The Renewable Energy Blog

While I’m on conspiracy theories, which may or may not exist, you can’t ignore the fact that energy policy is HIGHLY influenced by politicians who are HIGHLY influenced by special interest groups, many of which happen to be connected to Big Oil. Corporate greed trickles downhill. It makes me wonder why we haven’t made greater advances toward higher fuel efficiency, not to mention developing other efficient forms of fuel for our ground transportation at the very least.

OK, we live in a market society and market changes reflect what products and fuels we consume. When something becomes too expensive or scarce other items are invented or grown to take their place. And only in the last 30 years have we encountered any obstacles to cheap fossil fuels; first in the 70’s and now. But it’s been 30 years. Think of how many medical advances we’ve made in that time and compare it to our energy choices and usage. It looks lopsided.

So how many advances in energy production and usage that could rival and supplant petroleum resources have been suppressed so the people and companies invested in oil related industries can continue to reap huge profits while the majority of the world remains handcuffed to the engine block? Ethanol has been allowed to flourish because it hardly puts a dent in the overall consumption of gasoline. And alternate forms of electricity–solar and wind in particular–don’t challenge Big Oil’s supremacy and would take a huge expenditure in resources and money to implement on a large scale.

But what if we found a way to produce an almost unlimited supply of energy that could not only challenge gasoline, but other forms of petroleum usage as well? Would the world embrace it as a change for the better? Or would the leaders of the oil related industries find any means possible to destroy that knowledge, or suppress it until they felt the time was right after every possible "bloody" penny has been squeezed from the common man?

I recently read The Green Trap by Ben Bova which deals with this concept. Bova is known in the Science Fiction circles for gritty, thought-provoking novels set in the future that deal with many issues that we face today. This is the first novel by Bova that I’m aware of that is a thriller set in today’s timeframe. Because of this it hits home very readily.

In a nut shell, the story revolves around the scientific discovery of an inexpensive way to manufacture hydrogen fuel from water. The main character deals with many people wanting to get their hands on the discovery–gold diggers, oil tycoons and political achievers. And no one wants to use the discovery to benefit mankind.

This isn’t what is now considered a traditional book review. For one, I hate reading a book review that tells everything that’s going to happen. If I wanted cliff notes, I would buy it. And I don’t want to analyze the book until AFTER I’ve read it.

The story flows well, yet nothing fancy. And you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see where the plot is going. It honestly doesn’t compare to many other much better books that Ben Bova has written, but if you’re new to the energy game and how politics works, the plot can be a bit of an eye-opener. Although it is a novel written for entertainment, the important message to take away from it is that energy is a highly sought after resource that people will try to control at any price. Because he who controls energy has the power to control–a lot. Anything and everything. Life and death.

[amtap book:isbn=0765348160]