SuperCities & SuperGrids:
A Vision for Long-term Sustainable and Environmentally
Compatible Energy Independence for North America

1 December 2008

Paul M. Grant
Visiting Scholar in Applied Physics, Stanford University (2005-2008)
EPRI Science Fellow (Retired)
IBM Research Staff Member Emeritus
Principal, W2AGZ Technologies
http://www.w2agz.com

http://www.w2agz.com/ucdpc08.htm (this page)

Download Presentation (pdf (7.8 MB), ppt (25 MB))

As North America strives to attain regional energy independence, increasing stress will be placed on our collective natural resources, environment and ecology.  How can we accomplish this goal while simultaneously posing minimal risk to the climate, exploiting our native assets optimally, and minimizing the need to ecologically invade and occupy large land areas for renewable energy production with low energy density technologies such as wind, solar and biomass, or creating huge underground cavities to sequester unstable and massive amounts of CO2 ?  We propose a new North American energy culture and technology centered on a symbiosis of nuclear, hydrogen and superconductor technologies – a vision we have given the name “SuperCities and SuperGrids.”

Although SuperCity – SuperGrid is indeed highly futuristic in concept, the vision may actually be quite timely given the rapidly emerging uncertainties in worldwide economies and the acquisition of nuclear weapons by rogue political groups and nation-states.  A re-birth of nuclear power in North America coupled with the insertion of superconducting and hydrogen delivery technologies offers a “public works” opportunity to spur economic recovery in addition to developing proliferation-proof actinide fuel recovery processes for use domestically and export abroad.  In addition, both undertakings will require creating a new, large and highly skilled North American workforce.

To see how much electricity Californians are using right now, click here
Now have a look at Stanford's Jasper Ridge Sun Field Station
For the rest of the country, go to Current Energy


Background References & Reading

SuperGrid/SuperCity (Teratechnologies for the Exajoule Society)

Energy Information Sources and Databases

Climate Change

Nuclear

Solar Roofs (Construction in Progress)

Hydrogen

Superconductivity

The Songs and Music of Irish Freedom

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