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Alternative Energy Storage Is an Investment Tsunami

Interestingly, the storage systems data matrix embedded in Petersen's commentary includes "compressed air" but provides zero discussion of this option; this despite the cost/efficiency projections.

For sometime now, I have been impressed with MDI's compressed air approach to a green vehicle. The potential environmental benefits of this approach supercede any of the battery based platforms, hybrid or otherwise.

End of life cycle issues can be significantly reduced simply by eliminating batteries from the equation. A society with 50 million electric/hybrid-electr... vehicles will have the problem of disposing/recycling those batteries every seven or so years. The cost to the environment and to the pocketbook will be significant. On the other hand, manufacture of relatively simple compressed air engines requires less raw materials from our planet, than any combination of internal combustion, electric, or hybrid technologies at the front end, with less impact on the back end.

Moreover, the cost to produce and subsequently to purchase compressed air vehicles is anticipated to be significantly lower than most other configurations. Such downscaled economics should provide for a more rapid adoption of a green technology and a windfall to a society's economic bottom line.

If compressed air can be applied to vehicular energy storage, then it can surely be available for other energy storage needs as well.

Perhaps not as "sexy" or "geewhiz" as hydrogen, or super capacitors, but possibly the most cost effective approach going today. I vote for parsimony.

Is Oil Demand Falling Off a Cliff?

Southeast US appears to be transport infrastructure problem. Supply exists, just cannot be conveyed to that market.

Cramer: Dow Could Drop Another 14%, Oil's Going to $50

SocialismCantCompete -

Can you keep your rants under 6 paragraphs? You're using up all the oxygen in these threads.

Also, "free market" market is not the same as "free association". Back up your statements.

What Happens When Banks Are Nationalized

dlaw,

SocCan'tCom will be calling on one of them there 'private' firefighting companies (ala Gangs of NY) when his house is burning down. And of course that 'private' firefighting company responding to his call will have its performance benchmarked by the industry association it belongs to, which in turn provides self-regulating oversight to its paying members. Sounds good to me. Where do we all sign up?

Similarities to U.S. 1937, Japan 1998

techgal -

Haven't you been posting that same comment elsewhere, on a number of financial sites, numerous news sites, and quite a few blogs? I see a pattern here.

Energy Independence Is a Military, Not Economic, Concept

Paulk8756 is wrong.

It would be of far greater strategic benefit for America to purchase oil from external sources right now while it is relatively cheaper. We should save our domestic reserves for a time in the future when world oil supply diminishes, directly resulting in an even more exponential rise in the price than we have recently experienced.

If "SECURITY" is what Paulk8756 values, then consider this: the nation with more oil reserves later in the game will have more options and more capability and derive more security. We should replace the use of petroleum where we can (private vehicles) and save it for applications that are more difficult to find substitutes (chemical manufacture, commercial transport etc).

Persons of Paulk's mentality continue to argue their position without rational regard for the sheer impetus of demographic vectors, as if there is an infinite supply of oil. We know this is not true. 6.5 billion inhabitants on track for 9 billion.