Solving Peak Oil

Originally posted by Sri Oracle
1) Methane production via biomass digesters... China already has 5 million of them installed. Gas powered electric generators can be easily adapated for methane. The more you (and your animals) poo the brighter your lights. The technology is simple... requires only brick (stone), mortar, pipe, and a big innertube to store the methane (there are other methods for storage too). Methane can be used as is to cook on, keep water hot, or run a light.

2) Biodiesel... Heated soy oil substitutes for diesel and only requires small amounts of the real deal on startup and shutdown. Even the real stuff needed for startup can be substituted with a glycerine-chemically-removed version of soy oil.

Do your google research on biomass and biodiesel! I intend to convert my septic system to a biomass reactor within 2 years and my truck to biodiesel within 3. Goodbye big oil, these are the future's solutions. AND they are decentralized!

Sri Oracle

So when the top soil has eroded away from planting of soy to supply the increasing demand of biofuels, what will we use to plant the crops we eat? This is the number one problem with all plant derived fuels intended to replace oil. The top soil will erode away, more farm land will be taken away from edible crops and a massive world food shortage may hit.

My vision of the future uses a variety of energy sources but I believe leadership is needed to spur the development of a lot more use of solar since it appears that this can be an economical power source.
www.businessweek.com...

A solar thermal type system for electricity generation has a roughly 30 percent sun to electrical energy conversion rate which is about twice as good as the regular solar panels.
www.businessweek.com...

If we use several large solar plants to generate clean renewable energy to supplement or even supply much of our power, then this would be a cheap energy source in my opinion. However, this might require a lot of construction and incentives or I believe we will face a big energy crunch at some time. This cheap energy can be used to create hydrogen to fuel our automobiles. Setting up hydrogen infrastructure will cost money too but I believe someone is already planning it since I've read that automobile manufacturers and the oil industry are planning on it.
www.eere.energy.gov...

www.hydrogenus.com...

As with any plan though, our government and leaders need to set up a timeline to help aid the plan along to decrease the US reliance on foreign oil. I believe incentives might work but at the moment I see everything being left to the marketplace. Leaving things to the market might work but the market doesn't usually react until something happens to upset the balance IMO.

Originally posted by Regenmacher
It is believed that if we wait for the free market to work itself out, in about 20 or 30 years it will be too damn late. The plateau when global oil production actually peaks (if it hasn't already) will be extremely volatile, complete with economic, climate and political disasters.

Don't like my nuclear hi-tech option as the main new energy resource, then tell me your solution. Keep in mind that arable land, climate change, and population growth are major factors involved with peak oil solutions.

No it will not be too late in 20 to 30 years. You are listening to tree hugging scare tactics and "peer reviewed" speculations based off false OPEC data used to drive the pricing index. Oil is not going away. I understand petroleum is nonrenewable - synthetic lubrication is renewable. Lube is not going away folks it all comes down to open out cry.

Uranium is not the way to go. Hell we don't properly store it now and also Uranium is nonrenewable. 20,000 year shelf life can only dramatically kill our UW (underground water table), especially a hamped out drama you propose. Notice nuke energy peaked in the 90's. What you're going to see is Hydrogen and alot of synthetics, unless the next Einstein comes along with a new source of energy that can be harnessed.

Originally posted by vincere7
You are listening to tree hugging scare tactics and "peer reviewed" speculations based off false OPEC data used to drive the pricing index.

What I research and read about in feasible energy resources has little to do with your state of denial.
It also has little to do with ignoring the economic reality of energy returned on energy invested.

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In the first test of new thermonuclear fusion reactor, China indicates it's over a decade ahead the rest of the world in fusion technology.



China's goal is in reduce its soaring consumption of imported oil, were as any dependence on foreign energy supplies comes at the loss of their national sovereignty.

Nuclear renaissance triggers uranium boom



[edit on 29-9-2006 by Regenmacher]

Originally posted by Regenmacher
reduce its consumption of imported oil (...)

If China wants to do that, they are going to need A LOT of uranium. For that reason, they’d have to decomm. all of their nuclear warheads (all of which are made of uranium) and import more from abroad. Keep in mind: we’re talking about providing electricity for 1.3 billion people. One reactor isn’t enough.

Generally the idea to build nuclear electric plants is good. The French NEPs provide 80% of the electricity the country uses up, and even for "export", so why can’t other countries do so?

Originally posted by Regenmacher
What I research and read about in feasible energy resources has little to do with your state of denial.

What denial is he in exactly as i see someone thinking critically and not believing things simply because the main stream press is spreading rumours.

It also has little to do with ignoring the economic reality of energy returned on energy invested.

There is no reason why that should matter as energy returned on energy expended needs not be some kind of barrier at all. All energy in the end comes from the sun and with proper focus we can turn this planet into quite the paradise based simply on such simplistic technologies as wind and solar power.

In the first test of new thermonuclear fusion reactor, China indicates it's over a decade ahead the rest of the world in fusion technology.

Fusion energy is just another scam to keeps us eternally dependent on centralized power distribution networks and i for one refuse to accept that as my destiny. Why are we ignoring the reality of cold fusion?

www.lasarcyk.de...

experts.about.com...

www.rexresearch.com...

www.cheniere.org...

www.wired.com...

en.wikipedia.org...

www.csmonitor.com...

www.loe.org...

China's goal is in reduce its soaring consumption of imported oil, were as any dependence on foreign energy supplies comes at the loss of their national sovereignty.

Which i guess, logically according to you, means the US has long ago lost it's sovereignty?

As a net oil importer since 1993, China's petroleum industry is focused on meeting domestic demand. Retail prices for petroleum products are regulated, with variations based on location and the type of consumer. The Chinese government maintains domestic price ceilings on finished petroleum products which, despite several decisions to increase domestic prices over the last couple years, have not kept pace with price increases in international markets. The Chinese government provides refiners with subsidies to ease the gulf between low domestic rates and high international oil prices. The eventual goal is to eliminate subsidized prices, but given the dependency of vulnerable segments of the Chinese population on cheap fuels, particularly in agriculture, it will likely take at least several years to accomplish this goal.

Roughly 85 percent of Chinese oil production capacity is located onshore. China’s largest oil producing field, CNPC’s Daqing field in northeastern China, accounts for more than 900,000 bbl/d, or one quarter of China’s total crude oil production. Daqing is a mature oil field, and production levels have been reduced since 2004 while CNPC works to extend the life of the field. In April 2004, Chinese authorities announced several new oil discoveries in the existing Shengli field in northeastern China. These finds helped make Shengli, which is operated by Sinopec, the country’s second-largest oil producing field, supplying more than 500,000 bbl/d according to OGJ’s most recent estimate. CNOOC also produces more than 500,000 bbl/d from its offshore oil fields in the Bohai Bay and South China Sea.

www.eia.doe.gov...

China is not the problem and it's part of the cake is very small compared to it's part of the world population.

Nuclear renaissance triggers uranium boom

It's surprising how we keep finding more and more of the resources we require however much we seem to be using. The peak oil fear mongering nonsense has been going on for decades and the noise level keeps increasing the more obvious the lie becomes.

Stellar

The vast reserves of Alberta's oil sands deposits were described by Time Magazine as "Canada's greatest buried energy treasure," and "could satisfy the world's demand for petroleum for the next century."
Apparently 8 times the Saudi oil reserves.
This was not economically feasible in the past, however at today's oil prices it turns a big profit.

Oil Sands are deposits of bitumen, a molasses-like viscous oil that will not flow unless heated or diluted with lighter hydrocarbons. They are contained in three major areas beneath 140,800 square kilometres of north-eastern Alberta - an area larger than the state of Florida.

The finished oil is high grade and sells a A grade at a premium.
links below.
www.energy.gov.ab.ca...
www.cbsnews.com...

production is underway and will replace North American oil imports in a few years.
More than enough oil to last another century.
No peak oil crisis at the moment.
But this of course does nothing to improve the environmental impact of burned hydrocarbons.
Electric cars and new power sources are as important as they ever were.

sadly, my friends, so much of all this depends on something we just don't seem to want to address here...

technology is suppressed

Those that wield the vast sums of capital in this world, the kind of capital required to R&D new technology, etc, continue to profit by using Oil. I struggle to see any hints of benevolence in their exercise of this power now, what evidence is there to suggest that they will ever become more benevolent in the future?

I am quite certain that the status quo will remain the way until it is completely exhausted.

A good way to solve would be mass purges of the... undesirable elements of society. By which I mean the conservaitve, nationalist and religious elements.