The USA's crude oil import bill, this year, may touch the $ 200-billion mark. Its coal import for the year is expected to exceed 35 million tones. This is despite the fact that the USA is a leading global producer of both crude petroleum oil and coal. The consumption far exceeds the domestic production. Three of the world's top four oil companies are American. China is the largest producer of coal, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the global production.

What strikes a visitor to the US countryside instantly is the presence of clusters of tall towers with long graceful blades atop lake a huge pedestal fan moving gently to harness wind energy (windmills) across the length and breadth of the country, generating hundreds of megawatts of power. There is a sense of commitment and determination to increasingly rely on renewable energy to cut down the consumption of conventional energy - oil, gas and coal - by at least 30 per cent. California, America's biggest power starved state, alone is awaiting the state government approval for a dozen large solar thermal power plants having a combined capacity of about 5,000 MW. The biggest of them, 1000 MW, has been proposed by a company called Solar Millennium, Blythe. Nearby Nevada and Arizona too have big solar energy generation plans.

A paper jointly presented by Barbara and Terry Stumph, researcher and environmental engineer, at the golden jubilee anniversary meet of the East West Center at Honolulu, Hawaii, last month, said California generated and met 21.6 per cent of its energy needs in 2008 from renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydro-electric facilities. Of them, 10.6 per cent came from non-conventional sources. In November, 2008, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order committing the state to use renewable energy sources to meet 33 per cent of its energy needs by 2020. The state is highly confident to meet the target.

Two months ago, President Barrack Obama made a vision statement that also had policy implication for the present as well as future. Obama said: “An America run solely on fossil fuels should not be the vision we have for our children and our grandchildren.” His 2010 budget called for raising the country's renewable energy capacity by 100 per cent in three years - in other words, by the end of his first term in the oval office — giving a clear cut direction that the action has to be taken without delay.

Citing a local example, Barbara Stumph said: “the impact of this new initiative is money allocated by the current administration for renewable technology development. Not far from our home in the San Francisco area, a solar panel manufacturing plant, Solyndra, just received from the US Department of Energy in the amount of $535 million. President Barrack Obama personally visited the new plant” in June, last.

The US automobile industry is seriously looking at large commercial production of electric cars. Such cars are already on US streets in a limited way. Toyota, the world's largest automobile maker, has tied up with a US firm to build third generation electric cars at a new Tesla plant in Northern California. Technology is being developed for more powerful car batteries with longer sustained life and less frequent need for recharging. Although conventional car makers and gasoline suppliers are understandably less enthusiastic about the rival new generation electric cars, the latter are poised to create its own space in the US automobile market.

Unfortunately, in India, which is heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels, the use of renewable energy resources has been receiving only a lip service both from the industry and the government. Over 70 per cent of India's petroleum needs are imported. Globally, India ranks fifth in energy consumption after China, the US, Japan and Russia. Its proven oil and gas reserves are extremely limited. Although it has large coal reserves - among the top six in the world — the quality of coal is very poor. India is a major importer of metallurgical coal. Soon, the country may become a large importer of steam coal as well, which is now mainly generated by a handful of Eastern Coalfields mines in Asansol-Ranigunj area. Less than 15 per cent of India's power generation comes from renewable energy resources, including hydro-electric generation. No serious commercial initiative has been made to tap the abundant supply of non-conventional resources such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal etc. These areas offer a great opportunity for India to ensure future energy security.

For India, internal security also poses a major challenge especially in the light of 26/11 (November 26) carnage in Mumbai, the continuous trouble and bloodshed in Jammu & Kashmir, the existence of several Jehadi groups and Maoist violence, of late. However, the USA faces a much bigger internal security threat because of its aggressive external policy and military engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The support for Israel and the opposition to the present Iranian regime have added to the internal security risk factor. Threatened by Al Qaeda and its associates in the Muslim world, the USA has become a soft target of Islamic Jehadists and terror groups, which the FBI and the US Homeland Security Department have been fighting with all resources at their disposal.

The USA is spending huge sums to promote inter-cultural and inter-faith dialogues between the Muslim world and itself to minimize its internal security risk factor. The latest initiative by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to build a highly imposing 15-storied Islamic centre cum mosque at 45-47 Park Place in lower Manhattan, next to the Ground Zero, is intended to make a show of American solidarity with moderate Muslims to win over the latter's heart in its fight against Islamic terror. The project, which is estimated to cost $ 100 million, has already come under heavy criticism from the powerful Anglican Church and the Jewish community. Others feel the move reflects a typical simplistic US view of the world affairs to purchase peace and its hegemony with money and military power. Most educated Americans believe that the country's internal security is at a much greater risk today than any time before. (IPA Service)