ART005

And You Think Today's Gas Prices Are High?

Mickel98, nice post and so much shorter than mine.

This link goes to a long paper with lots of quantitative info about the size of the energy supply challenge going forward. My summary of it would be nuclear and advances in coal are the only real hope and even that doesn't address the liquid fuel necessities though more electric travel when possible is helpful towards that. And the time frame for those is worrisome.

www.peakoilassociates....

It respects contributions from wind, solar heat and other alternatives but it draws attention to their limit in density and possible rate of build out.

And You Think Today's Gas Prices Are High?

First line of my post should have said "trauma today...... come WITH relatively low..." not "come FROM.... "

Ooops, I don't do well typing in these little boxes, SEEKING ALPHA: How about a Preview Page prior to posting?

And You Think Today's Gas Prices Are High?

I think Dr. Perry's point is that the difficulty and trauma of the food/energy costs today come from relatively low costs compared to our history. And that the basis of the difficulty is the growth of the extent of the dependence we've developed. So then while we have the ability to slowly increase our (world) energy options, our faster growing demand and dependence creates the crisis. Going much far backwards in living standards isn't a viable option but awareness of personal contributions to conservation/local generation can be a growing part of the solution. High on the suggested list: solar water heaters, electric transportation, and with some lag time less urban sprawl.

I wish there was more complete description of solar PV productivity being distributed. At this point, counting all manufacturing costs it is about twice as expensive as base line options. The Left/Green crowd talks like it is a conspiracy that solar PV is not being used more. I have solar water heat, experimental wind turbine, passive solar home, drive less than 8,000 miles per year and don't have solar PV because because I know better. I'm afraid that capital being spent building out solar PV is going to restrict equitable options in the future (though I totally support subsidized RESEARCH towards ~$1/watt!)

An example connecting comments from CLH and #51292 would be if a $billion tractor increased farm yields 25% and on paper solved the world's food supply, it wouldn't necessarily solve the world's food problem. The problem would be transferred from food to national debt. Oil is cheap compared to most alternatives, alternatives that cost significantly more than oil aren't part of the immediate solution.

Consider that the average 16 year old can purchase 1 gallon of gas for $4 and then safely move 3000 pounds 25 or more miles down the road in less than 30 minutes. For that cost, in that amount of time, I don't think the 16 year old could possibly find another way to accomplish that much work. Finding ways to make that work more productive becomes important as costs go up.

Save Money on Gas - Drive More Slowly

whiplasdh1,
There's a very clear chart at the top that shows mpg efficiency at 60 mph equal to 30 mph so 30 mph highways never suggested. In fact some (generally smaller) cars are geared such that 60 mph is more efficient than 55 mph. So up to 65 is very reasonably efficient and as the atricle says by 75 mph there are costs that people might prefer not to pay.