Pickens Plan Stirs the Debate

摘要

Much has happened to change the outlook on renewable energy in the part year. A recession has lowered energy consumption, widening reserve margins for new generating capacity. There's perhaps no higher-profile example of the effects the current economy has had on renewables than T. Boone Pickens' "Pickens Plan," which marked its first anniversary in July. While the Pickens corporate empire would no doubt benefit if his plan ever takes off, he insist he's not in it for the money, saying if he were, he'd have kept his initial $60 million in his pocket. Perhaps most importantly, Pickens has stirred debate about the complexity of energy production and use in the US and elsewhere.