One of the big contrasts between Germany (where I grew up) and the US has been the approach to infrastructure such as highways, railways and power lines. In Germany these are all ‘gold plated’ with the Autobahn surface so smooth you could run a drag race on it (and people do accelerate almost that fast). In the US on the other hand I never seize to be amazed at the potholes on major routes such as I95. Germany is of course a fraction of the size of the US and more densely populated so this is easier to accomplish. On top, much of the gold plating was the result of overinvestment by cost-plus regulated state monopolies. By and large the US has been able to invest in infrastructure whenever it really became problematic (although at times this has required a bridge collapse or other disaster or a Sputnik to gather enough support). We are now at such a critical point but I am afraid there is no catalytic event spurring on the investment. I am talking about the electric grid. It does not really matter where you believe energy will come from in the future (wind, solar, bio, nuclear), but it is fairly clear that electricity is the cleanest, safest and most reliable way for us to transport energy. Sadly our grid at the national, regional and even local level is in a sorry state that can barely support existing loads never mind providing the basis for transitioning to a post carbon economy. We have had great foresight in the past, such as the creation of the Interstate highway system when it became clear that car and truck transport would be crucial. I believe that the power grid needs a similar initiative. Not only do we need the equivalent of interstates but also the incentives for regional and local grid investment. Rather than the government trying to pick clean energy winners and distorting which technologies are researched and developed, grid investments would benefit all clean technologies.
