NSF STC Sustainable Futures Research Overview

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Sustainable Systems Alternative and Renewable
Energy Systems Jerry Schnoor Sustainable Systems
Class 21 April, 2008
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Outline of the Class

• Energy Efficiency
• Automobiles
• Hybrids
• Fuel cell cars
• Hydrogen fuel cell cars
• Alternative Energy Sources
• Solar
• Wind
• geothermal
• Policy Implications and ways to affect markets
• Taxes
• Tax credits
• Subsidies
• Regulations

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U.S. CO2 Emissions by Economic Sector (EIA)

• Percentage of U.S. CO2 Emissions
• Transportation 32
• Industrial 29
• Commercial 18
• Residential 21
• Most of the emissions are from liquid/gaseous
  fuels such as gasoline and diesel for cars and
  trucks (transportation) and natural gas and fuel
  oil for heating buildings (50-60)
• Another huge source of emissions and the fastest
  growing sector is electricity (40 of all
  emissions)

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Energy Alternatives for Future Sustainability

• Energy Efficiency
• Appliances, motors, insulation, lighting
• Hybrid engines
• Combustion turbine combined cycle plants
• Microgeneration technology
• Renewables
• Wind
• Solar
• Geothermal
• Biomass (ethanol/biodiesel)
• Hydropower, tidal

• Other Technologies
• Clean coal technologies with carbon sequestration
• Nuclear power
• Hydrogen fuel cells and distributed power

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Energy Efficiency

• Appliances, motors, insulation, lighting (compact
  fluorescents)
• There is still much improvement to be made here,
  and it is being driven by EPA requirements on
  more energy efficient appliances, building codes,
  and voluntary programs (Energy Star) computers
  getting much more efficient
• Hybrid Gasoline/Electric engines
• Gasoline/electric hybrids are increasing rapidly
  (Honda Civic, Accord Toyota Prius, Lexus,
  Highlander SUV Ford Explorer GM buses and
  trucks)
• Beachhead technology has benefited from federal
  income tax credit
• What will ultimately be their market share? If
  only 20, that is not enough.

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Leadership in Energy Efficiency Buildings

• GHG emissions associated with our buildings is
  40-50 of the total
• Low Hanging Fruit (buildings like a tree Wm.
  McDonough, Cradle to Cradle)
• Change out our capital stocks
• Cars (5-10 yrs)
• Wind Power (2-5 yrs)
• Power plants (50 yrs )
• Buildings (50-75 yrs)
• LEED certification is run by the U.S. Green
  Building Council

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LEED Buildings

• Advantages
• Energy efficiency will pay for itself over the
  long run
• Geothermal
• Passive solar
• Optimal lighting
• insulation
• Water conservation
• Disadvantages
• Cost reqd for certification by an outside entity
  (USGBC)
• Trained professionals needed who think this way

LEED gold in Minnesota
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Hybrid Electric Cars

• On right, Honda Insight, the first
  hybrid/electric car available in the U.S. in 2001
• Many feel hybrids are nearly overall as efficient
  as hydrogen fuel cells cars right now, and they
  represent a sensible transition to a hydrogen
  economy
• Advantages ???
• Disadvantages???

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Hybrid Electric Cars (transportation is 1/3 of
all GHG emissions in U.S.)

• Advantages
• Better mileage (38-52 mpg) less GHGs
• Uses existing infrastructure (gas stations,
  maintenance)
• Long range (500-600 miles)
• Enjoys federal tax credit
• Disadvantages
• They are 2,000-5,000 more expensive per vehicle
• The battery technology is supposed to last 5-8
  years, and the Life Cycle Assessment of all those
  batteries is an issue
• Long pay-back periods

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Plug-in Hybrids

• Advantages
• Use wind power at night to recharge the battery
  at a cost of 0.50/gal (thus making wind storable
  in 200 million car batteries)
• 50-100 mpg depending on your ratio of commuting
  to long-haul
• Disadvantages
• More expensive cars
• Recharging stations needed and time-to-recharge

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Plug-in Hybrids

• Plug-in Prius will be on the market very soon
• Chrysler working on plug-in vehicles also
• GM working on all electric car, the Volt

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Hydrogen Internal Combustion Car

• On the right, BMW 740 h series hydrogen fuel cars
  (internal combustion) that run on hydrogen or
  gasoline
• Already available in Munich and Berlin in Germany
• Emissions are pure water vapor when running on
  hydrogen
• H2 1/2 O2 ? H2O
• Advantages ???
• Disadvantages ???

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Hydrogen Internal Combustion Car

• Advantages
• Fuel cell not required (with its costs and
  difficulties)
• Can run on gasoline for long trips H2 for short
  ones in cities avoid pollution
• Good transition to spur hydrogen infrastructure
  until fuel cell cars arrive
• Disadvantages
• Nitrogen oxides emitted from N2 in air upon
  combustion w/ H2 fuel
• Hydrogen infrastructure is still needed without
  advantages of efficiency

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Fuel Cell Cars are highly efficient and could be
run on gasoline, methane, methanol, or ethanol...
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Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

• GM HyWire prototype (due out in 2012) is shown at
  the right
• Honda FCX is already available and on the road in
  Japan, southern California, and Washington D.C.
• Advantages???
• Disadvantages???

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Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

• Advantages
• Emissions are pure liquid water (distilled
  water) no NOx, PM2.5, HC/VOCs smog, ozone, GHGs
• Highly efficient combustion efficiency double
  that of gasoline internal combustion cars
• Disadvantages
• Cost (capital and OM)
• Hydrogen infrastructure needed pipeline gas
  compressors hydrogen is invisible, explosive
• How to make the H2?
• If gas or methane reforming used, then carbon
  sequestration problem
• Low range due to compressed hydrogen fuel
  (300-400 atm) hydrogen storage at liquid
  densities needed
• Proton exchange membrane (fuel cell maintenance)

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Hydrogen Fuel Cells
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Honda FCX Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car is on the road
in California

• Mechanical engineering students at UI are
  researching water transport through the Nafion
  proton exchange membrane in the fuel cell of the
  new Honda FCX hydrogen fuel cell car with Prof.
  L.D. Chen
• There exist refueling stations for hydrogen fuel
  cell cars and buses in Germany, Iceland,
  Washington, D.C., California and other locations

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Future for Hydrogen Based Economy?

• Problem is that it is only an energy carrier and
  it is the lightest element on earth
• H2 is formed from methane CH4 (currently) or from
  other fossil fuels by using the energy in the
  fuel and abstracting the hydrogen
• H2 can also be formed by electrolysis of water
  using wind or solar energy but the process is not
  very efficient

GM Hy-wire ca. 2012?
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Major advantages of a hydrogen fueled economy

• Hydrogen, when utilized in a fuel cell or burned
  in an internal combustion engine, emits pure H20
  as its only emission
• Hydrogen could allow storage of wind and solar
  energy to be used for fuel cells
• Hydrogen fuel cells are very efficient, roughly
  twice as efficient as internal combustion
  vehicles when used in a motor vehicle

Hydrogen fuel cell consists of Nafion PEM
membrane separating air (O2) at the cathode from
H2 fuel at the anode with Pt catalyst H2 ½ O2
H2O
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Major disadvantages of a hydrogen fueled economy

• Hydrogen is very expensive to make (10x more
  expensive than wind power)
• Infrastructure does not exist for fueling
  stations, car manufacturing, or hydrogen
  transporation (perhaps could be retrofitted to
  natural gas pipelines)
• Hydrogen fuel cells still have major problems
  with cost and longevity
• Hydrogen storage on-board is a major problem (350
  atm pressure required or more) resulting in short
  ranges (

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Transitioning to the Future

• First, Hybrid electric cars (0-20 years)
• Plug-in hybrid electric cars (50-100 m.p.g.)
• Plug-in hybrid electric cars with flex fuel E85
  ethanol made from cellulose (100-200 m.p.g. of
  fossil fuels)
• Hydrogen fuel internal combustion cars to begin
  to build the hydrogen transportation
  infrastructure (10-15 years)
• Fuel cell cars (10-25 years)
• Fuel cells running on ethanol or methanol (or
  even gas) because of their greater efficiency
• Hydrogen fuel cell cars and appliances with
  infrastructure borrowed from the natural gas
  pipelines (15-30 years)
• Hydrogen storage in metal hydrides (LaNi5H6) or
  carbon nanotubes at almost liquid densities

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Advantages and Disadvantages of going to H2

• Advantages
• No emission other than water and water vapor
• Makes wind and solar power storable
• Could be a part of a distributed energy network
  with every home making hydrogen from solar PV
  roofs with electrolysis, hydrogen storage and
  hydrogen fuel cell appliances
• Fuel cells are very efficient

• Disadvantages
• H2 is very expensive to make currently
• There is no infrastructure for hydrogen
• GHG could still be a problem if the hydrogen is
  made from natural gas CH4 or from hydrocarbons
  like petroleum

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Solar Energy

• No country uses as much energy as is contained
  in the sunlight that strikes buildings each day.
  Denis Hayes
• Types of solar energy
• Solar Photovoltaics (PV) photons strike
  semiconductor and generate electrons to produce a
  current
• Solar Thermal photons strike another fluid or
  material to make heat that is circulated through
  the facility (e.g., solar water heat)
• Passive Solar utilizing building angles w.r.t.
  to the sun controllers on blinds, awnings,
  overhangs roofing materials etc.
• Growth rate 31 per year
• Applications Off-grid electricity, mobile
  appliances distributed power
• In India, solar cells are now cheaper than
  kerosene lamps (leap frog technology). Small
  scale credit programs are needed to finance them.
• Japan leads in solar cell manufacturing (70,000
  homes in Japan have solar roofing)
• Advantages??? Disadvantages???

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Solar Photovoltaics Advantages and Disadvantages

• Advantages
• Clean renewable energy
• Perfect for off-grid and specialty applications
• Power production pattern fits very well with wind
  often times
• Source of hydrogen via electrolysis in
  distributed power applications
• Costs are decreasing rapidly

• Disadvantage
• High cost
• Uses materials that have relatively high,
  non-renewable environmental burdens (LCA), e.g.,
  semiconductor metals and batteries
• Solar PV is not storable except by using
  batteries or producing hydrogen

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Solar Photovoltaics

• MicroDish is one form of solar PV Concentrating
  Technology on a CT tracker
• Focuses sunlight on a high efficiency
  multi-junction cell
• Uses Spectrolab solar cells
• Arizona Public Service in Prescott Arizona

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Solar Photovoltaics

• Amonix concentrating photovoltaic array (CPV) is
  another type of concentrating technology Arizona
  Public Service
• Rectangular solar arrays standing in excess of 40
  ft high
• Each array consists of 2-5 megamodules
• Each megamodule consists of a concentrating lens
  that focuses sunlight onto a very small
  photvoltaic cell

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Solar Photovoltaics for Power at Utility Scale

• Arizona Public Service has a 2 MW PV facility in
  Prescott, Arizona in cooperation with Sandia
  National Laboratories
• This is a demonstration system to assess field
  performance, OM, and cost

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Solar Cell Construction Materials Science

• Each solar cell consists of a semi-conducting
  surface (like silicon dioxide in thin films) to
  receive the suns photons and convert them into
  electrons of current (the photoelectron effect)
• Electronic circuits are fitted on the back of the
  cell to carry the electricity away
• The circuits can be of various designs including
  flexible plastic substrates (organic electronic
  devices)

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Green Power Switch Program

• Lovers Lane solar power plant in Bowling Green,
  Kentucky
• 36 kW system consisting of 960 solar PV panels,
  enough to meet the power demand of 4 average
  homes
• Power is fed into the Tennessee Valley Authority
  grid

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Solar Homes

• Solar homes can be fitted with racks of PV cells
  on the roof to run the appliances and/or supply
  energy to the grid
• Another design is to utilize SUNSLATES by
  Atlantis Energy (roofing tiles) with AstroPower
  PV modules to comprise a 5 kW system with battery
  backup and linked to the local utility
• 70,000 homes in Japan are equipped in this way
  including electrolysis of water to make hydrogen
  to run appliances

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Alternative Fuels

• According to the Energy Policy Act of 1992
  (EPAct), alternative fuels include
• Ethanol
• Natural gas
• Propane
• Hydrogen
• Biodiesel (only pure biodiesel, B100, is included
  but credit is given for B100 to put into blends)
• Electricity
• Methanol
• P-series fuels

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Biodiesel75 M gal in U.S. in 2005

• Biodiesel (fatty acid alkyl esters) is a cleaner
  burning diesel replacement fuel made from
  natural, renewable sources such as new and used
  vegetable oils and animal fats
• From Soybeans or waste vegetable oil in Iowa
  waste oil requires the glycerin to be stripped
  out
• Blends up to 20 can be used in nearly all diesel
  equipment without engine modification and in
  existing storage/distribution systems
• Reduces emissions of HC, CO, sulfates, PAHs, and
  PM
• Cost in Iowa is 2.40/gal from soybeans or waste
  oil
• Health effects of particles is an issue that will
  most likely be handled with end-of-pipe filters
  on future vehicles

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Ethanol-- 4.4 billion gal in U.S. 2005 (25/yr)

• Comes from corn in the U.S.
• Sugar cane in Brazil
• Sugar beets, wheat in Russia and other places
• Flex-fuel vehicles can use up to E-85 (E-10 to
  E-85)
• Net energy producer by 20 in recent studies
• Brazil will be liquid fuel self-sufficient next
  year based on sugar cane at 0.50 per gallon
  (very efficient)
• Problem current U.S. petroleum consumption is 21
  million barrels per day the most ethanol could
  supply is 400 million barrels from Iowa
• Possible realistic goal would be 25 of liquid
  motor vehicle fuel from ethanol and biodiesel

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Biofuels Recent Legislation

• Energy Bill 2006 requires 7.5 billion gallons of
  ethanol or biodiesel per yr by 2012
• American Fuels Act of 2006 (under consideration)
  Obama and Lugar require 2 billion gallons of
  biodiesel alone by 2015 retail tax credit of
  0.35/gal
• Farm Bill for 2007 influenced by Daschle Dole
  will include more in 21st Century Agriculture
  Project
• 25 by 25 Work Group wants 25 of U.S. energy
  coming from farm lands by 2025

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Wind Energy is a key (wind and energy efficiency
alone could reduce GHG emissions by 50 according
to Plan B by Lester Brown)

• There is enough harvestable wind in 3 states to
  satisfy all U.S. electric needs (North Dakota,
  Kansas, and Texas alone)
• Wind is already competitive with new coal-fired
  power plants and all other forms of new energy
  (0.04/kW-hr with federal tax credit)
• Wind energy is growing world-wide at 30 per year
  since 1995
• Advantages???
• Disadvantages???

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Wind Power Advantages and Disadvantages

• Advantages
• Clean renewable energy
• Cost effective already
• Abundantly available in some states at proper
  power densities (Dakotas, Texas, parts of Iowa,
  Minnesota, California, Montana, off shore)
• Winds generation profile matches well with solar
• Income for farmers, ranchers
• Distributed power possible
• Can be used to make clean hydrogen via
  electrolysis

• Disadvantages
• Peak power problem power company capacity based
  on peak demand
• Wind is not storable
• Wind availability is far from population sources
  and suffers from transmission losses
  maintenance costs
• Noise and sight pollution
• Bird mortality hitting turbine blades (less now)
• Net metering required and power companies control
  the connect costs and grid
• Not adaptable to private home or urban
  applications

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Geothermal Source of Thermal Energy for
generation of Electric Power
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Areas where geothermal power exists and makes
sense
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Geothermal Dry Steam Plants (fairly rare)
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Geothermal Flash Steam Plants (common)
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Geothermal Power Plant at Geyser, California

• Flash steam design
• Condensate is reinjected to produce more steam
• 20 MW power plant
• No emissions
• No greenhouse gases

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Geothermal Flash Steam Plant in East Mesa, CA
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Geothermal Power in US has leveled-off (it
originally increased due to federal tax credit
legislation)
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Clean Coal Technologies

• IGCC Integrated Gasification and Combined Cycle
  is one CCT
• Example CCT power plant in new Eco-Park in
  Rainelle, WV
• Atmospheric pressure circulating fluidized-bed
  combustion
• Uses waste coal pits to reduce emissions, deliver
  power and produce economic benefits
• 6,000 new jobs 85 MW (85,000 homes) for 215 M
• Avoids 2-3 Billion clean-up cost

• CCTs divided into 4 main groups
• Environmental Control Devices to reduce SOx and
  NOx coal processing for clean fuels are
  physical-chemical processes to transform raw coal
• Advanced Electric Power Generation
• Coal Processing for Clean Fuels
• Industrial Activities

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Integrated Gasification and Combined Cycle

• Gasification of the Coal to make a gaseous fuel
  stream that burns cleaner than the coal itself
• Combined cycle is more efficient that normal
  coal-fired power plant (32 thermal efficiency)
• IGCC plants are considered to be carbon capture
  ready because the gasification stream can be run
  to produce a more concentrated CO2 gas for
  economical capture

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Integrated Gasification and Combined Cycle

• First you gasify the coal and use combined cycle
  (heat and steam recovery) to improve efficiency

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Carbon Capture and Sequestration
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Carbon Sequestration in deep geologic formations
is already commonly used for secondary recovery
in oil fields

• Oil companies have been practicing carbon
  sequestration (or carbon storage) for decades
• Rich CO2 streams from petroleum fields are pumped
  back into the formation to recover more oil and
  gas
• Pipelines are already used to transport the gas
  and to sequester it below 3500 ft as
  supercritical CO2 (like a liquid at gas/liquid
  density)
• Illinois has deep coal beds that could be used
  for this purpose

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Carbon Capture and Sequestration
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Supercritical CO2 eventually can become dissolved
into the deep groundwater or become incorporated
into the rock formation chemically
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Policy Changes Needed for 50 emission reduction
in U.S. (Plan B by Lester Brown)

• Mandate energy efficiency for household
  appliances, cars and new buildings
• Tax Shifting (revenue neutral)
• Decrease income taxes (tax on labor)
• Increase carbon taxes (tax on env. Degradation)
• Get the prices right (a pack of cigarettes really
  costs 7.18 in health care costs to society, lost
  time for employers, etc.)
• What is the true cost to society of burning a
  gallon of gas?
• 2 drilling, shipping, refining, pumping (Int.
  Cen. Tech. Ass.)
• 9 health damages, subsidies oil depletion
  allowance, military costs to protect supplies,
  climate change damages
• Subsidy Shifting (for example, stop subsidizing
  roads, start subsidizing walking, biking trails,
  mass transit, rail freight)
• Continue Tax Credit for wind (cell phone analogy
  in 12 years)

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The A-TEAM -- Action Plan by students of James
Hansen at Columbia University

• Goal flat emissions in U.S. by 2015 and
  declining emissions by 2030
• Focuses on 2 sectors (low hanging fruit)
• Buildings sector (commercial residential about
  40)
• Transportation sector is main emphasis (28 of
  emissions)
• They propose advanced hybrids in 2015 (20 of
  fleet by 2030 and 40 by 2050 hydrogen powered
  cars in 2030 at 30 of fleet by 2050)
• With only 2 sectors, we could reduce our
  Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 20 and make a
  significant improvement in global warming by 2050

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Winning the Oil Endgame makes the case that we
can prosper (make profit) while we solve this
problem

• First roadmap of the solution to the oil problem
• Double the efficiency of using oil (ultralight
  vehicle design and hybrid plug-in electric cars
  3-yr pay-back period)
• Biofuels industry to replace ¼ of all oil
  (ethanol, biodiesel)
• Save half of all natural gas usage by efficient
  appliances
• Replacing half of all oil used by 2025
  (substitution)
• Economic benefit of 70 B (net) savings
• Improve fuel efficiency by 3/5 (60)
• Boost farm income by 40 B and provide 750,000
  new jobs (current subsidy to farmers is 70 B and
  Doha WTO says it must stop farm payments will
  be replaced by eco-payments)

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Winning the Oil Endgame (cont.)

• Policy options
• Feebates (rebates on efficient cars, feebate on
  gas guzzlers)
• Invest 70 B in U.S. automakers and suppliers for
  RD
• Invest 180 B over the next decade to save 70 B
  each year!
• That is the same amount that was paid by
  consumers in 2004 when the price of oil spiked-up
  due to Iraq War
• Oil imports would be gone by 2040
• Oil would not be needed at all by 2050

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• S U S T _ _ N _ B _ E
• F U T U _ E