[sterlingman]

For some time now, after I initially encountered the term Peak Oil, I’ve been researching the topic and tracking events leading up to it. I’ve viewed a number of web sites and articles on the subject. Strangely enough, however, what I’ve found most disturbing is not the fact that Peak Oil will occur, but that no one has come up with a proposal and strategy that would avoid the effects of Peak Oil entirely and foster continued economic growth. What proposals offered have addressed one, but not the other.

So let me be the first to propose a solution and strategy to avoid Peak Oil and to ensure continued economic growth.

My proposal is for the federal government to encourage the major oil and natural gas companies to build “artificial atolls” off the coasts of states experiencing substantial increases in prices for natural gas and energy. These primarily will be the New England and Mid-Atlantic States as well as California.

The purpose of the atolls will be to produce renewable energy from wind, waves and ocean currents while simultaneously receiving LNG shipments. Since I’ve expounded upon the idea elsewhere www.sinceslicedbread.com/idea/7451, I will just go over the benefits of it here and the probable impact upon Peak Oil.

The first and foremost benefit of my proposal is it’s economic scalability and technological feasibility with today’s technology. There are no major scientific breakthroughs needed, no long-term research and development or a long build-out time required. (Estimated construction time – two to three years.) Once established, the atolls will function as base load power plants and far outlast any terrestrial power plants existing except maybe hydroelectric plants. In a sense, the atolls will be similar to large hydroelectric plants with an equivalent power output. Unlike hydroelectric plants, however, the construction of the atolls will be uniform and mass-produced which will drive down the cost. And the cost WILL decline, too, because the technology can be applied elsewhere in the world.

A crucial benefit of proposal is that it can be deployed in time to exploit a window of opportunity during the ongoing effects of the domestic peak in natural gas and before the onset of the effects from the global peak in oil. The next few years will definitely see the continued rise in domestic natural gas prices with a corresponding decline in oil prices. (I’m assuming, for various reasons, the global economy will decline as well as the production of domestic natural gas.) If the atolls are constructed in this time frame, the onset of the effects of Peak Oil will be delayed.

How the atolls can delay the onset of the effects of Peak Oil is the next benefit. The atolls can be used for other purposes, specifically, the establishment of GTL (Gas to Liquids) plants. These could help offset the decline in oil supplies. Also, if the oil companies are so inclined, refineries to handle sour crude could be built on them instead, too.

The benefit that will follow naturally if all the above were to occur will be a reduction in oil and transportation fuel prices, an increase in needed natural gas supplies with a corresponding decrease in prices and provisioning for future demand for power in the selected states. In addition, by producing power from renewable sources, there will be a reduction in pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of natural gas for power generation thereby freeing up a substantial portion for other uses.

The selected states will further benefit in the jobs created to construct, operate, maintain and service the atolls as well as the jobs SAVED by the reduction in electrical costs and increase in natural gas supplies.

But most importantly, the entire country will benefit from the atolls through the geographic diversification of strategic assets. Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma have highlighted all to vividly the extreme vulnerability of having key industries to the economy concentrated in a location subject to periodic damage from acts of nature. We could bear witness to the same destruction over and over again over a number of years as another cycle of increased hurricane activity begins. The atolls will add needed resiliency to the economy in the aftermath of natural catastrophes.

The final major benefit of the atolls is in eliminating the NIMBY (Not In My BackYard) factor. The atolls will be located eight to eleven miles offshore putting them over the horizon for those on shore. Not being within sight forestalls any objections to their placement. And since they are anchored floating platforms, the impact on the marine environment will be negligible.

It should be obvious then that the atolls can mitigate the effects of Peak Oil and delay it’s onset for a few more decades. With this added time, a strategy can be implemented to eliminate the threat of Peak Oil entirely. For my strategy to eliminate Peak Oil entirely, go to www.sinceslicedbread.com/idea/2235.

It is my fervent wish that by bringing up this issue, it would spark discussion and change the focus of those of us aware of Peak Oil to come up with constructive ideas and action plans to prevent the effects of Peak Oil from ever occurring.

[Hegel]

Do we have enough time to build these kind of atolls before the supply-gap and its consequences brutally kicks in?

It may come true as a post-peak project, but I'm afraid not in this century

[RonMN]

I would agree that this seems more likely as a POST peak project. TPTB would rather protect their wealth by putting it in gold/land/food/etc...allow the crash to happen, and then begin this project where they can pay workers a meer loaf of bread for 18 hours of hard physical labor. All the while saying "look at how magnificent i am...i'm creating jobs & feeding the poor starving masses".

Later, charge up the ying-yang for the electricity that is produced.

Not to mention...drilling in ANWR just got shot down again...i would have to guess that people on the coasts would not stand for these atolls disrupting their ocean view.

[Seadragon]

Not to be negative or anything, but this seems like just another way to try and do an end run around the realities that we can't continue to have endless growth of the economy, population, etc. Do we really want to use up almost all the planet's resources before we acknowledge that we need to power down and live sustainably with a much diminished population? Contrary to what "Big Time" says, we need to "negotiate" our lifestyle TODAY!

[The_Virginian]

Transmission line losses limits it to the coast.

Nulear is also an option, tho' a hated one.

Weather is much worse at sea than land, wind-turbines will likely be subject to much dammage.

More Natural Gas exists in these contenental shelf regions to tap, thats what atolls might be built for.

Wind is good for maybe 20% of a CONSTANT energy supply.

It is not a new idea, and neither was pre-sliced bread (link name), but PRESERVATIVES made it practical to ship pre-sliced bread...

So maybe a PO world will have these atolls for wind, but it in no solution, only a reaction.

Sorry charlie.

[Daryl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', ' ') You would have to move the mass of the moon to create a tiny island.

What are the transmission line pylons going to be built on?

[MonteQuest]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sterlingman', 'T')he purpose of the atolls will be to produce renewable energy from wind, waves and ocean currents while simultaneously receiving LNG shipments.

[MonteQuest]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sterlingman', 'S')trangely enough, however, what I’ve found most disturbing is not the fact that Peak Oil will occur, but that no one has come up with a proposal and strategy that would avoid the effects of Peak Oil entirely and foster continued economic growth.

[Daryl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Daryl', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', ' ') You would have to move the mass of the moon to create a tiny island.

What are the transmission line pylons going to be built on?

[sicophiliac]

I had another idea, much different but with the same objectives. Keeping the U.S economy afloat post P.O. Now it seems it admittedly alittle late for this, we should have been preparing for this for the past 25 years or so in my opinion but anyways. It envolves wind and oil shale. A joint government/private venture that would use Shells insitu shale oil extraction only powered by wind farms. The wind farms would have a steep initial cost obviously but maintenence and long term costs would be next to nothing compared to other energy sources. Anyways.. it would be kind of like another strategic petroleum reserve... slowly but surely extraction the hundreds of billions of barrels worth of crude in shale and stockpiling it. Maybe at 100,000-500,000 bpd.. Over 10 years we could perhaps stockpile over 1 billion barrels of oil.. now that isnt much and certianly wouldnt allow business as usual to go on but it would give us a long term safety net of oil resources which wouldnt run out for centuries. This could be used for emergecy purposes and for basic necessities to keep people from starving to death. Also hitting ANWR and all of our currently off limits offshore oil reserves ASAP would help cushion the blow too but with the republicans loosing political ground with the American people I wouldnt hold my breath on that happening either.

[Kylon]

I have a better idea than both of these.


Simply find a big crater, valley, or dig a big hole, fill it with water, or use a already existing lake.

then setoff small fusion blast inside the big craters/holes/valleys and then collect use the steam for power, or use a stirling engine and use the thermal difference as a source of power.

It's not a difficult concept.

It doesn't take that much energy to setoff nuclear reactions, the energy just has to be concentrated correctly, and the fuel has to be concentrated correctly, so that the reaction exponentially grows, rather than shrinks.

It's a really simple solution to a complex problem. I don't know why people aren't using it now. We've got tons of fusionable material.

On the bright side, all the neutrons will accumulate within the water that the reaction is occuring in, thus later, you can extract fuel from the water. It's it's own breeder reactor.

Then all you would need is a deuterium refinery, to refine deuterium from the ocean. Or for that matter, any fusionable material(most materials(up to element 25) are fusionable, they just take higher energy levels to set them off, and most elements(down to element 25) are fissionable).

So the fuel is virtually infinite.

Anyway, that's what should be done, it probably won't happen, because if I was a sadistic rich(most rich people are not sadistic bastards, they're just people) bastard who wanted to create a draconian state, I would probably want the country to experience such great poverty, that I could assume absolute control.

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kylon', 'I') have a better idea than both of these.


Simply find a big crater, valley, or dig a big hole, fill it with water, or use a already existing lake.

then setoff small fusion blast inside the big craters/holes/valleys and then collect use the steam for power, or use a stirling engine and use the thermal difference as a source of power.

It's not a difficult concept.

It doesn't take that much energy to setoff nuclear reactions, the energy just has to be concentrated correctly, and the fuel has to be concentrated correctly, so that the reaction exponentially grows, rather than shrinks.

It's a really simple solution to a complex problem. I don't know why people aren't using it now. We've got tons of fusionable material.

On the bright side, all the neutrons will accumulate within the water that the reaction is occuring in, thus later, you can extract fuel from the water. It's it's own breeder reactor.

Then all you would need is a deuterium refinery, to refine deuterium from the ocean. Or for that matter, any fusionable material(most materials(up to element 25) are fusionable, they just take higher energy levels to set them off, and most elements(down to element 25) are fissionable).

So the fuel is virtually infinite.

Anyway, that's what should be done, it probably won't happen, because if I was a sadistic rich(most rich people are not sadistic bastards, they're just people) bastard who wanted to create a draconian state, I would probably want the country to experience such great poverty, that I could assume absolute control.