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NSPRI Update - Winter 2003Continuing conservation efforts along with a cool summer on the North American west coast have combined to avoid the kind of power blackouts seen in 2001. Economic recession has so far reduced growth in the demand for power as well. Nevertheless, demand for power remains strong and electric power cost increases have continued. As additional nations become industrialized, the need for petroleum is on the rise. While the United States and much of the rest of the the industrialized world have secure sources of coal, pretroleum supply is heavily dependent upon nations which frequently have diplomatic demands in addition to the money they charge to sell petroleum. An interesting development is that although automakers such as Ford and General Motors have cut back or eliminated electric car due to excessive battery costs, hybrid cars are finding increasing demand. The United States faces important energy and policy choices, all of which are heavily steeped in politics and belief systems. Focusing governmental incentives on petroleum can reap great political and financial benefits domestically, but incurs expensive foreign political costs. Increasing incentives for solar so far brings only limited political and financial benefits, but so far incurs little in terms of foreign political costs. Fortunately in the next few years, modest advances in solar power technology may improve the economics of solar power. These advances are typically being driven by the aerospace sector which requires improved solar cell and energy storage performance for use in satellites and other spacecraft. NSPRI is working to provide updatesand analysis on these advances. Relocated NSPRI site |
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