<DrumBeat: June 17, 2009 The Oil Drum Energy Journal Roundup: June 2009>

149 comments on The 2012 Oil Crunch vs. Cash for Clunkers

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

| Show without comments | PDF version

karma432 on June 17, 2009 - 12:36pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

There are any number of solutions to our energy problems that would work if we expend a huge amount of capital on them.

One of the problems we have is that oil price spikes will cause recurring recessions (or worse) that will destroy capital. This past recession has been rough on renewable energy because a good deal of the capital they had drawn on dried up.

How will we afford these solutions that are so enormously expensive?

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
The Dude on June 17, 2009 - 12:49pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Something I've been wondering is what the net effect on the grid would be of millions of compressors running simultaneously.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
FMagyar on June 17, 2009 - 12:54pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Just like another hot humid summer day in South Florida when all the AC units kick in at full load.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
The Dude on June 17, 2009 - 3:22pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

[url=http://anz.theoildrum.com/node/3388]The Oil Drum: Australia/New Zealand | The Air Car - A Breath Of Fresh Air Or A Waste Of Breath ?[/url] has more than a few answers of course. Coal powered compressors would be no better than petrol according to one source; would compressing NG which has been diverted from electricity generation be any improvement aside from having an ostensibly large supply?

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
lengould on June 17, 2009 - 4:53pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I can't see NG being any sort of long-term solution. My estiamte puts US resources of N gas at about 1,000 bcf (includes tight, not hydrates). At 23 bcf / yr present consumption, that's only about 40 years so we shouldn't be doing ANYTHING to increase N Gas consumption, especially not using it to support purchases of new guzzler autos.

Small PHEV and EV's is the way to go, with maximum support for generating electricity renewably. Better yet is the new light personal urban transport systems on rails. Since the vehicles and tracks are so light we could easily afford to cover cities with track grids at 1/2 mile intervals, meaning everyone and every place would be within 400 yards of a station.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

149 comments on The 2012 Oil Crunch vs. Cash for Clunkers

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

| Show without comments | PDF version