longoil

Alternative Energy Storage for Global Warming Agnostics

While I sincerely hope that Obama will seriously address the issue of energy independence after Jan 19 2009, one only has to look at a few of the talking points on his official energy plan to see we are in a heap of trouble. I don't see any energy storage plans on his energy policy, just a lot of pandering.

1) Enact a Windfall Profits Tax to Provide a $1,000 Emergency Energy Rebate to American Families.
>>> This will cause oil companies to spend even less money on exploration & production and cause oil prices to rise even higher in the long run.

2) Swap Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to Cut Prices.
>>>All the oil in the SPR could supply the USA for 40 days at most.

3) Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
>>> How does having heavy energy users in the USA paying carbon tax credits to other countries that have less strict carbon emission standards than the USA solve anything ? In fact, it will cause them to reduce production and aggravate the economic downturn further. Encouraging alternative energy usage via tax credits would be a much better strategy.

Time to Fill Up on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Fitzman,

I agree with you 100% that there is huge gas reserves around the world and with the implementation the Pickens Plan in the USA.

My concern is that most of world's natural gas supplies are controlled by very hostile nations like Russia, Qatar and Iran. They are talking about forming an "OPEC" like NG cartel. If they succeed they would make OPEC look like very tame in comparison.

Time to Fill Up on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

John,

The Saudi producers could not vote in the 1956 presidential election, so why do you think Eisenhower imposed an import duty on all imported oil (except from Canada & Mexico) in favor of all the independent producers in Texas (including George Bush Sr & his company Zapata Petroleum) ?

Time to Fill Up on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Fitz,


NG (like oil) is a short term solution. There is only a finite supply and after it peaks, the drop off is much sharper than oil.

A better solution is next generation biofuels like ethanol made from cellolusic (non-edible plants), algae and sweet sorghum.

Obama has energy independance as a #2 priority (a good thing), but the economy will take up 95% of his effort. In the best case we are looking at a 2 yr recession or worst case a 10yr depression ahead of us.