Comments on: Energy Department Ready to Issue Green Loan Guarantee http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5081 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:36:51 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: George Tobin http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5081&cpage=1#comment-13091 George Tobin Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:53:31 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=5081#comment-13091 It would great if the federal government funded overlooked avenues, risky but potentially very productive methods and the basic research needed to fill in the gaps and complete the foundation for the next generation of energy technologies. That, of course, will not happen. Government will fund projects connected to politicians. Government will fund technologies which are never going to be cost-effective because those activities will spend more for lobbyists and pursue subsidies more aggressively (Ethanol from corn comes to mind..). And government funding czars will favor older but not very useful studies like the ones the czars themselves did before they became czars. (Why else would there be 20 years of cancer research focusing on rather pointless repetitions of the cyclamate paradigm --giant toxic doses given to small animals to 'prove' carcinogenicity or ordinary products.) It would be great if this actually spurred an effective, market-driven deployment of solar powered technology. But I am not optimistic. It would great if the federal government funded overlooked avenues, risky but potentially very productive methods and the basic research needed to fill in the gaps and complete the foundation for the next generation of energy technologies.

That, of course, will not happen. Government will fund projects connected to politicians.

Government will fund technologies which are never going to be cost-effective because those activities will spend more for lobbyists and pursue subsidies more aggressively (Ethanol from corn comes to mind..).

And government funding czars will favor older but not very useful studies like the ones the czars themselves did before they became czars. (Why else would there be 20 years of cancer research focusing on rather pointless repetitions of the cyclamate paradigm –giant toxic doses given to small animals to ‘prove’ carcinogenicity or ordinary products.)

It would be great if this actually spurred an effective, market-driven deployment of solar powered technology. But I am not optimistic.

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