Countries the U.S. Can Learn From…

Without a doubt the U.S. has been the most fossil-fuel dependent country in the world. With a brief respite from last summer’s record gasoline prices due to the recession, U.S. consumers will have low prices for a time to come. However, the goal of becoming energy self-sufficient is what every American wants.

Surprisingly there are countries that are almost there. Costa Rica is working to become the world’s first carbon-neutral country (other countries vying to be first are Norway and New Zealand). Costa Rica wants to become carbon neutral in time to celebrate 200 years of independence in 2021.

Some of Costa Rica’s energy sources include geothermal energy, the burning of sugarcane waste and other biomass, solar and wind energy. However, the largest source of energy is hydroelectricity — its hydroelectric dams provide more than 82% of the country’s electricity.

However, the electric needs of Costa Rica are increasing, and the government now wants to build new dams that would displace indigenous villages and flood valuable habitats. Local environmental groups are opposing the construction of new hydroelectric dams.

So, while Costa Rica’s goal is enviable, its fulfillment has a ways to go. Despite the obstacles, the country is over 90% energy independent now.

In New Zealand, purpose-grown energy forests if planted today could meet all of New Zealand’s future transport fuel and heat energy needs, without threatening the country’s important agricultural industry, according to a study completed by Crown Research Institute, Scion.

Although Norway still relies on fossil fuel, it has struck a remarkable balance between respect for the environment and energy independence; between stewardship of the earth and global economic competition. It is a place of both enduring natural beauty and the third largest oil exporter in the world.

Norway's annual output of 1.6 billion barrels of oil comes exclusively from offshore drilling. Oil and natural gas are transported through a network of sub seafloor pipelines. Norway is the home to the world's largest natural gas drilling platform.
And the truly remarkable fact is that Norway has built this robust offshore oil and gas drilling industry alongside large and thriving fishing and tourism industries.
Taken together, these three countries have important plans in place which the U.S. could well do to study and implement.

Finally, while the verdict is still out on ethanol, Brazil has become nearly energy independent with its use. When Brazilians say fill it up, they're not getting the oily mix Americans see at the pump, which is 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol.

They get pure ethanol, as Brazil now produces 5 billion gallons of the sugar-cane distilled fuel annually. That's enough to power three-quarters of the nearly 2 million cars South America's largest country makes every year.

The production advantages are obvious -- with sugar cane the energy source is above ground and can be produced for $30 dollars a barrel. Today a barrel of oil is priced at more than double that.

The only problem for the U.S. is we haven’t begun early enough to wean ourselves from petroleum and our car manufacturers could only see profits in bigger SUVs and pickups. We have an abundance of corn instead of sugar cane. The switch away from oil in Brazil has been 30 years in the making, as the Brazilian government started its ethanol program during its first fuel crisis.

The changeover took federal encouragement, because the car companies, oil companies and the Brazilian people all needed a nudge.

Gas dealers were forced to offer ethanol at their pumps, and car buyers who purchased flex cars that are built with the technology to run on ethanol, gasoline or a mix of both received tax incentives. Today ethanol outsells gasoline, and three out of every four new cars sold is a flex car.

Once drivers start driving these vehicles, the economics take over.

It would cost $529 in gas to make a cross-country trip from California to New York in a Chevy pickup. To make the same trip in the same vehicle powered by ethanol would cost $218.

And some Brazilians even say their cars have more power when ethanol is pumped into the tank.