joerockhead

click on one of our sponsors! OR REMOVE ADS

Well, this is something, it will still be a few years out, but at least it is a start.

___________________________________________


Visit the worlds best website -
www.badass67.com - Black Sunshine

FattyJJ

I applaud him for making an effort, but we need a solution right now. There is no telling how long it will take to make the battery he is looking for. We have companies that can convert any car to a hybrid or electric, why not give them the money and let them reduce their costs so the average person can afford it?

___________________________________________

fmb

I'd like a quick gasoline fix! Unfortunately, it's not gonna happen. I think we have to adjust to the fact our energy independence is gonna take some time, will cost a pile of dollars, and will be one hell of a political fight.

At least it's a thought possibly leading to action. The battery idea has been worked on relatively extensively for the last twenty years, but there hasn't been any technological breakthroughs. Of course, this isn't surprising, as storage of electricity has always been its Achille's Heel.

CD

Sounds good on paper. On one hand we open up drilling, and on the other we are posed with a very hard problem. Batteries may not be the answer since it takes power to create them and power to keep them charged. I'd like to see a different direction, but I'm assuming his main goal isn't to actually get a better battery design...

___________________________________________

fmb

CD: good points. I don't think we will see any significant move away from using vast quantities of oil without changing our current view of land use. Over the last 60 years, we built jobs in one area, homes in another, and shopping in a different location.

I predict a return to the old style cities: homes in one area, nearby jobs, with shopping areas very close by. You can walk, ride a bike, or use public transportation to get wherever you want.

Towns and city's were built this way for millenia. Maybe the design lasted for so long for a very important reason.

Sheepe

What they really should be doing is refitting existing coal plants and making them clean. It would help our CO2 emissions greatly, not to mention reducing the amount of radioactive particles in the air.

Besides, Gasoline is the fuel of the future, not some silly thing like ethanol! Duh! But really, we're going to need a combined arms approach to this. I think the only thing more worrying that energy costs should be the massive topsoil erosion we're seeing today.

-Sheepe
Empires rise and fall on food, not fuel

Krasch

There's only two very big problems with that idea.

1. What does one do with all those cities, especially the large ones, that have been designed differently? Would this not require a massive teardown and rebuilding of our cities? Where will those people live, work, and shop in the meantime? And wouldn't the cost (including fossil fuel usage) of tearing down and rebuilding those cities far outweigh the existing costs?

2. You mention nearby jobs, but is that nearby jobs of all types? Are you talking about forcing people to live close to their job? What happens if the business closes down or lays off people, or maybe even want to make more money somewhere else? Do those workers now have to move if there aren't suitable jobs available close by?

Sounds like an interesting idea on paper, but ultimately totally impractical and a definite blow to our personal freedoms.

Krasch

Clean coal technology is definitely a good idea, but I'm not clear on where your radioactive particles in the air are coming from.

fmb

Krasch: it's neither as difficult nor impractical to perform. Here's an example of how this could possible. Why tear down the builidings in established cities? Most of the larger cities have decent public transportation systems which can be used to access most of the areas; if needed, the systems can be enlarged to provide greater access. Why tear down the buildings? Modify the unwanted buildings to create the development you want.

There are several examples of this idea in my area. The first involved converting an old textile mill (built in 1880) into condos, apartments, specialty shops, and museum. There are two similar projects underway; both are old manufacturing facilities which are being converted into developments with multiple uses. These three facilities have a total footprint of around 10,000,000 square feet. Several large grocery stores have purchased other large buildings in the area and are converting them for use. Apparently, it's cheaper to modify than start with a bare field.

As a bonus, all three manufacturing facilities generated their own electrical power using water driven turbines from their days spinning cloth. One facility generates it's own power and sells the excess; the other two facilities are supposed to do the same.

Also in my area, there are many planned neighborhoods in existance and in development with shopping and homes; these folks drive around these communities in golf carts.

It took a long time for us to get here; it may take that much time to do something better.

As for the radioactive materials in the coal, it's part of the chunk of coal. Coal powered facilities pump the most radioactive materials into our air. If I recall correctly, the radioactive materials include uranium and cesium. I'll try to find a link with some better info and post if for those interested.

ddoubleez

I agree with your ideas, but an not sure on the ability to impliment them... Think of this:

First, there is no feasible plan on reducing co2 emissions from coal plants, the scrubbers are for particulate matter only, then you have to dump it somewhere so it is not polluting less, it is only changing where you are putting it... This is on task and important to the battery topic, b/c over half the energy that would power these cars would come from it, which is even more problematic in many cases, than oil, and we are understanding we do not have as much time with coal as we thought in the past, we used to say we have 1000's of years of coal, now many say it is less than 40 years with a fantastic rise in demand, this number will shrink to an estimate that will make its use disappointing.... We also need to understand that many areas of the country are or have had to ration their electricity use, because we are not able to keep up with demand, so how will we deal with the increased demand for 350 million cars plugged into a grid..... Unless you are willing to cover you house and garage with panels, at the cost of 30 to 50k, this is not an answer........... Also, when do you plug in your car, at night, when there is no solar power........

And as far as the empires rise and fall on food not fuel, one should consider that Nazi Germany did not loose a war in search of food... The first major military campaign was into north africa for oil... They were producing diesel from coal using free slave labor(jews in mines and plants), when they did not have enough for their war machine, they went to africa, spreading their military thin, just like another country I know.... Japan bombed pearl harbor to insure a 'safe pathway' to the Polynesian islands to get oil, and this was unmistakably one of their worst decisions and ended the war for them, and they became occupied as a result..... The UK spend a number of years fighting for control of oil and are building strategies for 2020 when they are no longer a producer... The USSR did not collapse because they could not eat, they collapsed because they could not sell their oil.... The United States has very few military bases in non-oil producing countries and many argue that we are spread too thin and vulrnable... We are also in terminal dept to secure more oil, not food.... Rome wadged wars for timber for energy, and troddled other empires to get it, not their food......

I am not saying that food does not play a major contributor to the success and of course size of an empire, but to say oil does not have a larger part, or energy.... Energy also directly effects the ability to produce and move food....