US Can Eliminate Oil Use In A Few Decades

[Pepperbelly]

-snip-

ocky Mountain Institute (RMI) Monday released Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs, and Security, a Pentagon-cofunded blueprint for making the United States oil-free. The plan outlines how American industry can restore competitiveness and boost profits by mobilizing modern technologies and smart business strategies to displace oil more cheaply than buying it.

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/energy-tech-04zzk.html

[oscar111]

1. Summary? pls, for us busy types. thanks

we are plain short of time, so wd appreciate a summary here of the main points

thanks mucho,
oscar

[BlueEyedSon]

2. Yeah those coal-fired airplanes are really gonna be something!

[Pepperbelly]

7. Where in the world did you get that? nt

[charlie]

10. Amory Lovins is no crackpot

He was an energy advisor to Carter way back when, and we wouldn't be in this pickle if we'd continued on the course they'd set. There are tremendous gains still to be wrung out of efficiency and decentralization. And while being petroleum-free within decades is the pot at the end of the rainbow, we can be done with mideast oil imports in a much shorter time frame -- and that is something well worth shooting for.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. 50 years to develop a hydrogen-fueled jet turbine should be possible

After all, hydrogen-fueled rockets were developed 40 years ago. Using liquid hydrogen in planes is in some ways more practical than in cars (you're not concerned with leaving the fuel in the plane overnight, or for days at a time, so the concept of having it extremely cold becomes much easier, and you can use specialised equipment to transfer the fuel into the plane, because it's done by skilled mechanics, not untrained people like you and me).

An alternative might be kerosene-like fuels synthesised from biological sources.

[Frederik]

20. Pulse-detonation engines

run on methane or hydrogen. Reportedly Boeing or Lockheed have had black projects on that going for quite some time, and they've probably had prototypes flying for several years.

[dweller]

3. Green Olive Husks!!

:shrug: ?

dp

[Pepperbelly]

8. It's about efficiency ... where did you get ...

olive husks?

[dweller]

15. a few threads down from yours on the Latest page...

that's where...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x21714

dp

[kerrywins]

4. my car already runs on dreams...

:)

[bigtree]

16. how about non-nuclear hydrogen powered cars? eventually . . .

Nanotechnology Could Promote Hydrogen Economy

Piscataway NJ (SPX) Mar 29, 2005
Say "nanotechnology" and people are likely to think of micro machines or zippy computer chips. But in a new twist, Rutgers scientists are using nanotechnology in chemical reactions that could provide hydrogen for tomorrow's fuel-cell powered clean energy vehicles.

In a paper to be published April 20 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, describe how they make a finely textured surface of the metal iridium that can be used to extract hydrogen from ammonia, then captured and fed to a fuel cell.

The metal's unique surface consists of millions of pyramids with facets as tiny as five nanometers (five billionths of a meter) across, onto which ammonia molecules can nestle like matching puzzle pieces.

This sets up the molecules to undergo complete and efficient decomposition.

full story:
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/nanotech-05zh.html

[screembloodymurder]

19. Is that pic really you?

Good looking and smart. Wow!

[LSdemocrat]

5. Heck if we don't change a thing we'll HAVE to be oil free in a few decades

[EVDebs]

6. "Few decades" is all we have left ! 35 years is the arithmetic on it

One trillion barrels or thereabouts in proven reserves worldwide with around 80 million barrels used per day...comes to about 35 years left or less, since demand is growing.

I hear that zinc air fuel cells are totally emission free and non-petroleum. Solar cells on rooftops are becoming popular in CA (we just put on some grid-tied to our house), and conservation IS how we got out of the oil crisis in the '70s and early '80s.

[Silverhair]

9. Interesting. Thanks. Bookmarked it. NT

[CatWoman]

11. another way we can accomplish this

is to make Republicans use Bryl-cream in their hair.

[charlie]

12. Brylcreem is mineral oil

They'd still get that rejuvenating petroleum rush. CheezWhiz would be better, dairy is renewable.

[Pepperbelly]

13. I am in deep mourning, my friend, over the death of ...

irony on this board.

Thanx for being you!

:D

[Kazak]

14. Hemp!!

Freedom is NORML. :shrug:

[screembloodymurder]

18. I was shocked to read that France

uses less oil today than it did in 1970. If they can do it, why can't the US.

[bklyncowgirl]

23. France & other Euro countries made a decision to reduce oil usage.

High taxes on gasoline gave people the incentive to use an excellent government subsidized mass transportation system including extensive bus and trolley systems for local use and high speed rail. When they do drive, mostly for pleasure, small, fuel efficient vehicles are the norm. Shopping, for the most part is done at stores located in the neighborhood withing walking distance.

On the downside, the French, I believe, make extensive use of nuclear power, but like the rest of the Euros are way ahead of us in developing solar, wind and biodiesel alternatives.

We, of course, have done just the opposite in this country.

[MadHound]

21. Interesting plan I read in Mother Earth News.

According to a 1991 DOE report on energy resources, we have enough harvestable wind resources in North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas to supply all of the US electric needs through 2030. Interesting pair up with that is hybrid cars, especiall those next generation hybrids, with the extra battery to draw on, one that you can plug in and charge. Take that one step further, hybrid, with extra battery pack, using a motor than consumes biodiesel.

There are also many other things that could be done to relieve this energy problem. Revitalize our train system in this country, and start putting most of our freight back on rails. Solar panels on houses. Hydrogen fuel cells is a pipe dream we shouldn't pursue though. Consumes almost as much energy as it produces in the cracking process. In addition there would have to be a completely new infrastructure built up for retail sales. And being hydrogen, a crash would almost certainly be fatal. Can you say the Hindenburg?

[Delphinus]

22. It's certainly an article

that gives "hope" in a very small way. I say small, because I don't see this misadministration doing anything about it. But, it sounds like a good plan.

I don't recall them saying anything about fueling planes, but it would definitely be a start.