No Apollo/Manhattan for Energy?
Martin Fridson argues that we don't need a Manhattan Project or an Apollo program to wean us off of energy...we need a Longitude Prize.
Read the whole thing at TCS Daily.In creating monetary spurs for innovation, Congress could consult with disinterested scientific experts to identify the most valuable technological milestones. Realistically, it would be impossible to depoliticize the process entirely. Corporations would be unable, however, to load the specs with lucrative make-work projects.
Summing up, the fact that the Manhattan and Apollo Projects accomplished their missions does not automatically make them worthy of emulation for present purposes. If something beyond the ordinary profit motive is required to bring forth the means for greater energy independence, the government should follow two principles:
- Encourage scientific exploration on multiple fronts, rather than put a thumb on the scale for any single technology.
- Spend the taxpayers' money on outputs, rather than inputs.
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