It isn’t really a battle as in good versus evil.  It is a battle to define the terms and see where the responsibilities lie.

Let’s establish some working definitions:

Energy efficiency is what it is.

Energy conservation is what we do.

If the device we plug into the wall uses less energy than the device it replaces or it uses less energy than similar devices we could have purchased, that device is energy efficient.

If we decide to unplug our electrical appliances when we aren’t using them or turn down our thermostats and put on a sweater or put our computer on standby, we are conserving energy.

Here are a few conservation videos:

Some information about easy energy saving measures outside the house and in the basement

http://endependence.info/research/videos-c-6-v-72.html

Some information about easy ways everyone can save energy inside the home

http://endependence.info/research/videos-c-6-v-15.html

http://endependence.info/research/videos-c-6-v-44.html

(more…)

Remember John McCain’s energy policy proposal to have a contest for developing better batteries for hybrid cars.

His proposal was to award something like $350,000,000.00 to the company that developed a new battery to be used in plug-in hybrid cars.  When combined with Drill, Baby, Drill and the usual oil, gas and coal industry propaganda, it sounded pretty lame.  For the most part, McCain was talking about continuing our energy policy of the last 50 years, CHEAP GAS!!

But now it turns out that this battery building contest may have been more than a greenwash.

An article in the November 24, 2008 issue of Automotive News has this headline:

Japan poised to control key batteries

Panasonic-Sanyo deal yet another worry for Detroit 3

As if General Motors, Ford and Chrysler didn’t have enough to worry about, the stars are aligning for them to be pulling their hair out over another issue caused by sleeping at the switch.

From the same Automotive News article:

“The worry is that America’s reliance on imported oil will be supplanted by reliance on imported batteries”.

A combined Panasonic/Sanyo will control a majority of the market for both the nickel metal hydride batteries, used in current hybrids, and the lithium ion batteries that will be the next automotive power source.  Sanyo is already the top producer of lithium ion batteries for cellphones, computers and the like and Panasonic produces 83% of the nickel metal hydride batteries used in vehicles today.

Here are some videos about current hybrids and electric cars:

Electric cars with Nickel Metal Hydride batteries you can buy today

http://endependence.info/research/videos-c-1-v-107.html

The Tesla Sports Car that uses Lithium Ion batteries

http://endependence.info/research/videos-c-1-v-41.html

In the spirit of taking good ideas no matter which side of the aisle they come from, the Obama clean up crew (lots to clean up after eight years) should think seriously about McCain’s battery contest proposal.