Oil Dependence...

[urscapegoat]

Don't worry...Plans are already underway to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Obviously, there are many ways to do so but most of those options will not happen on a large scale till we are all too old to leave our rocking chairs. It took Brazil twenty years to convert sugar cane to fuel on a large scale and thats pretty fast. It will be harder to convert corn into fuel because corn does not have the energy that cane sugar has, so it will require far more corn to produce the same amojnt of fuel. The US has the corn but not necessarily the transportation to move the corn. When harvest time comes (in the Fall), they move the corn to New Orleans for distribution--that's where the money is.

None of the ideas the Liberals in Congress (or Obama) are touting offer any short term solutions and even if drilling began today, it would take at least seven years before we see any change--and that change won't be significant. In fact, it probably won't do anything more than stabilize prices. Keep in mind, oil prices are determined by the world market--even if that oil is drilled locally.

What you will be hearing about in the near future is that Energy companies are exploring ways to convert coal into fuel. The US is the worlds leading supplier of coal and there is an estimated 200 years or so supply. The downside is pollution. The upside is that it is estimated it will only take 5-6 years for widescale distribution.

Im not a politician so I am not sure of any political hang-ups. All I know is that there are engineers within several Energy companies that are working on the coal solution at this time.

[qeuqheeg222]

solar powered car from northwestern university.....look it up...imagine if large capital investment from the early 80's till in this tech had occured like computers...

[hippifried]

solar powered car from northwestern university.....look it up...imagine if large capital investment from the early 80's till in this tech had occured like computers...

'80s? What '80s? People have been working on photo-voltaics since their discovery in the early 19th century. There's patents on solar cells going back to the 1890s. Bell labs developed solar cells for use in space in the '50s. Jimmy Carter had solar cells installed in the Whitehouse in 1977. Solar concentrators as a heat source for steam turbine generators have been proposed for many decades. (That's all a nuclear reactor does you know. It's just a big boiler.)

You're right though about capital investment. There hasn't been any til recently. I think that's because of concentrating on beefing up the current distribution system. The thought process has to be turned around. Bigger isn't necessarily better. As alternative generation systems become more efficient, & they are, there's no reason they can't be scaled down for individual usage. But that eats into the monopoly of the current generators, distributors, & middle men who control the grid. Therein lies the problem. Under the current system, power is consumed by license. If people could generate their own power, they would no longer be a captive consumer base. The energy market system needs to & will change whether anyone likes it or not. We can't keep propping up & protecting industries that can't or won't adjust to changing markets.

[hippifried]

solar powered car from northwestern university.....look it up...imagine if large capital investment from the early 80's till in this tech had occured like computers...

'80s? What '80s? People have been working on photo-voltaics since their discovery in the early 19th century. There's patents on solar cells going back to the 1890s. Bell labs developed solar cells for use in space in the '50s. Jimmy Carter had solar cells installed in the Whitehouse in 1977. Solar concentrators as a heat source for steam turbine generators have been proposed for many decades. (That's all a nuclear reactor does you know. It's just a big boiler.)

You're right though about capital investment. There hasn't been any til recently. I think that's because of concentrating on beefing up the current distribution system. The thought process has to be turned around. Bigger isn't necessarily better. As alternative generation systems become more efficient, & they are, there's no reason they can't be scaled down for individual usage. But that eats into the monopoly of the current generators, distributors, & middle men who control the grid. Therein lies the problem. Under the current system, power is consumed by license. If people could generate their own power, they would no longer be a captive consumer base. The energy market system needs to & will change whether anyone likes it or not. We can't keep propping up & protecting industries that can't or won't adjust to changing markets.

[qeuqheeg222]

tha is what im talking bout ..they only want to subsidize or protect the monopolies and the oligarchy....the 80's bought big oil about 30 more good yrs....

[hippifried]

How the hell did I get a double post?