fusion will be easier and faster to implement. I think that is true of most technology. I do not think this will be a long-term problem. After 20 years most of the transition costs should be covered. They will be only a tiny fraction of the money we save anyway, so I doubt this will hurt our competitiveness vis a vis China. Ed thinks it might. I think the advantages of having a mature, existing base of technology and educated citizens outweigh the advantages of a clean slate and no pesky regulations. - Jed
