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PeakOil is You

PeakOil is You

USA Possibilities to Prolong Peak

Discussions of conventional and alternative energy production technologies.

which sources are most promising?

Poll ended at Sun 21 Sep 2008, 12:58:08

Oil Shale
0
0%
Coal
4
No votes
Nuclear
7
No votes
Hydro-Electric (Inclued wind here)
4
No votes
Wave & Tidal
0
0%
Geo-thermal
5
No votes
Natural Gas
0
0%
Oil
0
0%
Bitumen & Heavy Oil
1
No votes
Bio Fuels
1
No votes
None -- we are all going to die!!
9
No votes
 
Total votes : 31

Re: USA Possibilities to Prolong Peak

Unread postby cipi604 » Sat 14 Jun 2008, 03:45:45

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Dezakin', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kpeavey', 'L')et's say all these alternative sources do the job of replacing petroleum based energy as petroleum goes into decline.

How do you propose to replace the loss of feedstocks derived from petroleum? Such things as fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, plastics, solvents, synthetic fabrics, pharmaceutical, synthetic rubber...an endless list of products are produced using petroleum for its chemicals. Peak Oil is not just about the energy.


All that stuff can be synthesized from H and CO over various catalysts.

You can make that from coal or nuclear power.


You really need to check the numbers. For business as usual you need stuff in HUGE amounts, and that can't happen even in our most optimistical dreams. Less maybe, but that means 'not for all'.
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Re: USA Possibilities to Prolong Peak

Unread postby wisconsin_cur » Sat 14 Jun 2008, 04:00:11

The question that should be asked is which one (or collection of options)is being or about to be done in time and at a scale to make a difference for mitigating the peak?

none.

What "can" be done is irrelevant to you and me unless it is done. Best stop hoping that some political or economic savior will come and do something to save you from the peak when there is no evidence for that belief.

What "could be done" never fed a hungry child or made a people prosper. Time to come out of mother's basement and the land of theory and start doing for yourself what no one else will do for you.
http://www.thenewfederalistpapers.com
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Re: USA Possibilities to Prolong Peak

Unread postby Dezakin » Sat 14 Jun 2008, 04:33:24

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cipi604', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Dezakin', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kpeavey', 'L')et's say all these alternative sources do the job of replacing petroleum based energy as petroleum goes into decline.

How do you propose to replace the loss of feedstocks derived from petroleum? Such things as fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, plastics, solvents, synthetic fabrics, pharmaceutical, synthetic rubber...an endless list of products are produced using petroleum for its chemicals. Peak Oil is not just about the energy.


All that stuff can be synthesized from H and CO over various catalysts.

You can make that from coal or nuclear power.


You really need to check the numbers. For business as usual you need stuff in HUGE amounts, and that can't happen even in our most optimistical dreams. Less maybe, but that means 'not for all'.

Done. You can make 600 tons of hydrogen per day from a 2GW thermal nuclear plant. Combined with CO2 from a cement plant run by nuclear power (a similar 2GW thermal) you can get some 4200 tons per day, or aproximatly 30,000 barrels per day of hydrocarbon product.

Now if we were to meet the current demand of 85 million barrels per day we would need some 6 terawatts of nuclear capacity. Certainly large, but only 12 times larger than our current capacity of 500 gigawatts. Not unworkable when you can shift large capital from all the hydrocarbon infrastructure in the world.

Seriously, before making assertions that 'x' is impossible, the numbers should be run.
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Re: USA Possibilities to Prolong Peak

Unread postby Dezakin » Sat 14 Jun 2008, 04:46:34

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DomusAlbion', 'O')ur own oil plus coal should allow the US to keep limping along for awhile. But we need to start developing nuclear again and we need to start NOW!

With $100+/bbl people are starting to pay attention to that. Even people of some moderate influence such as Gordon Brown:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 46238.html

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') believe there is only one nuke plant planned at the moment. There should be 100s in the planning stages now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_by_country
Globally there are 28 under construction now, 62 planned, and 162 proposed. A serious change from a decade ago where the nuclear power industry was anemic and in serious neglect. I suspect strong oil, natural gas, and rising coal prices may have something to do with it, along with climate change and looming possibilities of a carbon tax.

There are currently 24 proposed new reactors, with several looking very likely (two new reactors at commanche peak) and I imagine dozens more orders are going to come in over the next couple of years.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')f we have to let's bring over French firms to design and build them for us.

O Lord, what am I saying? The French? :shock:

They done good. Almost no nuclear power to 80% of the grid inside a couple of decades.
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Re: USA Possibilities to Prolong Peak

Unread postby arretium » Sat 14 Jun 2008, 04:54:55

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RedStateGreen', 'I') think geo-thermal has a lot of merit, as far as heating/cooling goes.

I also think we need to quit thinking three cars to every household is something desirable and even necessary.


Yellowstone! Oh wait, that's a super volcano....
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Re: USA Possibilities to Prolong Peak

Unread postby katkinkate » Sat 14 Jun 2008, 06:01:11

I presume by 'prolonging the peak' you actually mean something like maintaining net energy levels, or an equal replacement for oil as it becomes to expensive to import as much? If so, you will need every strategy existing today and whatever will be invented in the future, and even then you probably won't manage it for long. Best to include in the basket of strategies, 'power down' as in, learn to use less. Business as usual is changing.
Kind regards, Katkinkate

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but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."
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