A carbon tax would be far simpler to administer than a Cap & trade plan, because there is far fewer producers of energy, than users. A carbon tax could be implemented by requiring producers to file another form, cap &trade would require someone to decide who has to pay, and how much - a large bureaucracy. Lots of opportunity for lobbying and litigation over exemptions. Only a crooked politician could love it.
A lot of objections would disappear, if the remedy was a carbon tax -everybody realizes that fossil fuels are a dwindling resource, and the govt is going to tax something anyway. A carbon tax would accomplish the same objective, of reducing fuel usage by making it more expensive. Far less micromanagement and politics.
Subsidies for alternate energy sources are another favorite with politicians, for the same reason -lobbyists. Just increase the cost of fossil fuels, and people will find every practical way to avoid the costs. Subsidies create monstrosities like the corn ethanol industry - impractical, but very able to lobby for continued subsidies. Where you gonna find an ethanol expert to dispute them?
Be wary of information from those seeking subsidies, or selling something.
Fear of CO2 is going to sell expensive (=wasteful) solutions:
Actually, it should be more like a BTU tax, a carbon tax would encourage people to burn all the natural gas first, and leave the coal for future generations. We have lots of coal, and the cheap electricity it can produce will make battery powered vehicles more practical, easing the transition away from oil. Natural gas could be saved for vehicles., if electricity was cheaper, more people would heat their homes with it.
Battery power is not practical in cold climates, and the inherent waste of converting electricity to chemical energy and back again is a major limit to efficiency, making EVs no more efficient than a nat gas IC engine. It takes 75 kwh to charge a teslas 53kwh battery. that equals a 1500watt heater for 50 hours. Waste on discharge similar.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Alternative-Energy-Solar-2461/2008/8/Economics-Charging-car-batteries.htm
Tesla's website claims ~90% efficiency "wall socket to wheel" "based on billibong auto show judges assesment"but they're car salesmen. Somebody goofed, giving out the actual number of kilowatts.
discounted "off peak" charging: electric companies would like to take exxon's place providing auto fuel. if a lot of electric cars were charging every night, how would that be off-peak? Don't expect discounts to continue, when everyone drives a tesla.
