I'm not normally a big Friedman fan, but the mustachioed one has it exactly right with this NY Times piece about the idiocy of current American energy policy (or lack thereof), especially with regard to the way we're falling behind in a field we once led, that of solar power. As someone who lived in a solar-powered house for 10 years, I know the technology is not only feasible, but eminently sensible (and this was during the 1980s, when photovoltaic systems were downright primitive compared with today). I find it maddeningly frustrating every time I see a new building going up whose roof does not consist of solar panels, which, sadly, is the case in about 99.9% of new construction. The country that makes the next big breakthrough in the solar field, particularly with respect to battery/storage systems, will be in pole position for the 21st century. Given the dismal state of America's national leadership, both present and prospective, it looks highly unlikely to be us.
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