Are we ready for the 'Green Deal' future? I'm not ready to buy an all-electric car yet

If we are going to get this “Green Deal” going, let’s find a way that works.  It seems the first thing we need is a lot more electricity.  How about requiring all new buildings to have solar panels on the roof?  And say they have to come from someplace besides China.  Each new building should also come with the proper electrical hookup for electric vehicles.  To show a commitment to this, our governments should provide some subsidies. And then, what about all of those big box stores and massive warehouses.  Why aren’t they all covered with solar panels?  That would also save a lot of open space — and in our case, beautiful, open desert.

Parking lots at the shopping centers.  We all fight for the shade trees nine months a year.  Covered parking with solar panels — seems like a no-brainer!  Check the businesses that have them.  No one parks in the sun if they have a choice.

As for vehicles.  It seems we need to figure out who drives a truck because they need to and who drives a truck because they want to. Pick an mpg,  say 40. If you buy a vehicle that gets more than 40 mpg, you get a rebate. The higher the mileage, the bigger the rebate.  If you buy a vehicle that gets less than 40 mpg, you pay a penalty.  The worse the mpg, the greater the penalty.  We’d have to work out something for those who need low mpg vehicles for their businesses.

What do we have so far?  A lot more electricity with a whole lot more solar power.  Less open space used.  Materials made in the USA or from friendly countries. Better gas mileage cars.

What’s next? Take another long, hard look at nuclear. France gets 75% of its power from nuclear.  Umpteen military ships sail the seas with nuclear power.  It works when the sun is down and the wind dies.  Maybe a bunch of small nuclear plants instead of large ones.

I haven’t mentioned wind power as we really haven’t solved the recycling problem.  The increasingly large blades are rarely recycled.  And they kill a lot of birds.  I’m surprised the Audubon Society hasn’t been apoplectic about wind turbines.

OK!  We’ve increased the supply of electricity tremendously.  Now we are ready to aggressively move to e-vehicles.  Or are we?  At least we will be burning less coal and oil to run them.  It is embarrassing to have e-vehicles powered by coal-burning power plants!  Let’s say you can’t have an electrical charging station unless you certify the power comes from the sun, the wind or the atom!

One other problem I haven’t figured out yet: Say a service station can handle 12 cars at a time.  How long does it take now to fill up with gas and leave?  Five minutes?  Ten? If the station is converted and can handle 12 e-vehicles at once, and they are all full, and you show up out of juice. … Better go get lunch.  I takes a long time to charge up compared to filling up with gasoline.  We are going to need a whole bunch more charging stations every place we park a car.  At $ 1,000 to $ 2,500 to install. …  Hmm. Not sure where the money is coming for that. There seems to be rebate money for buying e-vehicles; but, no real support — yet —to charge them.

If everything I have suggested took place, we would be in much better shape to visit the future.  But how much confidence do you have in our various governments to make any of that happen?  How long has the Salton Sea been dying? Twenty years? Thirty years?  It could have been Lake Tahoe in the desert.  Now its best future is a lithium mine and a bird sanctuary!

Mass transit.  Have you been to Europe or Japan lately?  California might get a bullet train from Bakersfield to Merced in another 10 years!  Whoopee!

Water.  No new reservoirs in 40 years!  All we do is talk about how we need water and must do something.

And our poor homeless population!  Nobody cares enough about them to do what is necessary to save their lives.

So, I’ll keep my high mileage, gasoline-powered car that works well with tried and true technology.  I’ll go so far as a hybrid that charges itself.  As for electric-only vehicles, I think I’ll wait for the future.

Richard R. Clapp lives in Cathedral City. Email him at rclapp75@yahoo.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: New green deal? we need more solar, more nuclear