Posted on 05/02/2006 10:14:41 AM PDT by mnwo
"The everyday use of ethanol and bio-fuels as a substitute for petroleum-based energy sources will take several years to accomplish, even under the best of circumstances. "
Not really - I installed one of these in 3 hrs and used $60 worth of corn / month instead of $400 worth of heating fuel.
http://www.americanenergysystems.com/countryside.cfm?tabID=4
We had long lines at the gas pumps in 1972. Our government knew then that we were dependent on foreign oil.
Despite Republicans being in charge of things for a while (Reagan, Nixon, Bush I and II), nothing has yet been done about our dependency on foreign oil.
Who can we get into office that will accomplish what needs to be done?
How much did that stove cost?
Ronald Reagan's first official acts of office included removing Jimmy Carter's solar panels from the roof of the White House, and reversing most of Carter's conservation and alternative energy policies.
What do you do when there is no electricity to run the stove?
Ethanol conversion is 30% efficient, and to run cars on pure ethanol will require engine modification.In newer cars it means the computer chip. 3-$500. Without subsidies it costs about $80/barrel equiv.
A better technology is Thermochemical Conversion, it is 80% efficient, and will also handle most of this country's solid waste problems. The problem is, that it creates oil at an unsubsidized cost of $80/barrel. Thus, it will compete directly with cheep middle eastern oil. (All they would have to do is drop their price and we are skewered.)
Therefore ethanol is a better short term solution, since it gets our basic transportation costs out of the hands of foreign oil. Caveat: Ethanol/Gasoline blends are a waste of time, since they compete with oil, and for that, they are way too expensive.
Did I miss the word "nuclear" somewhere.
Gobbling up our remaining petroleum now is not the way to go. We need to be conservative and save it for a gradual transition.
Actually, using up all the cheap petroleum is the way to go. Once cheap oil is removed the price will drastically stabilize. And what makes it better is that the worlds arid regions will be at our mercy, since they do not produce enough hydrocarbons to convert!Remember, Petroleum IS the renewable energy source!!
If you haven't noticed at $75/bbl it ain't so cheap these days, and if we use more it will also be more expensive.
The key point in my post was the absence of any discussion of nuclear power options.
The most probable route will be Coal gasification with the required steam being generated by small nuclear reactors. They can be located in the inactive sections of the mine. That will provide containment if necessary.
The gas produced by the gasification can be shipped by pipeline to any location in the US, cutting shipping costs dramatically. It is simple to convert automobiles to use this type of fuel.
I think they're up to $1800 this year - the SS vent pipe is another $300 - no chimney - its direct vent like a clothes dryer.
Some have a car battery backup - it draws only 3 amps.
" The problem is, that it creates oil at an unsubsidized cost of $80/barrel."
For transporation fuel, we have all we need for the next 100 years in Canada and Colorado for $20/ barrel cost.
Let's invade Canada instead of Iran.
$75 a barrel is cheap, and it comes out of the ground for a buck a barrel, (in the middle east.) It will get very much more expensive before it is all said and done.
We can make petroleum for $80/barrel, but cannot take advantage of those technologies as long as our prices can be undercut.
Got it. I think that is because the focus is on transportation.
I was curious about the chimney, thanks.
We can eliminate dependence on foreign oil by developing Canadian tar sands.
how often do you have to add fuel?
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