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"The Avatar Man"
04-06-2003, 09:01 PM
Since everyone thinks that war nowadays is motivated by oil.
what do you think will happen when new and more efficient forms of energy become mass produced?
we aren't but a few decades away at most.

Rat Faced
04-06-2003, 09:15 PM
The sad thing is that we could have been a lot nearer than we are now.

I remember 10years ago seeing a car that had ran 10,000 miles (average annual mileage in UK) on the equivalent of a football field (Soccer) worth of Rapeseed. This plant grows and is harvested ie: Renewable

It had then undergone a full mechanical inspection etc, and it was announced that there was no more wear/tear on the car than a normal car having done the same.

I think some oil company then bought the rights and its never been seen again.

Others that the companies dont seem to buy the rights for are the electric cars etc....as they will still make money out of these, if indirectly through the Energy Companies. LPG cars are getting popular, but the same companies make a profit, and again its only a short term product.

The Electricity companies do most research into renewable sources, as they take the longer term view.....however I cant see a car or airplane being driven by the wind or sea power any time soon :P

ne1GotZardoz
04-07-2003, 12:13 AM
Originally posted by Rat Faced@6 April 2003 - 12:15
The sad thing is that we could have been a lot nearer than we are now.

I remember 10years ago seeing a car that had ran 10,000 miles (average annual mileage in UK) on the equivalent of a football field (Soccer) worth of Rapeseed. This plant grows and is harvested ie: Renewable

It had then undergone a full mechanical inspection etc, and it was announced that there was no more wear/tear on the car than a normal car having done the same.

I think some oil company then bought the rights and its never been seen again.

Others that the companies dont seem to buy the rights for are the electric cars etc....as they will still make money out of these, if indirectly through the Energy Companies. LPG cars are getting popular, but the same companies make a profit, and again its only a short term product.

The Electricity companies do most research into renewable sources, as they take the longer term view.....however I cant see a car or airplane being driven by the wind or sea power any time soon :P
Here's a few facts for you:

In less than 200 years worth of fossil fuel use, we will have exhausted what it took mother nature hundreds of millions of years to produce.

Here are figures from the 1991 World Almanac and Book of Facts.

988 million acres of U. S. farmland for food and clothing production, with a
small percentage used for misceleaneous purposes like linseed oil, etc.

U. S. motor vehicle travel is aproximately 2.025 trillion miles per year.

Lets divide that by your 10,000 miles per year piece of land:

2,000,000,000,000/10,000=200,000,000

Ok. Now, the size of a football field is 100yrds X 50yrds or roughly 1acre
So in 1991, we would have needed to use 20% of our farmland for fuel production if there were no more oil available.

That, of course, assumes that we only need the fuel for automobiles.
But we have other needs. Lights, heating and air conditioning.
I would be willing to bet that most American households spend more on those items than they do on fuel for their cars.
Then you have stores, factories, Churches, Air travel, Water craft, Emergency vehicles, (which are not considered in the above figures), stadiums, museums, theme parks, farm equiptment, restaraunts, etc.
That should require (a conservative figure) 50% of our agriculture for fuel production.

Then, of course, our fuel consumption just in this country, increases
roughly 3% per year.
In other countries, that are just beginning to evolve a need for energy, the consumption increase per year is significantly higher.

In the 70's, there were european cars that got 60mpg.
They introduced a few low mpg low cost cars to this country, Yugo for example, and then dissapeared. Whats up with that?
A 3,000$ car that got 40mpg was a good idea.

I had a used volvo once that got 33mpg highway.
That was in 1981. It was a 1972 car. Rusted to hell. Great engine.

I think the rapeseed idea is a good one if we can significantly reduce our dependance on manufactured energy overall. Otherwise, we will be heading down hill toward our own destruction.

Peace

Rat Faced
04-07-2003, 12:34 AM
I said the Power companies are more long sighted.

I dont think you should worry about the electricity so much, UK is on course to supply 10% of its electricity through renewable sources by 2010 (Thats the target....at the rate its going it may actually be 15%, without any kick in the pants to speed it up: and i have a feeling that will happen in next couple of years)


USA has a LOT more area that it can use to get this 'renewable' energy per head of population. All it takes is the will.

eg How much area in USA is basically desert, and can be used for windfarms or Solar Energy collection (Even the UK is using this more and more at a Domestic Level...and we dont get a lot of sun, it would be a lot more efficient somewhere like Wyoming than it is in Dorset) without any other impact on the surroundings? On the other hand, there is development on going even in the USA (mostly for sale abroad at the moment) so when the will is there, the Technology will be there waiting.

The Ironic thing is that the UKs best resource of renewable energy is the Sea....and the Government, in its infinate wisdom therefore commissions Wind Farms on land.

Im not gonna complain; i mean its a start, in the right direction......but we're an Island with lots of strong currents and tides we could take advantage of (OK lots of wind too ;) ) without all the local protesters and loss of Farmland.

dwightfry
04-07-2003, 01:07 AM
There is a politician in Minnisota who is actually trying to have what windmills they have torn down. His reason? "They are ugly". Talk about wrong priorities.

ne1GotZardoz
04-07-2003, 01:15 AM
Originally posted by dwightfry@6 April 2003 - 16:07
There is a politician in Minnisota who is actually trying to have what windmills they have torn down. His reason? "They are ugly". Talk about wrong priorities.
You know, it is acceptable to print his name here.

All politicians have email addresses and phone numbers that are published.
And I'm sure there are alot of people who would love to write him or call him to let him know how completely stupid he is.

Maybe educate him on the future of his state, (I understand its very windy there in the winter), when fossil fuels are gone and windmills are outlawed.

How does he feel about solar panels?

Barbarossa
04-07-2003, 09:26 AM
Originally posted by Rat Faced@6 April 2003 - 17:15
The sad thing is that we could have been a lot nearer than we are now.

I remember 10years ago seeing a car that had ran 10,000 miles (average annual mileage in UK) on the equivalent of a football field (Soccer) worth of Rapeseed. This plant grows and is harvested ie: Renewable

It had then undergone a full mechanical inspection etc, and it was announced that there was no more wear/tear on the car than a normal car having done the same.

I think some oil company then bought the rights and its never been seen again.

Others that the companies dont seem to buy the rights for are the electric cars etc....as they will still make money out of these, if indirectly through the Energy Companies. LPG cars are getting popular, but the same companies make a profit, and again its only a short term product.

The Electricity companies do most research into renewable sources, as they take the longer term view.....however I cant see a car or airplane being driven by the wind or sea power any time soon :P
I firmly believe that oil companies are deliberately holding back research into alternative energy supplies because they are fearful it will eat into their profits, which they are aware are on borrowed time.

The existing chiefs are just clinging on in hope that the supply lasts until they can draw their big fat pensions. How short-sighted is that?

History will judge us poorly (assuming that education will still exist in the post-oil world)

Sorry to be all doom and gloom, but I'm a bit hungover this morning.

"The Avatar Man"
04-07-2003, 12:50 PM
great responses ;) :D :lol:

dwightfry
04-07-2003, 01:56 PM
Originally posted by ne1GotZardoz+7 April 2003 - 02:15--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ne1GotZardoz @ 7 April 2003 - 02:15)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--dwightfry@6 April 2003 - 16:07
There is a politician in Minnisota who is actually trying to have what windmills they have torn down. His reason?&nbsp; "They are ugly".&nbsp; Talk about wrong priorities.
You know, it is acceptable to print his name here.

All politicians have email addresses and phone numbers that are published.
And I&#39;m sure there are alot of people who would love to write him or call him to let him know how completely stupid he is.

Maybe educate him on the future of his state, (I understand its very windy there in the winter), when fossil fuels are gone and windmills are outlawed.

How does he feel about solar panels? [/b][/quote]
I can&#39;t remember his name. I work at the tv station that ran the story, so I&#39;ll try find out tomarrow