Comments on: Energy Independence http://snowedin.net/blog/2006/04/04/energy-independence/ Erik Pukinskis Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:04:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Rick Sawyer http://snowedin.net/blog/2006/04/04/energy-independence/#comment-384 Rick Sawyer Fri, 14 Apr 2006 04:36:51 +0000 http://www.snowedin.net/blog/?p=631#comment-384 E85 begs the question of end-to-end energy saving since it requires a substantial investment in fuels to plow, tend, harvest, grind, brew, distill and transport before it ever gets to contribute to a gallon of gas for a car. What is the end-to-end gain of the system required to produce it? I suspect the best answer, in the long run, is very light vehicles powered by hydrogen which is made by splitting the hydrogen away from oxygen in water, using solar powered electricity to do the splitting. Problem, technically, is generating enough electricity to do the split, which requires high efficiency solar panels. That should be a primary area of focus, in my humble opinion. Or use nuclear energy to do the same thing, but that maybe socially unacceptable for the time being, unless, of course, we run out of dinosaur fat. E85 begs the question of end-to-end energy saving since it requires a substantial investment in fuels to plow, tend, harvest, grind, brew, distill and transport before it ever gets to contribute to a gallon of gas for a car. What is the end-to-end gain of the system required to produce it?

I suspect the best answer, in the long run, is very light vehicles powered by hydrogen which is made by splitting the hydrogen away from oxygen in water, using solar powered electricity to do the splitting. Problem, technically, is generating enough electricity to do the split, which requires high efficiency solar panels. That should be a primary area of focus, in my humble opinion.

Or use nuclear energy to do the same thing, but that maybe socially unacceptable for the time being, unless, of course, we run out of dinosaur fat.

]]> By: Erik http://snowedin.net/blog/2006/04/04/energy-independence/#comment-383 Erik Thu, 06 Apr 2006 01:02:05 +0000 http://www.snowedin.net/blog/?p=631#comment-383 Yeah, there is. That's why I said "This is an easy sell politically, and it's happening". :) Yeah, there is. That’s why I said “This is an easy sell politically, and it’s happening”. :)

]]> By: Tracy http://snowedin.net/blog/2006/04/04/energy-independence/#comment-382 Tracy Wed, 05 Apr 2006 23:16:03 +0000 http://www.snowedin.net/blog/?p=631#comment-382 I thought there already was a tax credit for hybrid vehicles? I thought there already was a tax credit for hybrid vehicles?

]]> By: Alex http://snowedin.net/blog/2006/04/04/energy-independence/#comment-381 Alex Wed, 05 Apr 2006 10:59:29 +0000 http://www.snowedin.net/blog/?p=631#comment-381 Drilling in the wildlife refuge best case produces 16 billion barrels? By your own numbers that's just over 2 years worth of oil. It doesn't even start to address the issue. Interesting article here: <a href="http://www.changethis.com/9.Biodiesel" rel="nofollow">http://www.changethis.com/9.Biodiesel</a> on producing biodiesel from algae as a solution. Drilling in the wildlife refuge best case produces 16 billion barrels? By your own numbers that’s just over 2 years worth of oil. It doesn’t even start to address the issue.

Interesting article here: http://www.changethis.com/9.Biodiesel on producing biodiesel from algae as a solution.

]]> By: Lucy http://snowedin.net/blog/2006/04/04/energy-independence/#comment-380 Lucy Wed, 05 Apr 2006 06:28:52 +0000 http://www.snowedin.net/blog/?p=631#comment-380 ANWR is sooooo contentious - I've seen evidence that the Porcupine Caribou population is not doing well, and that they're extremely sensitive to even slight environmental change. Even *testing* the area to see if it has decent oil reserves may cause significant damage to the area. Plus, the environmentalist in me that I know not everyone buys into feels sad that we'd ruin one of the last untouched places on the planet for oil that, I don't believe, will help the cause of world peace. The governor of Alaska himself, among others, has said no one's really sure how much oil is actually there. (Which, in all fairness I believe you point out in the TIME article.) So if we then find that there's not much, will we drill of the coasts of Florida as well? Where will it stop? I also feel moved by the native population that has asked us to stay out. Not one treaty or promise has been kept to the American Indian in our history, and I feel like we should respect their wishes here. And finally, I don't buy the argument that Exxon and drilling-proponents put forth that we simply don't have the resources to make energy independence a reality. Opponents argue that we're letting Japan, for example, have the competitive edge because we're simply not putting American ingenuity to the test like Japanese researchers are. We do have the intelligence to do this, we just don't have the funding yet because the public's not quite on the bandwagon. (Plus we have an administration that's in bed with the oil industry.) ok. a long rant. Hot topic for me. but everything else sounds good. :D ANWR is sooooo contentious - I’ve seen evidence that the Porcupine Caribou population is not doing well, and that they’re extremely sensitive to even slight environmental change. Even *testing* the area to see if it has decent oil reserves may cause significant damage to the area.

Plus, the environmentalist in me that I know not everyone buys into feels sad that we’d ruin one of the last untouched places on the planet for oil that, I don’t believe, will help the cause of world peace. The governor of Alaska himself, among others, has said no one’s really sure how much oil is actually there. (Which, in all fairness I believe you point out in the TIME article.) So if we then find that there’s not much, will we drill of the coasts of Florida as well? Where will it stop?

I also feel moved by the native population that has asked us to stay out. Not one treaty or promise has been kept to the American Indian in our history, and I feel like we should respect their wishes here.

And finally, I don’t buy the argument that Exxon and drilling-proponents put forth that we simply don’t have the resources to make energy independence a reality. Opponents argue that we’re letting Japan, for example, have the competitive edge because we’re simply not putting American ingenuity to the test like Japanese researchers are. We do have the intelligence to do this, we just don’t have the funding yet because the public’s not quite on the bandwagon. (Plus we have an administration that’s in bed with the oil industry.)

ok. a long rant. Hot topic for me. but everything else sounds good. :D

]]> By: Erik http://snowedin.net/blog/2006/04/04/energy-independence/#comment-379 Erik Tue, 04 Apr 2006 21:08:42 +0000 http://www.snowedin.net/blog/?p=631#comment-379 I don't know... the efficiency in hybrid cars comes from regenerative breaking (converting the momentum of the car into electricity). You can't really apply the same principle everywhere we use fossil fuels. The water heater in your house, for example, doesn't really have much potential energy to convert, except heat, which it already uses. I don’t know… the efficiency in hybrid cars comes from regenerative breaking (converting the momentum of the car into electricity). You can’t really apply the same principle everywhere we use fossil fuels. The water heater in your house, for example, doesn’t really have much potential energy to convert, except heat, which it already uses.

]]> By: Nathan http://snowedin.net/blog/2006/04/04/energy-independence/#comment-378 Nathan Tue, 04 Apr 2006 21:02:03 +0000 http://www.snowedin.net/blog/?p=631#comment-378 I wonder if the numbers you have in relation to hybrid vehicles take into account increases in the technology's ability to conserve? Last year's Civic got something like 40mpg. This year's Civic gets something like 50mpg. Car companies are now starting to collaborate to get more and more hybrid vehicles into production. Porche is making a hybrid SUV, Lexus has a hybrid. What I'm curious about is what can we use the hybrid technology for in other areas to produce electricity, further decreasing our need for oil? I wonder if the numbers you have in relation to hybrid vehicles take into account increases in the technology’s ability to conserve?

Last year’s Civic got something like 40mpg.
This year’s Civic gets something like 50mpg.

Car companies are now starting to collaborate to get more and more hybrid vehicles into production. Porche is making a hybrid SUV, Lexus has a hybrid.

What I’m curious about is what can we use the hybrid technology for in other areas to produce electricity, further decreasing our need for oil?

]]> By: Erik http://snowedin.net/blog/2006/04/04/energy-independence/#comment-377 Erik Tue, 04 Apr 2006 12:52:03 +0000 http://www.snowedin.net/blog/?p=631#comment-377 P.S. Anyone notice how conservative I'm becoming lately? Scary. P.S. Anyone notice how conservative I’m becoming lately? Scary.

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