[Daculling]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rockdoc123', 'M')y point is, yes, you cannot point at any single technology as being the magic bullet.....but when you have innovative thinkers with access to multiple technologies that is when you stand a chance of making a difference.

[oilfreeandhappy]

Press Release
GE, U.S Department of Energy to Partner on Next-Generation Offshore Wind Turbine Design Project
NISKAYUNA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 2006--
link

A few excerpts: "GE (NYSE: GE), today announced it has entered into a $27 million partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to design a next-generation offshore wind turbine. The power rating of the turbine will be optimized for minimal cost of energy but is expected to be between 5 and 7 Megawatts, making it one of the most powerful wind turbines in the world. The partnership will also help expand the nation's wind energy potential. The research will be conducted at GE's Global Research Center in Niskayuna, NY.
...
GE's partnership with DOE on this project will last 3-4 years. During this time, GE and DOE will collaborate on research to develop a prototype of a 5-7MW offshore wind turbine. A wind turbine of this magnitude would be nearly twice today's industry standard, however full commercialization of this offshore design is still some years away. GE's largest turbine in operation today is the 3.6MW offshore wind turbine. Expanding the energy generating capacity of wind will help make it even more cost competitive with other alternative sources of energy.
...
Wind energy is the fastest growing sector in the energy market. It is generally believed that wind, which encompasses less than one percent of today's world's energy market, could grow to as much as 15% of the overall global energy supply in the coming decades as Europe, the U.S. and other parts of the world look to take advantage of this clean, sustainable source of energy. In fact, recent advances in wind technology are already helping to drive down the cost of wind to a level where it is cost competitive with more traditional sources of energy at close to five cents per kilowatt-hour. "

Jim Gagnepain link

[LadyRuby]

Nice, but let's get cracking with something a little more massive.

[LadyRuby]

What was all that about reducing dependence on middle east oil?

US says will still need more foreign oil

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')op global energy consumer the United States on Wednesday sought to assure producers that it will need even more of their oil and gas, despite a longer term aim to cut dependence on imports.

Visiting the world's number two oil exporter for a meeting of Group of Eight energy ministers, U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said he will urge Russia to sell more. Energy supply security is set to be top of the agenda for the Thursday talks.

In January President George W. Bush's caused alarm among exporters when he said the U.S. must break its dependence on oil and called for an end to reliance on supplies from the Middle East.

Bodman said suppliers could count on a healthy U.S. import market for some time to come, adding that demand reduction measures, such as use of nuclear power and cellulose-based ethanol, had a long horizon.

...

"There is no doubt our country will be a very good market for (imports of) oil and natural gas for some time to come," Bodman said. "It should not be a concern for producers."

Russia's Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said on Tuesday the United States was pushing for global supply increases but barriers discouraged producers from stepping up deliveries to U.S. markets.

...

Bodman also said he would lobby for Russia to finally give the green light to the Chevron-led Caspian Pipeline Consortium to expand capacity and bring more Kazakh oil to world markets.

...

DOOR OPEN IN U.S.

Bodman said he will encourage Russian companies, such as Gazprom, to own liquefied natural gas terminals in the United States as part of their plan to increase transatlantic deliveries of the product.

The remarks followed criticism by Khristenko of legal barriers to Russian aspirations to operate U.S. LNG terminals.

State gas giant Gazprom, leading the Shtokman development, is negotiating with oil majors on joint regasification in the United States but Gazprom officials have hinted they would like to control the whole chain.

...

"We would certainly encourage the Russian participation, Russian ownership in terminals, if that is what Russian companies decide is what they want to do."

Gazprom found itself at the center of energy supply concerns this winter when a dispute over payments with Ukraine temporarily disrupted gas exports to central Europe.

[EnergySpin]

First of all, why the hell did they make a big deal out of something others have already achieved?
IIRC Vestas is selling functional 4.5MW models.
Additionally, the energy payback time (around 5-7 months) is unlikely to drop further unless they come up with more efficient ways of manufacturing concrete.
Now for the proverbial "us vs them" routine: it seems that the US intends to lose all the non carbon based energy/power battles by not aiming higher.
For example, according to the EWEA's companion site: http://www.nofuel.org
10MW turbines will be the norm within the next decade and given Europe's commitment towards Kyoto these babies will be sold as fast as concrete is made.

[gg3]

5 - 7 MW would be impressive. Last time I checked, one of the European manufacturers was up to 5 MW. 7 MW would be nearly a 50% increase in power output. A few years ago the plurality of opinion was that about 8 MW was the theoretical max with present technologies, notably materials.

These machines will be primarily useful in areas with high and consistent wind conditions.

Now all we have to do is nuke the NIMBYs and get on with it.

[EnergySpin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', '5') - 7 MW would be impressive. Last time I checked, one of the European manufacturers was up to 5 MW. 7 MW would be nearly a 50% increase in power output. A few years ago the plurality of opinion was that about 8 MW was the theoretical max with present technologies, notably materials.

These machines will be primarily useful in areas with high and consistent wind conditions.

Now all we have to do is nuke the NIMBYs and get on with it.

[EnergySpin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', '5') - 7 MW would be impressive. Last time I checked, one of the European manufacturers was up to 5 MW. 7 MW would be nearly a 50% increase in power output. A few years ago the plurality of opinion was that about 8 MW was the theoretical max with present technologies, notably materials.

These machines will be primarily useful in areas with high and consistent wind conditions.

Now all we have to do is nuke the NIMBYs and get on with it.

[gg3]

(Digress alert) Hey ES, good idea. And "Take the NIMBYs Hunting!" would make a good satire on the old punk rock tune "Take the Skinheads Bowling!" Hmm...

[oilfreeandhappy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Leanan', 'T')here's some discussion of this at The Oil Drum. Bubba, their resident oil industry insider, had this to say:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')y company has screened all the world's fields for their CO2 flood potential. The list of good candidates is small. Their first has to be a cheap, reliable source of high pressure, high volume CO2. Then the reservoir and reservoir fluids have to exist in the right pressure and temperature conditions and have the right composition. The reservoir needs to be susceptible to pattern flooding (i.e. a good waterflood candidate usually makes a good CO2 flood candidate). Lastly the fiscal conditions have to be such that companies would be willing to invest very large sums of money with the prospect of making a profit many years in the future.

[GoIllini]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ElijahJones', 'Y')es GoIllini, it is a worldview issue. I think you are still believing that getting a degree means somehow you come into a place of power in this society. The true elite in our society buy and sell companies everyday on the stock market and with those companies they buy and sell degreed professionals whether they came from the middle class or the lower class. It is one of the most deluding factors in American culture that the great middle class is always accessible via education, there is still a glass ceiling between the upper class and all other groups of people in our society.

[Alpaca]

Well, ya know this can't be a good sign....


http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/30/ ... index.html


But on a more positive note, we've only lost control of "the market" temporarily, and that within a few short years ALL those new wells will come online, and once again supply will easily meet demand. Now, shhh... go back to sleep.

On second thought, it's all the fault of those rich oil barons!! Lets just keep trying to hype it as price gouging. Bitching about gas prices keeps people busy and provides "political capital" to both sides...

[Bobbotov]

What the Energy Secretary meant to say was, " gas prices will be high for the next three years. After that they will go through the roof."

[mmasters]

"...and then it will be some other energy secratary/administration's problem."

[Dan1195]

They "when new production comes on in 3 years" comments was obviously meant to keep the public happy and thats all. Has nothing to do with reality of course. unless there are some big projects coming online in 2010 we all know nothing about....

In reality, withought a global recession the world will probably never have a significant oil surplus again. OPEC is already been an organization with no real purpose anymore for the last 2 years.

The price is oil is now operating in a manner is has never done before, it is becomnig supply driven. The steady price rise since 2003 is indicative of that. Without recession, the price of oil just gets bid up until someone else cant offord it.

[ohanian]

[auscanman]

Ohanian, you keep posting that graph on various threads here. I'm sorry but the (logarithmic???) nature of it is erroneous.

Given oil's relative inelasticity of demand and the reality that demand is only likely going to increase with supply not keeping pace at current prices, it should clearly be exponential. The only circumstance in which the graph could possibly be accurate is if a recession gradually takes hold. Is this a premise of the graph?

[peaker_2005]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mmasters', '"')...and then it will be some other energy secratary/administration's problem."

[ohanian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('auscanman', '
')Given oil's relative inelasticity of demand and the reality that demand is only likely going to increase with supply not keeping pace at current prices, it should clearly be exponential. The only circumstance in which the graph could possibly be accurate is if a recession gradually takes hold. Is this a premise of the graph?