The Jetstream Initiative: Benefits

Economic Benefits

  • The strategic nature of the design will encourage price leveling across the country with a net lowering of cost per kilowatt hour.
  • The system will pay for itself rather than consume tax dollars.
  • The system will return 5 trillion dollars in potential revenue over the 30 year life of the project versus a cost of development and operation of half a trillion dollars.
  • Over 6 million jobs can be created by installing a wind-powered turbine electrical grid.The scale, profitability and distributed scope of the project guarantees in depth stimulation of a broad spectrum of the national economy.
  • According to the AWEA, assuming a five to seven year rollout, approximately 6.2 million jobs will be created, directly, indirectly or induced as the turbines are installed. Another 750 thousand jobs could result from the installation of 15 thousand miles of electrical grid.
  • Jobs will be created directly to design build and manage the transmission lines and wind turbines of the system.
  • Jobs will be created indirectly to supply the construction projects, house and feed and entertain the crews and to build components of the system.
  • The lower net cost per kilowatt-hour will have a multiplier effect across a broad spectrum of the US economy which will result in job growth across the board.

Improvement in the quality, reliability and scope of the national electric grid

  • Wind power can improve the quality, reliability and scope of the national electrical grid.Increased carrying capacity, smart monitoring, and automatic load balancing makes demand- response engineering unnecessary and eliminates blackout problems.
  • The national scope of the grid eliminates the systematic inefficiency that results from daily peak and valley loads.
  • The electric power generation potential in the wind turbines will augment the capacity of the grid by 20% of current US consumption.
  • Improved grid access to remote geographical areas will allow new, more efficient energy sources to replace old energy sources that are inappropriately located in densely populated areas.
  • This can arrive just in time to sustain the coming electric automobile revolution starting in the year 2010 and provide enough electrical energy to charge 300 million cars overnight.

Improvement in the environment and quality of life

  • Supplying alternative electrical energy would provide both economic and environmental benefits.Electric energy will again be competitive with carbon based fuels for heating and industrial applications.
  • Locally generated hydrogen can replace polluting fuels. Energy can also be stored as hydrogen as needed.
  • Our dependence on foreign oil and natural gas and foreign generated electricity could decrease dramatically.
  • The resulting decrease in pollution and climatic side effects would benefit us all.
  • The US could go from a net importer to a net exporter of energy resources in a matter of 7 years.

Diplomatic Benefits

  • The underlying pretext for conflict is the appearance of shortage. By converting the current economic crisis into an opportunity for sustainable growth we can show the world a new paradigm.
  • By applying this new paradigm to the national electrical grid the US will become the leading example of success in addressing the current world economic crisis.

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Comments

"Back of the envelope" calculations....

Ron Davidson's picture

I really like this concept overall.  However, I just don’t see that it works financially.

Let’s say 6 million jobs are created at an average salary of $30k/yr, and let’s say the materials:labour cost ratio is 60:40.  That would mean a cost of $450B per year.  If there is a 7-year rollout, that’s a total cost of over $3T.

If the project generates $5T over 30 years, that means the $3T breakeven takes 18 years.  Where are you going to find $3T in investment dollars — including government input — that is willing to accept an 18-year payback?

Payback

Good question Ron,

The figures actually work out much better after Production Tax Credits for renewably generated electric, Carbon Credits for not producing CO2, Renewable Energy Certificates, The MACRS 5 year depreciation for equipment and all available transmission line incentives.

Payback with these incentives is between 6 and 7 years depending on average wind over the entire system.

A very acceptable rate of return which matches the Return On Investment for wind farms nationwide.

Thanks!