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96 comments on Some Congressional Action on Energy?

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AlanfromBigEasy on April 16, 2007 - 12:07pm

I generally oppose "gadgetbahn", new (mainly urban) transportation technologies.

Why ?

As I have stated elsewhere, I would have supported funding them during Carter's second term; whilst convential rail solutions were being built out at good speed around the country.

Today, they are just a distraction from what needs to be done. They cannot work out the bugs & prove themselves in less than two decades (more likely three).

A good example of "breakthrough gadgetbahn" is the Westinghouse MetroMover in Miami. Adapt low cost bus technology, electrify it, build low cost structures OVER the streets of downtown Miami and run automated (no labor) electric mini-buses all around downtown Miami. Big name behind it. What is not to love ? So Miami built it.

For a variety of real world reasons, an unmitigated disaster !

That said, it would be worth refining and real world testing lower cost means of building Urban Rail cheaper. Portland (2002 $) could build track for $300/foot in street, 3 blocks every 3 weeks. New Orleans built VERY robust (500 year expected service life), VERY low maintenance but elegant streetcars in house. 24 for $1.5 million (2002-04) each (marginal cost ~$1 million after the first five). LR-55 needs a widescale trial to prove itself in service.

http://www.lr55.com/

"Research" into what changes are needed in US regulation & procurement in order to economically build much more rail much faster is BADLY needed. The French can do it is 3 or 4 years from a "Oui" in Paris to ribbon cutting. But, of course, they have the renowned French "Can Do" spirit, unlike the infamous American bureacucracy !

But new technology is not the key to solving our transportation issues post-Peak Oil (we just do not have time for a "breakthrough" IMHO). Simply building what we have, on the shelf, is !

http://www.lightrailnow.org/features/f_lrt_2006-05a.htm

Best Hopes,

Alan

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Retsel on April 16, 2007 - 2:23pm

I am not as pessimestic as you regarding new technologies. I knew that algae has already been identified as a means for producing vegetable oil from the CO2 of utility plants. However, a demonstration plant was recently started up to demonstrate the technology on a commercial scale. See: http://www.greenfuelonline.com/gf_files/Big_Cajun_PR.pdf

I think that this technology can be fast-tracked to provide large volumes of vegetable oil. While other sources of vegetable oil (soy, rapeseed) only produce on the order of a 100 gallons per acre/year, algae can produce on the order of 10,000 gallons per acre per year - a very large output.

I don't think that we can avoid high energy prices in the shortterm (less than 10 years), but perhaps we can avoid the most hefty economic impacts that would otherwise occur during the following decades.

Retsel