One Eye on the Doom

[l33tminion]

I haven't talked about Peak Oil lately because the short-term trend was (briefly) rosy. The price of light, sweet crude dropped from around $80 per barrel into the mid $50-$60 range. Basic reasons why:

1. "Risk premiums": We got lucky with the hurricane season and a relatively warm winter.
2. Demand destruction: The global economy has been hurt by high energy prices.
3. Conservation: A minor factor, but high prices have spurned some investment in efficiency.
4. Alternative energy: Likewise.

However, this is a temporary reprieve. A few links that discuss the situation as it stands now:

1. Bush says the economy is strong. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case.
2. Oil has risen over $60 a barrel again, due to OPEC lowering its quotas and China beginning to fill its first strategic oil reserve.
3. Matt Simmons now thinks that Peak Oil has passed.
4. Increased demand for ethanol has caused the price of corn in Mexico to double in the last six months. (I like tortillas, but unlike many Mexicans, I don't need cheap tortillas to avoid going hungry.)

(And I won't even get started on Zimbabwe. Even with energy costs aside that country would be in horrible shape...)

Comments

[chiaki777.livejournal.com]

China is the new US, and I do wish address America's need for more technological improvements, I'm afraid China is becoming much more troublesome in this respect.

That's why I'm strongly promoting the development of better efficient hydro-electric or at the very least gasoline-electric hybrids, especially in the newly developing Chinese nouveriche class. Furthermore, I also feel that wind and solar energy is certainly the most viable future we have, despite the negative impacts imposed by the two natural power sources. Given some ingenious work on the part of the US, I'm sure aa viable hydrogen farm is more than capable >.>

[l33tminion]

I agree with most of that, but hydrogen is crap. There are no reserves of unoxidized hydrogen on Earth, and producing hydrogen (even with radical improvements in efficiency) is a horrible way to store electrical energy. Hydrogen has been promoted for three reasons:
1. It sounds cool and futuristic.
2. People don't understand chemistry / thermodynamics / math.
3. It gives gas stations a fuel to pump.

Also, I wouldn't support electric hybrids over pure electric cars. The electric car is a great technology which big oil and auto companies have gone to great lengths to bury.

Whoa, there

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Let's not be slamming all hybrids. . . .

[l33tminion]

Let me be clear: I'm not slamming gas-electric (or diesel-electric) hybrids like I'm slamming hydrogen. The hybrid engine is a good technology. I just want to make sure people remember that pure-electric is still an option (one that's sometimes better than hybrids). It seems the car companies, while moving towards hybrids, still want to keep the electric car out of sight and out of mind.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

You're right about that.

Have you seen Who Killed The Electric Car? Very informative.

[l33tminion]

Yes. I swear, that movie made me cry.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

You and me both.