<DrumBeat: October 20, 2006The Oil DrumDrumBeat II: October 20, 2006>

70 comments on Electrified Rail: An Overlooked Mitigation Strategy for Peak Oil?

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Robert Rapier on October 20, 2006 - 9:02am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I don't know whether Alan is interested in politics, but I wanted to make sure we help promote his hard work by featuring some of it as essays. I have always been a fan of Alan's ideas, and hopefully this will catch the attention of someone in politics with a passion for this area.

Thanks for your tireless work on this, Alan.

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jim burke on October 20, 2006 - 10:41am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Hi Love Oregon.

Well, actually I didn't suggest Alan for Secretary of Transport, though that might not be a bad idea.

What I did do was suggest/request that TOD do a special thread "advice to the next president" where we could air the various components of what they might do to alleviate GW, reliance on Middle Eastern Oil, and mitigate PO.

The presidential candidates are putting their position papers together right now, and we have some hope of influencing their directions if we compile our thoughts now.

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jim burke on October 20, 2006 - 11:34am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Yesterday someone posted a link to the NEI's Energy Markets Report which has a spreadsheet listing all new power stations for 2006-2010 (on page 8).

For next year, there will be 8 times as much wind energy install as coal (11,754 MW vs. 1,450 MW).

Unfortunately, this situation will reverse itself by 2009.

2009 & 2010 should see 18,469 MW & 15,142 MW respectively of coal burning plants. Wind drops to 742 MW and 687 MW respectively.

I don't know if wind has a much shorter lead time, and (hopefully) there will be far more wind installed than projected. However, looking at the enormous surge of coal generating plants coming on line at the end of the decade, we have a very good idea of where electricity for electric transport will be coming from.

Mountaintop removal for fuel.

"I Love Mountains.org" was advertising with TOD for awhile, and I would strongly urge everyone to look at their website and check out their video (they are working with conjunction with Google Earth to show the full extent of mountain top remove in the Appalacians).

Anybody advocating for greater reliance on coal really needs to look at this issue.

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eric blair on October 21, 2006 - 8:11am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I have always been a fan of Alan's ideas

Would those be the 'save New orleans' no matter what, the New Orleans/New York/San Franscicso shoudl be saved no matter what, or the live in a shack without water-sewer services ideas?

This is a fine post about what he's doing for rail.  Rail is a fine plan to keep a transportation grid working (although some people are gonna end up loosing their land via Emm. Domain as rail is re-asserted)   Electrified rail is a great 'excess wind/PV power exists on the grid and can't be stored' application.

But not everthing Alan says is a good idea.

Its like opposing making ethyl alcohol from corn.   Something has to keep Oil CEO fueled up....if he wasn't drinking, would he be posting?

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Oil CEO on October 21, 2006 - 2:01pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Probably not. But I've got another question. If I wasn't posting, would I be drinking? Philosophical, I realize. But it has to be asked. Especially since I'm not drinking. What is it with you guys and alcohol? Haven't you discovered harder drugs yet?
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