Thursday, February 21, 2008

texas' role in the future of energy

Texans are fond of letting you know exactly what we’re thinking and why we’re the best and when it comes to energy there is no exception. We know what we’re talking about it when it comes to energy as we have been the leader in the past and it should be no different in the future as we move away from oil. Texas can and should lead the way as we move our dependence off of traditional sources.

As we’ve seen with the Texas State History Museum’s Oil! exhibit, a lot of our prosperity can be attributed directly to the discovery of oil and the subsequent industries that sprang up afterwards. Houston became the capital of the energy world and is poised to provide the necessary experience when taking on the world’s energy problems.

It would be foolish for Texas to be left behind in the transition away from oil, however long it takes, since we have the expertise and knowledge in place to lead us into the future. We should capitalize on the transition away from oil just as we did with its discovery here over a century ago.

This isn’t a new idea and as we’ve heard in class and read on our own, energy companies are diversifying and preparing for a future that is not dominated by petroleum. Texas can use all of its resources (educational, industrial etc..) to maintain its dominance and hopefully revolutionize the way we produce energy. Texas is in a great position to lead in all areas of energy including wind, solar and biofuels.

To incite some pride in you, and also because I just love it so much, I’ll leave you with a quote from Davy Crockett:

“You may all go to hell, I’m going to Texas.”

2 comments:

Melissa C. Lott said...

I agree with the statement that "Texas can and should lead the way" on the road to energy sustainability in the US. Texas has the ability to be a leader in this movement.

Texas is uniquely suited for this leadership role. We have the experience (as shown clearly in the Bullock Museum's oil exhibit) required to tackle the problem. We have the energy industry, top energy research institutions, and a large pool of talented people to draw from. We stand ready to fix this problem, with the resources to educate this generation, the generation that will fix this problem.

The Bullock Museum has a distinct takeaway message... 'We [Texans] know energy'. We will use this knowledge and experience to lead the nation and the world to a more sustainable future.

Jrod said...

I also agree, and think that Texas' past can help us be a leader in a new energy future. One topic that I wish Texas would try to improve on, or the entire US for that matter, in order to help lead a new energy movement is education. I think that there are too many people who don't know about the problems we are facing with energy...too few of us possess the knowledge and make the individual choice to conserve.

This relates back to another blog I read earlier that asked why energy technology is not emphasized more in our education, especially as engineers? Could we have an introductory course in energy for freshman, or more technical electives on renewable or sustainable engineering?

Maybe we should make it mandatory for all high school students to watch the History Channel's specials on Renewable Energy and Climate Change...or even more provocative, what if these shows were free to purchase from the History Channel. Maybe then they would penetrate into more of our homes, and more people would be aware of energy issues.