[PolestaR]

What theoretically possible methods could replace oil in the future, or make oil redundant? I am just looking at all things which *MAY* be possible, not necessarily *WILL* be possible. At the moment I have these things, but I assume there are more :-

1) Zero point energy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-point_energy
http://www.padrak.com/ine/ZPESCIAM.html

2) Controlled Nuclear Fusion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion

3) Nuclear Fission. Though I'm not sure about this one, it seems unlikely due to ore availability and the fact that people want nuclear plants decommissioned which leads to a possible negative EROEI.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission

4) Algae based biofuels. All the other biofuels need way too much space that we don't have, algae seems the only alternative but with it's own ridiculous requirements. If those requirements can be solved I guess it's possible they could replace oil.

[neocone]

How about we just ditch cars or drive 95% less?

Like duh!!!!

Oh I forgot: It will happen whether we want it or not!!!

[Aaron]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('neocone', 'H')ow about we just ditch cars or drive 95% less?

Like duh!!!!

Oh I forgot: It will happen whether we want it or not!!!

[neocone]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'O')k... I nominate you to tell China.

[Bas]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('neocone', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'O')k... I nominate you to tell China.

[americandream]

Dour carless communism lost the Cold War and hey hey hey capitalism won.......hahahahaha....and you're all now securing your burial plots.....pathetic....death for what.....cheap swiss army knives and bottle openers.

Cretinsssssss!!!!

[PolestaR]

You can't power down though in our society without violence/deaths occurring , so I don't think that it will happen voluntarily. It's good to know all the energy alternatives, and be up to date with them, just in case they ruin your doomer plans if you have any.

Whilst we have easily available and cheap energy problems like not enough food and water can easily be solved for many more billions of people. How many billions do you guys want on the planet, if you had the choice?

[TonyPrep]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PolestaR', '1')) Zero point energy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-point_energy

[PolestaR]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TonyPrep', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PolestaR', '1')) Zero point energy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-point_energy

[TonyPrep]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PolestaR', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TonyPrep', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PolestaR', '1')) Zero point energy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-point_energy

[Omnitir]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PolestaR', '
')4) Algae based biofuels. All the other biofuels need way too much space that we don't have, algae seems the only alternative but with it's own ridiculous requirements. If those requirements can be solved I guess it's possible they could replace oil.

[gg3]

Zero point: The math says there's potential energy there. The best we've been able to get so far is just enough to show it works in the lab (the Casimir effect). If ZPE was ever demonstrated practical, it would lead to weapons that make the H-bomb look like a firecracker, so hopefully there won't be any breakthroughs in this area any time soon.

Fusion: Well, we already turned this one into a weapon so... Realistically it deserves all the R&D funding it needs, but still shouldn't be counted on as a commercial power source for another 50 years.

Fission: New reactor designs: operational safety issues solved. New methods for recycling nuclear waste with 95% efficiency (Scientific American, December 2005): waste disposal issues effectively solved. Nuclear baseload capacity is the best way to maximize the use of solar and wind. Full steam ahead, let's build!

Know what'll really save the world? A good male contraceptive pill that both a) shuts down sperm production entirely for weeks or months at a time and b) enables men to have multiple orgasms just as women can naturally. "Hey honey, now I can keep up with you!" That would also be a fantastic strategy for powerdown. "Mall, schmall! We're staying in bed all weekend!

[TonyPrep]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', 'w')aste disposal issues effectively solved

[JRP3]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', '
')
Know what'll really save the world? A good male contraceptive pill that both a) shuts down sperm production entirely for weeks or months at a time and b) enables men to have multiple orgasms just as women can naturally. "Hey honey, now I can keep up with you!" That would also be a fantastic strategy for powerdown. "Mall, schmall! We're staying in bed all weekend!

[Pherlin]

Just a thought on Fission...

Technically there's plenty of fuel for it to power us indefinately... Breeder Reactors get their name from the fact that they actually produce more fissionable materials.... The problem lies therein that they produce plutonium... and in the hands of certain groups that could be a bad thing.

[gg3]

Re. plutonium: Ahh, but we're not talking about selling reactors to Somalia, are we? The "proliferation" issue is a non-issue with reactors in countries that have stable democratic governments.

Re. "procreation." It's not a "pro" creation, it's an "amateur" creation. A "pro" creation is something such as a novel, a record album, a sculpture, a bridge, a skyscraper, a painting... you get the idea:-)

Re. the Casimir effect: Demostrated enough energy to make it register on the lab equipment. By which we're talking about a very very small amount. All factors equal, the reason I'd prefer it stayed that way is because of the weapons risk. Our sustainable energy sources research group studied this about five years ago and we came up with some potentially very disturbing weapons design concepts. For example think of something that looks like shredded office paper but slightly metallic brown in color, that can be dumped onto an area and completely blank out all forms of wireless communication. That's a mild one. The not-so-mild end of the spectrum, as I said, makes H-bombs look like firecrackers.

Ultimately we have to live within the solar budget. Thus, all other strategies have to be seen as transitional.

[pea-jay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'N')ow you're talking. No technology of any sort will save is if we keep on procreating. Mass forced sterilization is probably the only way to get the population in check until enough die off to a stabilizing level. Slip something in the drinking water maybe.

[TonyPrep]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JRP3', 'N')ow you're talking. No technology of any sort will save is if we keep on procreating. Mass forced sterilization is probably the only way to get the population in check until enough die off to a stabilizing level. Slip something in the drinking water maybe.

[EnergyUnlimited]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', 'R')e. plutonium: Ahh, but we're not talking about selling reactors to Somalia, are we? The "proliferation" issue is a non-issue with reactors in countries that have stable democratic governments.

[EnergyUnlimited]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gg3', '
')Re. the Casimir effect: Demostrated enough energy to make it register on the lab equipment. By which we're talking about a very very small amount. All factors equal, the reason I'd prefer it stayed that way is because of the weapons risk. Our sustainable energy sources research group studied this about five years ago and we came up with some potentially very disturbing weapons design concepts. For example think of something that looks like shredded office paper but slightly metallic brown in color, that can be dumped onto an area and completely blank out all forms of wireless communication. That's a mild one. The not-so-mild end of the spectrum, as I said, makes H-bombs look like firecrackers.

Ultimately we have to live within the solar budget. Thus, all other strategies have to be seen as transitional.