Thinking Big
There is nothing more American in the history of the world than thinking big. One day does not have to come if you are of a uniquely American mindset. One day can be tomorrow if only the right ideas were put forth. Tax credits for things like solar water heaters and hybrid automobiles only scratch the surface of the larger issue, the truly big American issue, which is the production of limitless clean energy. How is this done? Just ask the people at the European Space Agency, which is now working on SPS, or Solar Power Satellites. Capturing solar radiation, converting it into energy, and transmitting it either via a wireless transmitter to a receiver station on Earth or creating a “space elevator” made of carbon nanotubes, this technology is the quintessential American big idea, and it should be the focus of political leaders when crafting energy industry incentives, commonly referred-to as tax credits. Honda is already producing carbon nanotubes, and the European Space Agency is already investing heavily into SPS. It’s time for America to think big, that is, in a small way with carbon nanotube technology coupled with SPS.
