There's a lot of ball left to play...

Forbes just printed an interesting article on the renewable energy industry, discussing how it has also collided with a credit crunch.

Venture capitalists are nervous, natural gas and oil prices have dropped 32% in a month and consumers have lost confidence in everything, including alternative energy development it seems.

This is where I get a little frustrated.

I understand that the short-term can be very compelling. People need money immediately to buy groceries, pay their mortgages and keep the electricity on. But these things aren't going to just go away. Yes, we have temporary "relief." Still, money is tight. This will still be an issue facing everyone 10 years from now.

Here's what it comes down to: I expect my government to plan ahead. Now, this may sound a bit naive (government plan ahead? yeah right...), but it's the truth. We need to invest and diversify now so that 10/20/30 years from now we have a fully functioning energy infrastructure. It won't matter if gas was $1.99 in 2008 when in 2018 it's $8.00.

For Pickens to halt his long-term energy independence plan because of a short-term price drop in natural gas is ridiculous. This kind of short-sighted idealism will only put us in a worse place in years to come. It's like calling the world series in the second inning - there's a whole lot more ball to play!

As a country, we need to stand firm that energy independence is a long-term strategy. Certain factors will rise and fall; we just need to ride the waves until we actually have a viable solution, whatever that may be. Update our energy grid, increase capacity and install more energy infrastructure. Invest R&D dollars in many areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy in order to make them practical and affordable. Apply these solutions to America.

Less talk, more action. The demand is there; the profitablility and economic benefits are there too. We just need vision, patience and execution. Otherwise, we're just stuck in the same vicious cycle, cursing gas prices and wary of our own future.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/11/13/ap5691186.html