[ExI] Cost of synfuel was Air-powered cars

[hkhenson]

At 02:41 AM 6/11/2008, Stefano Vaj wrote:

snip

>Thus, we have to profit more extensively and directly from the very
>process that has originally produced "natural" oil and gas, namely
>nuclear fusion, be it in artificial reactors

It's not entirely obvious that fusion reactors on earth make a lot of 
sense.  They might, but tapping the natural one could be a lot easier.

>or by going to space and
>getting it from "natural" reactors, i.e., stars.

It depends a great deal on how the economy is organized.  If everyone 
uploads and only travels by optical fiber, an energy budged of  a 
hundred watts per person might be plenty.  It's a very different 
situation where people want to eat well and travel long distances.

>Then you can have all
>the oil and gas you like, but without waiting for the geological ages
>natural production involves. Not that you would need much, once the
>energy is already there.

Assuming things didn't change a lot, about 1/3 of our energy is 
transport fuels.  That's huge, but well within what you can do with 
power satellites.

Keith