Olympic Energy Systems, Inc. is a system development firm based on the North Olympic Peninsula in the USA.  The company provides expertise and support as an advocate, architect, and consultant to clients considering or adopting renewable energy systems - solar electric, solar hot water, wind power, hydro power, and other systems, on or off the utility grid, residential, commercial, institutional. Since 2001.

          [click]        We have two offices in Washington State:
 
    Port Townsend (360) 379-2536 (main)     Port Angeles (360) 301-5133 (days)

Looking for a SOLAR CONTRACTOR?

They are in the Yellow Pages under Electrical Contractors!  Let us coordinate your next solar project with your electrician.  Olympic Energy Systems provides the solar expertise to licensed electricians, who apply their extensive installation skills to your project, which is worked to a permit and inspected.

Our MISSION STATEMENT

Implement sustainable energy systems through the application of basic science, engineering principles, and innovation, promoting involvement of local contractors, technicians, and workers while enhancing understanding of global implications of our individual and mutual actions.

SOLAR ENERGY FAIR 
at Quimper Grange in Port Townsend
Saturday July 12, 2008 10-5pm
FREE and Open to the Public
Exhibits, Products, Presentation: "A Populist Movement Toward Solar Energy" at 1pm

We will be presenting the new "OPS Manual" at the Fair.
A preliminary draft is here now.
OPS stands for Olympic Peninsula Solar - a guide to help the public's transition to solar.  Look for a summary of our region's weather for the past 7 years, with trends and implications for systems.

Look for us at the 1st annual
Great Peninsula Future Festival
August 2 - 3, 2008
Port Gamble, WA
www.GreatPeninsulaFutureFestival.org

ASK about our Solar Design Packages

(We assess your site and specify the system, so you can take "The Spec" out for bids.  Easy!)

Solar Design Packages (from $100 up)

• Site Assessment (for solar electric/PV or thermal/hot water)
• System Options
• System Performance & Economic Analyses
• Proposed System (with Plan, Specification, and Cost Estimate)
• Considerations (and Suggestions) e.g., Incentives, Economics, Embedded Energy, Trends in Policy & Technology, Efficiency, Co-Op Buying, Provisioning

Design - Build Process

• Prepare a Solar Design Package
• Decide on a Go-Ahead
• Solicit Bids (to Build) - Optional
• Build (install the system per the OES-proposed team or others) i.e., Procure Parts, Coordinate Contractors, Utility, and/or other Agencies, Test, Provide Follow-on Support

Contractors - A snapshot and growing list of solar-related firms on the O.P.

• Hanson Electric & Networks
• Current Electric
• Jarmuth Electric
• Lang's 'Lectric
• Cascade Electric
• Extra Mile Tech & Electrical
• Black Point Electric
• West Sound Electric
• Greenspace Design & Landscaping Ltd [go to www.greenspaceltd.com]
• Alpha Builders Corporation
• Sunrise Heating
• Air-Flo Heating
• H2O Plumbing Contractors
• Precision Plumbing
• NW Gas Supply & Plumbing

We are in transition!  As the public is increasingly recognizing the transition of electrical contractors (and other contractors - plumbing and heating professionals) to "solar firms", we will be increasing our work with contractors in their transition to solar.  We will be involving qualified members of the contracting community, mainly those comprising the Olympic Energy Network, much earlier in the development process.  So, call your electrician or plumber today and ask about solar!  Tell them that Olympic Energy Systems is ready and willing to help them.  Your nudge is more important than you might think in our concerted and cooperative effort to move toward renewable energy.
[Jonathan A. Clemens, System Architect and Consultant]

  CALL or email to arrange a FREE* Initial Consultation

     (to discuss your solar access, system options, economic feasibility, and ideas to save energy)

      * On the Olympic Peninsula and in the Puget Sound area (a small fee elsewhere)
      For $100, you can receive a written report with detailed analysis and info to get you started...

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS, are you looking for Solar Clients?

Olympic Energy Systems will help you go solar, through consulting with your customers, assessing sites for solar access and potential, specifying systems, and assisting you in learning about solar energy systems. CALL us.

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Opportunity is knocking . . . a solar energy course . . .

ELECTRICAL and GENERAL CONTRACTORS: Sign up NOW !!! for SEI's Fall 2008 Solar course:

"Solar-Electric (PV) Design and Installation" 
OCT 6 - 11, 2008  Tuition: $950 in Anacortes, WA

Contact SEI at sei@solarenergy.org or (970) 963-8855 or the local coordinator ian@solarenergy.org 
Learn and prosper in the emerging solar energy industry.  Our founder took the course back in 2000.

Look for more free SOLAR ENERGY FAIR events at Quimper Grange
in lovely Port Townsend, Washington, including a program
"A Populist Movement Toward Solar Energy". 
See exhibits and a "Solar 101" energy basics display.
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Didn't see us at the NPBA Remodeling & Energy EXPO in Sequim March 8 and 9?

Hmm, maybe the dynamic interplay of populism and corporatism (both being the dominant and accepted forces at work today) can help explain it, for we certainly tried to be there!  It is the subtle, if not hidden, abuses of corporatism that necessitate our understanding of the role of populism in keeping corporatism in check.  Look for release in the near future of the Power Trick Report, which should illustrate the interplay of populism with corporatism.

You should have seen us at the Jefferson County HOME SHOW at the fairgrounds in Port Townsend on May 3 and 4!  We gave out two Kill-A-Watt Meters as door prizes.  Congratulations to the winners.  And, thanks to the Jefferson County Home Builders Association.

As building architects help clients design and develop buildings, the System Architects at Olympic Energy Systems help clients develop renewable energy systems.  Meet our Contractors...

Hey!  Considering a net metering solar PV electric system?  Deciding between a solar hot water internal heat exchanger pre-heat tank and an external heat exchanger with existing hot water tank configuration?  Let us help you navigate the science, systems, and options available.  Is WINTER leaving you without power?  Let OES design and install a solar-energized backup power system for your home or business.

See some of our projects in the Fall 2007 issue of Olympic RE News.

See one of us at the Evergreen Solar plant.

Enjoy the website of an established, quality manufacturer of solar hot water equipment, www.heliodyne.com, where simplicity and reliability are crafted into elegance.

Can we troubleshoot your old solar hot water system?

The Emergency Resource Guide can help you plan and prepare for emergencies in the broad sense...prepare for terrorism - bomb threats, radiation exposure, and chemical agents, prepare for biological agents - anthrax, botulism, pneumonic plague, smallpox, tularemia, and viral fevers, and prepare for nature - earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, floods, landslides, mud flows, hot weather, the West Nile Virus, windstorms, and winter storms (like the one we had this past winter of 2006-2007 in Washington State).  Such preparedness may facilitate finding ways to reduce energy dependency and consumption!   of DOH Publication #750-115 Revised January 2007.

The company supports the transition from non-renewable fossil fuels to renewable solar energy, holding a firm belief that clean and renewable energy is cost effective now.  Given the growing interest, knowledge, and products available, a vigorous approach to developing one's own energy systems can assure maximum performance and reasonable cost, that is, a return on investment.

Some recent additions to the solar family on the North Olympic Peninsula...

           
       The new Helio-Pak is here!  This DHW preheat system came on line in June.
       (another fine installation by Greenspace and Northwest Gas Supply & Plumbing)

            

           

             
        An 8 ton pipeline is heavy, thus a flex joint at the top.     This grid-tied solar electric system cost $7.25 per watt.

           
       A recent off-grid (360 Watts PV, 10KWh storage)          The Mid-Nite Solar panel before (off-grid) inverter install

            
       A great job by the area's newest "Solar Contractor"!           See this sign and know that someone else is going solar
         (That vertical conduit goes to a 2280 Watt PV Array)          (with help from the Solar Architects at Olympic Energy)

We sometimes go beyond the North Olympic Peninsula...

             
      Scott from Current Electric wires an add-on PV string.  Fresh chalk line dust has settled on the original PV string.
        This site is in Kirkland, WA.

But we will always be around to support the North Olympic Peninsula...

      Structures To Go is at it again, delivering another energy efficient SIP building for a new shop in Port Angeles. 
      See the Olympic Energy Systems founder anywhere?

                    
      Cascade Electric helps an owner, as the PV hides          SWP Whisper H40 4-SALE   SHW Collector gets inspected.

              
     Greenspace SHW installation      Eco-Logic (from Joyce) did some fine work on this grid-tie PV w/ battery system
      (H2O Plumbing Contractors)    Extra Mile Tech & Electric did some fine work, too, on the equipment & wiring

           
   H2O Plumbing Contractors has completed a 30 evacuated tube solar hot water preheat system in Sequim, WA USA
   Lang's 'Lectric is wiring the Differential Temperature Controller and (Battery-Backed Up) AC Pump ("Solar Station")
 

         
    Another Greenspace installation (in Port Angeles)           A recently installed Debris Gate assures 1000 KWh/Day
     Precision Plumbing has already plumbed this system...we're waiting on the well water hookup.

Did you see our newspaper ad?  Do you want to read an interview with our senior consultant?

A Gelato and a lot o' watts...

A 350 Watt motor drives the Gelato, while a 350 Watt solar array charges the bike's battery, via a larger battery bank in the garage.  The system operates free, while the initial investment (less than $5K) actually pays off over time, far better than the gasoline-powered car it replaces.

Residential, commercial, and industrial clients benefit from the professional services provided by Olympic Energy Systems. Inc.  Clients better achieve their technical and cost goals when assisted by an independent consultant ADVOCATE, who is not selling a particular line of products, but helps in the selection of appropriate products, system architectures, and development teams.  The company offers assistance in acquiring low-cost financing for solar energy projects.

Do I need a Renewable Energy Consultant?               

The general public may have difficulty grasping the idea of a consultant, having traditionally been treated and marketed as consumers by industry.  The Renewable Energy industry, though more education-oriented than most, is indeed a business that sells products, and doing so ever more directly.  Our independent consultant System Architect role provides the decision support you need to make informed choices.

Given that clean renewable energy is indeed what we all need, what should a renewable energy consumer buy?  What are the options?  What is the best option?  Does it save the consumer money?  Does it help solve the "bigger" energy problems of the world?  Does it make sense?
 
A consultant treats the general public as clients, not merely consumers.  Olympic Energy Systems, Inc. (OES) is interested in three basic goals: 1) Incorporating Renewable Energy effectively for optimum performance, 2) Providing for the best economic return to the client, and 3) Improving the overall energy problems, while moving toward true sustainability.

OES does not charge for services until a project reaches Go Ahead, whereby preliminary designs and cost estimates exist.  OES charges on a negotiated fee basis, paid upon project completion.  The OES consultant (system architect) is paid for actually achieving targeted performance goals that provide for a positive economic return to the client.

Network Philosophy

OES has in the past provided its own team to install solar, wind, and small-scale hydroelectric energy systems.  With formation of the Olympic Energy Network, we have expanded that great team.  We use licensed and bonded electricians, general contractors, and plumbing and heating professionals.  Go to the Network by clicking ...

 [Click for the Network]

 

Our brochure is available in pdf format.

 

Additional Services: (charged by the hour)

          Tutoring in Math and Science

          Individualized Learning in Solar Energy, Electronics, Engineering, and Economics

          Due Diligence Research in Energy and Business

 

Project Portfolios...      

What does a typical Solar Photovoltaic System look like?

What does another typical Solar PV System look like?
What does Clallam County's first Grid-Tie Solar PV System look like?

Here is a Roof Top Solar PV system.
Here is another Roof Top Solar PV system, with a unique equipment mount.

What does a typical small Hydro-Electric Power System look like?

See a modest size Hydro-Electric Power System....

See a Hydro System capable of powering 20 homes on the North OP.

What does a Solar Hot Water System look like?  We know it feels warm!

Look at this quite useful Off-Grid PV System.

Yes, another Grid-Tied PV System, but this one will zero the utility meter and has a view!
Here's a dual solar energy system...Grid-Tied with Battery Backup and Solar Hot Water

Another, but smaller, Grid-Tied Solar Electric with Battery Backup

IN 2008, the North Olympic Peninsula will need:

• Diligence - from all of us - in pursuing a sound renewable energy future
• Participation in Solar Washington, as new members of this educational organization
• Non-corporatization of the National Solar Tour Coordinator in Jefferson County
• Membership in the American Solar Energy Society

What does a sound renewable energy future involve?

• Acquiring Awareness and Knowledge (about energy, the earth, science, and society)
• Living to Principles of Sustainability

          Such as Alan Durning's summarized principles: 1) Put Safety First, 2) Measure What Matters,
             3) Let Prices Reflect Costs, 4) Build Compact Communities, and 5) Make Every Child Wanted

• Insisting on Reasonable Economic Returns (in our personal and collective investments)
• Promoting Public-serving Policies (in government and institutions)

A sound renewable energy future should not involve the takeover and manipulation of the public domain, public institutions, and government by corporations, who stand to make a lot of money in the future, as the darkening energy woes emerge, as the issues become mainstream, and as the general public remains relatively ignorant of their own choices.  Renewable energy will likely be a highly politicized matter for a long time, thus, a populist and democratic approach to solving the energy challenges of our time is imperative.  Locally, look out for any kind of deception or manipulation.

And now back to matters of energy and economics...

Federal Tax Credits available! $150 Furnace, $200 Windows, $300 Water Heater, $500 Insulation, AND up to $2,000 for Solar Panels (Photovoltaic or Thermal)!!!  Use FORM 5695 (w/ IRS Form 1040)

Thanks for supporting Washington State Senate Bills SB 5101 and SB 5111, which will provide incentives for solar energy systems.  These bills recently passed in the House, having earlier passed in the Senate.  For utility customers who install electricity generating solar energy systems, this could mean initial premium price payments of $0.18, depending on whether or not the system components are manufactured in the state, with higher premium price payments possible in the future.  These bills will allow everyone to go solar, as well as help in growing the solar industry in the state.  For a perspective on the bills, please read comments in Solar Bills.  Access the Leglislation List for legislators and relevant energy bills in Washington State.

Washington State residents now enjoy a sales tax exemption on solar hot water systems, as well as solar electric systems!

A 30% Federal Tax Credit (to a cap of $2,000 for residential systems), for the cost of solar photovoltaic and solar hot water systems, will be available for systems put into service between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007, recently extended to 2008!  OES has developed its Renewable Energy Cost Model (RCM), first available in Summer 2004, helpful to those considering RE solutions to their energy needs.  The RCM can illustrate the savings resulting from passage of the Senate Bills SB 5101 and SB 5111 and The Energy Policy Act of 2005.  For an RCM description, click RCM Abstract or see our page.  For a summary and analysis of the incentives, click Solar Energy Incentives.

Simply, a host of solar incentives are available, including Net Metering, Federal Tax Credits, Utility Rebates, Production Payments (by Utilities), and Green Tag Subsidies.  The Federal Tax Credits and Utility Rebates apply to solar thermal systems, as well as solar PV.

EXAMPLE: Given a 1500 Watt Grid-Tie Roof-Mount Solar PV System, given a 3% interest rate and a 4% annual increase in the price of utility power, assuming an expected system lifetime of 25 years, and assuming that the state incentives are not renewed after the 10 year statutory period, the use of the RCM allows a comparison of the economics of the system with and without the new incentives:

     NWSC Subsidy ($0.10/KWh)         Yes     No       No      No      No

     WA State Production Payment      Yes     Yes     Yes     No      No

     Federal Tax Credit 30% of cost      Yes     Yes      No      Yes    No

     System Capital Cost (to owner)     $11K    $11K    $11K  $11K    $11K

     Payback (in Years; discounting)      13       22       29        35      41

     Present Worth (2004 US dollars)   $3K *   $900   -$1K   -$2.9K  -$4.9K

* The NWSC (through Cascade Solar) buys the green attributes of your solar energy produced.  NWSC subsidies are obtained by application on an annual basis and are not guaranteed.  Utility production payments are obtained by annual application to the utility.  The example above assumes the NWSC subsidy for only 10 years.  If available for 25 years, the Present Worth jumps to $5,000.

The reality is that you need BOTH the Washington State and the Federal incentives to provide for a positive financial return on investment in a grid-tie solar PV system.  Grid-tie solar PV systems installed before January 1, 2006 will likely never pay back.  Given the 10-year statutory limit of the Washington State incentives and the $2,000 cap on the federal tax credit (available in a 2 year time period), one must be careful in deciding system components and size and when to implement.  It may pay to wait.  It pays to analyze the economics, and the RCM can help. 

Washington State residents... [The case for solar is pretty good, actually.]

 
[Click the chart to see the case for solar in Washington State...it has to do with energy security and the sensitivity of the returns on investment in solar energy systems to the cost of utilities.]

If Washington state-manufactured PV panels are finally available in two years, the Present Worth of the 1500 Watt PV system cited earlier is $4,500, though under the present conditions the Present Worth is only $900!  Would you wait two years to make $3,600?  Said another way, if you buy a PV system today, you lose out on making $3,600.

ATTENTION: Potential Business and Commercial Solar Energy System Owners

With an uncapped Federal Tax Credit of 30% (of the System Cost), and the available Washington State Production Incentive (presently allowing a $0.18 per Kilowatt-hour payment through 2014), the economics go nicely in your favor...

Grid-Tie         System   Present

PV System     Cost        Worth     Payback

1000 Watts     $7800        $648       22 years

2000 Watts     $14,000     $2738     17 years

3000 Watts     $20,000     $4481     16 years

Remember, a positive Present Worth is like receiving a bonus for investing in a solar energy system.  The (System Cost) capital, if it were to sit in a bank account, would have a Present Worth of zero.

For FREE informational charts on Solar PV Grid-Tie System Planning and Site Evaluation, click System Planning, presented at the recent Grid-Tied Solar Electric System as Energy Supplement Workshop in Port Hadlock, Washington.

HYDROGEN FUEL INITIATIVE

The Bush Administration's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, while it may be short on goals in the near term, has important implications for the inevitable long-term, when Post Peak Oil and Global Warming will have made Hydrogen the obvious choice for fueling our transportation vehicles.

Going back a few years to The Beginning...(we see why clean coal and nuclear energy were emphasized in the Bush Energy Plan of 2001, for they represent the lea$t co$t paths to replacing diminishing supplies of oil)...

 

 

 

Olympic Energy's Jonathan Clemens snaps a self-portrait in front of First Energy's Nuclear Power Station in Northwest Ohio (on Lake Erie), known since the early 1970's as Davis-Besse.  The cooling tower can be seen from all of the Lake Erie islands to the north.

A 6 inch deep hole, into the 6 1/2 inch thich carbon steel pressure vessel at Davis-Besse, was discovered in February 2002, a result of the presence of boric acid (from the boron in the cooling water)...it was further found that the sump system in the containment building was inoperative. 

If the 1/2 inch of steel had failed, high pressure radioactive water would have escaped from the reactor vessel and, with the backup cooling inoperative, would have likely led to a meltdown.

As of 2006, there are 435 operating nuclear power plants in the world, with 29 currently under construction.  Plans are in place for several dozen more plants.  The 103 US nuclear plants provide about 20% of the US electricity, while the 86 in France provide 80% of that country's electricity.  The fastest construction rates will be in India and China.  Most of the uranium fuel is produced in Canada and Australia, with Russia fast becoming the world's production leader.  The emergency shutdown of 4 of (Forsmark) Sweden's ten nuclear power plants in the summer of 2006 reminded the world of the dire safety concerns with nuclear power generation.

Olympic Energy Systems, Inc. publishes a quarterly newsletter, Olympic RE News, available through a free subscription or individual issues upon request or downloadable here in pdf format.

See a recap of the Solar 2007 conference in our Fall 2007 issue.

The Fall 2006 issue is here and features Solar Hot Water Systems.  The Fall 2005 issue is available, featuring a local SIP panel manufacturing firm, outlining the solar energy system planning process, and containing the usual book review and news.  The Spring 2005 issue is available, with North Cascades Hydro news, a book review, and editorials.  The Fall 2004 issue is also available.  The Summer 2003 issue was the company's first Special Issue, featuring hydroelectric power.

Solar energy products are FOR SALE, each and every day...

We accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.  We usually specify common off-the-shelf hardware in typical projects, including products from Xantrex (Inverters, Charge Controllers, and Meters), Outback Power Systems at www.outbackpower.com, Bogart Engineering, Array Technologies, Shell Solar, Evergreen, Canyon Industries (Turbines) at www.canyonhydro.com, Thomson & Howe Controls, Hydroscreen LLC, African Wind Power (Wind Turbines), Bergey (Wind Turbines), Southwest Windpower (Turbines), Alternative Power & Machine (Hydro Turbines), Harris (Water Turbines), ES&D, Dyno Batteries, Trojan Batteries, Direct Power, Zomeworks (Rack Mounts), and much more.  We partner with local contractors for installations, use local labor, and encourage the use of reused or recycled materials.

FOR SALE Any solar energy product or system component available on the retail market - NEW

(OES will get it for you at competitive prices...PV panels, inverters, charge controllers, batteries, mounting systems, solar trackers, etc.)

FOR SALE Trace Equipment Rack $100 (good for mounting inverters, breakers, etc.) - USED
SOLD! Electric Generating Equipment $3,500 (50 KW Generator and Turbine) - USED
FOR SALE Southwest Windpower Whisper H40 Wind Turbine Kit w/ Pole, $1500 - USED

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ATTENTION:  Electrical and General Contractors...an opportunity awaits you

Let Olympic Energy Systems assist you in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to install Solar Photovoltaic systems.  These alternative energy systems are increasingly a part of daily life, an adjunct to the electrical systems and components you already install everyday.

Take the steps to provide this valuable service to your clients of installing solar PV and be a part of a thriving trend.  JOIN the Olympic Energy Network to partner with Olympic Energy Systems for an expanded business offering, increased business, and improved economic security for the future.  The Olympic Energy Network is a system for connecting prospective solar energy system owners with capable and available contractors for installation, while facilitating equal opportunity for all electrical contractors to participate.  The network process is straighforward!  Read the OEN Summary and then please accept this earnest Invitation to Join, where there is simplified access to Bid Requests at no cost.  Go to OEN .

ATTENTION CONTRACTORS!  Solar Workshops in Washington State in Spring and Fall...

See www.solarenergy.org for details.  A few days or a week (of class combined with field work) and you gain an education that can support your goal of becoming a solar contractor!

 

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

• SOLAR 2007 is in Cleveland, Ohio July 7 - 12  "Sustainable Energy Puts America To Work"  Olympic Energy Systems was there, as our founder studied engineering at CWRU in Cleveland and attended SOLAR 1999 in Portland.

             

           Jonathan on Amtrak!            Cleveland, Ohio              The Heliodon (a tool)      Exhibit Hall (160 Exhibitors)

• Pick up your free copy of the "Emergency Resource Guide" (Call us at 360-379-2536 or contact the Department of Health at www.doh.wa.gov)
• Free SOLAR ENERGY FAIR @ Quimper Grange Port Townsend 3/24/07
• FM 94.9 in Seattle on November 28 hosted a discussion of Washington State's I-937 (RE Portfolio Standard Bill), featuring US Representative Jay Inslee, who believes our energy focus should be on Global Warming, Jobs, and Farmers.  2nd generation ethanol will use cellulosic technology.  Yea!  Our state's solar advocate, Mike Nelson, weighed in with optimism that PV modules will be made in Washington soon, per the goal of SB 5101/5111.
• Clallam County PUD now offers rebates ($$$) for Solar PV Systems
• ATTENTION CONTRACTORS! Solar Workshops on Guemes Island, WA every Fall and Spring - see www.solarenergy.org or www.homepower.com for details...a few days or a week and you gain a wealth of information!
• The Annapurna Center for Self-Healing gets its first  Solar Hot Water System 
• A Sequim retiree gets his first Solar Hot Water Pre-Heat System
• OES participated in the 1st Annual Renewable Energy Symposium and Expo in Everett, Washington on Saturday August 19, 2006
• OES is happy to refer earth-friendly folks to the Ancient Earth School of Natural Building on Whidbey Island, Washington - we have similar goals for sustainability
• Did you know? Biomass has overtaken hydropower as the leading source of renewable energy in the US, per the Farm Foundation.
• National Solar Tour SAT October 7, 2006 was here - thanks ASES!
  See www.solarwashington.org for details.
• The Marblemount Hydro Project gets its yearly maintenance...see the new paint
• The Lake Sutherland Hydro Project received its new turbine/generator gear
• The Olson Creek Hydro Project begins its preliminary design phase
• SIP buildings are on the rise in the Puget Sound region - two recently went up on Whidbey Island.  The kits were made in Port Angeles, Washington.
• The new main office of Olympic Energy Systems is complete...walls, floor, roof are SIPs

 

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 Whidbey Is.

The Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) building is strong, well-insulated, and fast to fab on site.


Ralph Nader, well-known consumer advocate, has this to say about the United States:

"I think the country needs a transportation system that doesn't just cater to a few powerful vested interests like the auto industry, oil industry, or the tire industry, the asphalt and concrete industries.  That means, we need a transportation system with the most modern technology that will be convenient, safe, energy efficient, less polluting, respectful of land uses, and above all, able to transport people short and longer distances in metropolitan and suburban areas in a reliable fashion."

Taking the train (on Amtrak's Empire Builder or Sunset Limited) across the US uses about 1/4 of the fuel per person as that used when flying. 

When considering that energy conservation is an absolute necessity for maintaining our economic and social prosperity, that the US has placed insufficient emphasis on conserving transportation fuel (considering the stalled CAFE requirements, the exemption for SUVs - allowing them to maintain relatively low fuel mileage ratings, and the tax deduction for the largest SUVs), that the US federal government subsidizes the automotive and aviation industries (providing roads, air control operations, security, etc.) in the range of several 10's of billions of dollars per year, compared to the $500M to $1.2B subsidy to Amtrak, a trip by rail is a net benefit to the US, not a tax burden!  If we have to have cars, then we ought to have energy efficient ones, so review www.fev-now.com for great information on that common sensical, yet innovative, effort.