Oh Really?
Posted on 07/15/2008 1:32:18 PM PDT by djsherin
In 1943, when Germany had virtually no sources of petroleum to fuel its Luftwaffe, U-boats, and Tiger tanks, its scientists (arguably among the best in the world at that time) didn’t turn to solar and wind power. Evil does not equate to naïveté. Hitler’s technical advisers turned to another energy source to keep their Wehrmacht running steadily for several years without petroleum. They used the Fischer-Tropsch process to convert coal into diesel fuel and employed the Bergius hydrogenation (or liquefaction) process to convert coal into aviation gasoline and high-quality truck and automobile gasoline.
(Excerpt) Read more at thenewamerican.com ...
Ping to Self.
Its old technology. There is no excuse for not doing it.
We should be building coal-to-diesel plants in every coal producing state. Now, already.
Our local gov’t is spending about $1 million to study building a coal to liquid plant here. It’s not like we are short of oil here, and coal to liquid will not be cheaper, but somebody has to get this started and it looks like local or State will have to do it since FedGov seems to be unaware of any energy solution.
That appears to be the case. They have other priorities, which need not be named at this time since we all know.
If you are interested in German WWII `cutting-edge’ inventions, like night-vision, leviathan tanks (the `Maus’); vertical take off aircraft, etc.
http://www.somethingawful.com/booklist/about.htm
(`My Tank Is Fight’; for smart people, they did some really stupid things)
Ye gods, Nazi/Apartheid technology, nuclear power, coal mining AND individual POVs? There aren’t enough kittens in the world, you should want the Liberals to have more? ;^)
The USAF has issued a contract to investigate coal liquifaction for aircraft fuel.
The energy shortage isn’t a problem for Dems. It is an opportunity.
An opportunity to be pilloried in the public square by p.o.’ed working men and women?
That’s to the good. The Dept of Energy was created over 30 years ago to do this investigation and was funded sufficiently to build coal to liquid plants all over the country by now. It would have been painless, but it still has to be done and it won’t be painless at this point.
Coal liquifaction powered by a nuclear reactor. I live in NY State. The hardcore left here will never allow such a thing, regardless of how cheap or efficient.
Sad.
“An opportunity to be pilloried in the public square by p.o.’ed working men and women?”
No, an opportunity to forward their socialist cause and acquire more power.
Oh Really?
I’ve been interested in this idea for quite a while. To me, coal gasification just makes sense. We have the coal (and *lots* of it), we have the gasification technology (and have had for decades), and the resulting fuel burns very cleanly.
It might not be the cheapest solution, especially if oil prices begin to fall/the speculative bubble bursts. But it is a solution that can be accomplished entirely within our borders. And (IMHO) the security it could bring make it more than worth the cost.
Butter from coal. I heard that, too. It is likely true.
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