Gil Gutknecht: Technology (Not More Mandates) to the Rescue

The latest example of why we need to put in more effort is the ham-fisted government response to balloon flights and Ohio train derailments. “In God we Trust” Use our coinage instead “In Government.” The ineptitude is evident when you use $400,000 missiles for the purpose of shooting down hobby balloons worth $400. It is hard to find examples of government competence. 

They treat money as if it were their own. They don’t care about the consequences of regulations and mandates. All in the name and protection of We the People.

But millions of our countrymen, most of them media moguls and educated elites, believe that stronger, more centralized government can somehow save the world from any future atmospheric catastrophe. This includes very brilliant people who helped invent the term disruptive technology.

It’s an intriguing mystery. 

They lead the call for massive new subsidies to reduce global warming. We must decarbonize! No matter what the cost. Any suggestion that costs might be considered against the measurable benefits will be rejected. Any scientist questioning the relationship between climate and carbon will be treated as a heretic, and all hopes of receiving a grant for research must be abandoned. This is the end of the discussion.

Whether human activity and CO2  levels are the driving forces behind the gradual warming of our climate is a separate question. There have been very few cooling periods and pauses since the last ice ages, which occurred approximately 10,000 years ago. This predates human activity.

So, we accept that the climate is changing. It has always been this way. There is no consensus.

There is legitimate debate about the role of hydrocarbons in these mega trends. It is undisputed that energy is a vital part of improving the standard of life for humanity. The most recent IER study This makes it clear that hydrocarbons energy is the foundation upon which modern life rests. It will remain so in the near future. It is not possible to pretend it isn’t true and pass green mandates that will not change this. Americans will not accept any government-imposed reduction in their standard of living. Chinese won’t either.

Too many politicians confuse doing something with saying something. It is not difficult to make grand pronouncements at Swiss ski resorts or pass legislation demanding we become carbon-free by 2040. It won’t be possible without dramatic technological advancements.

The “you didn’t build that” crowd hates to admit it, but the solutions to our energy and environmental problems won’t  be created by the government. Free people will find solutions in a free marketplace. Researchers and entrepreneurs will find solutions in small laboratories.

One such entrepreneur/scientist is Sam Weaver. Sam has many inventions. Sam’s work can be seen everywhere, from the carbon brakes that are used on all Boeing aircrafts to the ceramic press that produces the world’s thinnest aluminum containers for a Golden Colorado brewery.

His Proton Power team and he may be the key to unlocking the potential energy revolution. Dr. Weaver began to work with his team in a laboratory just west of Knoxville to find a way to separate hydrogen from plant-based material (biomass). This was achieved and Wampler Farm Sausage, a nearby plant that produces hydrogen rich syngas, has been burning clean-burning hydrogen rich for many years. They remove carbon before burning hydrogen.

It’s all good news, but the story goes even better. They discovered that black powder carbon was rich in PPI graphene almost by chance. It shares many of the chemical properties of pure graphene.  Graphene is considered the holy grail for material scientists. It is available for purchase at as high as $2500 pergram. This renewable and sustainable version can be upgraded by the Weaver team using carbon taken from the air by biomass plants for only fifty cents per Gram.

It is now truly disruptive.

Pure graphene layered is extremely rare and expensive. While it is as light as a feather, it is unbelievably strong. It also has remarkable electrical properties. In the last few years, the Weaver team has been focusing on making batteries from graphene. Imagine a battery that charges faster, lasts longer, can withstand cold, and is free of lithium and rare earth metals. And it lasts much longer than the current batteries, which can only hold 800,000 cycles.

Everything has changed, from electric cars to large-scale storage “green” The grid becomes more practical. This can be done without the need for mandates or the assistance of the government. 

It’s possible to imagine it.

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