Intel Chairman Andrew Grove on the Real Solution to the Energy Crisis
Andy Grove is the former CEO of Intel and the author of the legendary business book Only The Paranoid Survive. He has a strategic viewpoint that differs from other energy and environmental figures like T Boone Pickens and Al Gore. While billionaire Boone Pickens supports increased use of natural gas in cars, Grove thinks battery-powered cars are a more effective choice. Electric cars will run off of a more stable energy source not subject to the vagaries of changes in oil prices.
Even better, the primary sources of electricity - coal (hopefully the “clean coal” kind) and solar - are much less expensive than oil. And on the solar side, prices per kilowatt hour keep decreasing thanks to advances in photovoltaic power. The few alternatives to oil such as natural gas, hydrogen, and coal gasification haven’t really taken off due to the challenge of setting up fueling stations across the country, but the existing electric grid in America removes this barrier to powering cars with batteries in them.
Sources:
http://www.american.com/archive/2008/july-august-magazine-contents/our-electric-future
http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2008/08/17/Andy-Grove-on-Energy