Think things are ever going to get better ?, think again.

barrooo

A_fiend_for_life wrote: »

If peak oil is so close does this mean that governments are hoarding oil while it is cheap?

If they were you could pretty much guarantee it would be every government but ours, just in the way they failed to improve gas storage infastructure, pre commodity bubble, to mitigate the high cost

Really2

We have a giant nuclear fusion power station already. I see it every morning (OK may be not true on a clowdy day but it effects can be seen) all we need to do is to develop how to harnes it's power efficiently.

I hear solar power electrical energy will be cheaper to produce than "fossil" based electric within 5 years.

I am not covinced on "fusion" reactors happening in the future the requirements to get somthing like that to work and be stable are massive.


If solar does become cheap it is great news for africa and other desert regions. They can actualy use the desert land for their energy needs and will not be dependant on fosils they don't have.

kaya

We are only reliant on oil form the ground because of its financial benefit to those in power, ever heard of biomass fuels? we dont need oil from the ground, we need the laws that govern us reworking for a more sensible and less profiteering future, but those in power are hanging on to there profit margins and screwing us every chance they get, maybe you should research the hemp plant and its properties rather than spreading more doom and gloom than we have already

Really2

kaya wrote: »

We are only reliant on oil form the ground because of its financial benefit to those in power, ever heard of biomass fuels? we dont need oil from the ground, we need the laws that govern us reworking for a more sensible and less profiteering future, but those in power are hanging on to there profit margins and screwing us every chance they get, maybe you should research the hemp plant and its properties rather than spreading more doom and gloom than we have already

I would agree on part of what you said but the growing of plants for fuel is one of the things that caused food price inflation as farms switched from food to fuel crops.
This lowered food production pushing up the price.

Again I am not sold on "crop fuel" due to the worlds population = massive food and energy requirement.

A_fiend_for_life

Solar Producing Export Countries and cheaper energy?

Wookster

ad9898 wrote: »

I will say that their is far more than 50+ years worth of oil left, just at nowhere near the levels to support the global population as it is.

I have to disagree with this. I think there is plenty of oil left, certainly more than 50 years at current levels however I do agree that energy will become a major factor in tomorrow economic reality.

The era of cheap energy is certainly drawing to a close and the economies that perform better over the next 150 years will be those that are able to generate cheaper energy than their competitors.

Significant investment in energy technology should be an absolutely top priority for this government and the next and there should be significant R & D tax breaks for this sort of work.

A_fiend_for_life

Really2 wrote: »

I would agree on part of what you said but the growing of plants for fuel is one of the things that caused food price inflation as farms switched from food to fuel crops.
This lowered food production pushing up the price.

Again I am not sold on "crop fuel" due to the worlds population = massive food and energy requirement.

I think we should have looked at gas / energy from human waste. It would still generate revenue though it would be run by water boards.

Crop fuel is a bad idea all round I think what doesn't get used for food is still fertilisier / nutrients going back into the soil. Biofuels might be an opportunity cost for food and fertilizer.

Really2

A_fiend_for_life wrote: »

I think we should have looked at gas / energy from human waste. It would still generate revenue though it would be run by water boards.

Good point I remember Bio-Mass when at school it is strage how it as not really pushed forward that much. but I belive projects are runing in africa etc.

With some of the !!!!!! posted on this forum by some posters you would think the supply would be endless:)

stephen163

For anyone interested in sustainable energy, here is a really good book. It's available free as a PDF. It's written by Cambridge professor David MacKay

http://www.withouthotair.com/download.html

The emphasis is onmaking BIG changes, rather than being too fixated on small, token actions. Too much time and effort is being put into trying to make people do small things like remove their phone chargers, when in fact the only realistic way we will meet energy targets is through large scale action, i.e., widespread deployment of renewables. In fairness, the government is throwing a lot of money at this now.

lostinrates

re energy from waste, I have a chum in Ohio whose energy is created this way. They have an air exchange system too, and windo opening is strictly frowned upon. The waste use is brilliant,if a little labour intensive in their set up, but the window opening ban for the air thing would kill me. I'd rather live in a tent.