Crosspost: SPS and $87 billion

Bill wrote:

>There is no point in building a single SPS at this point. The
>transportation infrastructure in North America and the rest of the
>world requires oil.
>
Infrastructure consisting of engines that are, on average less than 10
years old. Other engine designs exist using other fuels, or electricity.
If it was necessary, we could greatly reduce our need for oil in less
than a decade.

Additionally - petroleum or its equivalents can be manufactured (for
example from plants - bio-diesel etc.); the real need is for energy, and
energy is reasonably fungible between different forms. More electricity
can easily mean more locally produced oil.

Arthur Smith