In my first point, I claim
In my first point, I claim that the author makes some comparisons which are questionable. Comparing the push for “clean energy” to Sputnik, and the Apollo response is perilous. The Apollo program was not plagued by as many competing and contradictory goals as is the current clean energy attempted revolution. Some decry and some embrace technology, as is suitable to what ever the clean energy goal may be; cleaner energy, or severe limits to technology. There are more examples. One only has to look for them.
This illuminates my second point; that of confusing a primary energy source with technology. Batteries are not energy, but a way to transport energy inefficiently. Saying, “Do we want to wean ourselves from a dependence on foreign oil to only develop a dependence on foreign batteries?” is a good example of this kind of thinking. A primary energy source is utilized by technology, not created by it. He may be good at arithmetic, but needs to revisit exactly what energy is and where it comes from, IMHO.