[ExI] Whatever happened to peak oil by 2020?

[spike]

. On Behalf Of Adrian Tymes
Subject: Re: [ExI] Whatever happened to peak oil by 2020?

 

On Tue, May 7, 2013 at 1:33 PM, spike <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:

 

>>. use the power to convert coal or biomass  to liquids and synthesize
ammonium
nitrate, rather than send the power to the cities by cable.

 

>.Or simply synthesize gasoline.  It's a form that gets used (a lot), and
less conversions = less energy lost to conversion.

 

Ja, we know how to do it, it has been done for over 100 years (coal to
octane), it takes advantage of the existing octane burning infrastructure.
Of all the schemes I have seen for carrying energy around, nothing matches
good old octane and Diesel (mostly C12H26.)  So if we propose alternatives,
we need to think of the energy needed to convert the world's existing
transportation and food-production infrastructure, which is enormous.  So at
least for the short run (next 20 yrs) the whole GB solar, wind and nuke
powered coal and biomass to octane conversion looks compelling.  I like
space based solar and hope we get that, but I am thinking what we do in the
increasingly likely event that doesn't work out for us.  

 

Wiki claims wind power has an EROEI of about 18, which is quite good.  It
cohabitates nicely with ground based solar and nuclear, so it uses the same
ground twice in a sense.  Wind power has the problems of being ugly, noisy,
intermittent and it slays birds.  If we put the turbines way out and away to
heck and gone, then use the power where it is generated for coal to octane
and coal to Diesel conversion, we solve three of the four big problems with
wind power.  The fourth, well, bye bye birdie, sorry.  I really like birds.
But we aren't going to let our civilization starve for the feathery
bastards.

 

spike

 

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