The U.S. Is Poised to Hit a New Oil Gusher

[amiquechu 0]

God forbid we concentrate on renewable resources.

I am all for that. But it isn't gonna happen anytime soon. In the mean time this will help us keep the price of oil from going to $200/barrel. It will also help our security because we will not be as dependant on mid-east oil.

Why not? You give a perfectly good reason why we should.

The research is going on right now. New forms of energy are being explored. But none of them will make any difference any time soon. It takes time to develope and to make the infrastructure to deliver it. Bio fuels made from grain isn't the answer and that is the only one that is close to fruition.

God forbid we concentrate on renewable resources.

That's crazy talk.

God forbid we concentrate on renewable resources.

I am all for that. But it isn't gonna happen anytime soon. In the mean time this will help us keep the price of oil from going to $200/barrel. It will also help our security because we will not be as dependant on mid-east oil.

Of course it won't happen as long as Dubby Dumbazz is in office. He only pays lip service to it but won't do squat to wean this country off our insatiable appetite for crude oil.

Yeah right, blame Bush for everything. Typical and expected reaction.

It's GW's fault I have seven kids from seven different fathers who aren't around any more and I can't pay my bills

-A liberal

[Kevin and 10]

If we are going to give up oil. Are we willing to give up plastics, lubes, asphalt roads, and the other products derived from crude oil? Gasoline isn't the only thing made from crude.

I say drill and tap into all the oil reserves. When the oil dried up we will have no other choice , but to find alternatives.

Edited April 3, 2008 by Kevin and Tuyen

[Peikko 1,575]

Judicious use of renewable resources and an increased focus on energy efficiency would probably extend the lifetime of these amazing non renewable energy sources. Oil is incredible stuff, so why are we so intent on using it up as fast as possible?

[Kevin and 10]

Judicious use of renewable resources and an increased focus on energy efficiency would probably extend the lifetime of these amazing non renewable energy sources. Oil is incredible stuff, so why are we so intent on using it up as fast as possible?

I was being sarcastic. If we gave up the plastics we would be cutting more trees and smelting more metals.

Renewable energy is not nearly at the efficiency levels they need to be to hold up a society. They are too expensive. Without welfare from the gov't they would fall to the wayside until there was a market for them.

I'm all for renewable energies. If I wasn't taxed to death I could afford a more energy efficient water heater, furnace, ect.

[mawilson 2,133]

Fight Islamic extremists, USE OUR OWN OIL! Duh!

I disagree. I think we should suck them dry first. Then they'll be left with nothing and we'll still have our reserves.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Well, I as an engineer would like you to name some of these "existing technologies"......I suspect that you, and others that aren't technically inclined, are ignorant of the fact that these technologies that you're referring to simply displace energy and aren't viable alternatives at all.

Many of your ilk tout Hybrid cars (feel good cars as they are sometimes referred to) but the simple fact is that for every one produced, a lot of smoke goes out the factory stack........Batteries are not yet as efficient as they need to be. Again, more energy is expended in their manufacter than you will ever recover at the gas pump. Lastly, they have a disposal problem yet to be resolved......

Windpower- ask ted kennedy about that, he's the expert.

Solar power- prohibitively expensive to manufacture without govt. subsidies- requires lots of real estate- can cause Global "cooling" if used en masse. It absorbes energy from the sun. This is not without consequence.

These are the cold facts about "alternative energy"......... It just isn't there yet! If there were a viable alternative we'd be putting in our freek'n tanks!

(LOL to you expertise claim)

How much did it cost to lay down a pipeline in Alaska, or to drill oil deep under the ocean? Keep in mind when you factor in costs, there are intangible costs that come with relying heavily on foreign oil, not to mention the environmental costs burning fossil fuels. Dismissing solar power as costing too much is ridiculous, particularly in light of how much it costs to build and maintain a nuclear power plant or how much the federal government helps out current energy providers.

Top 100 Technologies

A New Energy Congress prioritized listing of the very best energy technologies according to ten criteria, including: renewable, environmentally safe, affordable, credible, reliable, developed, and safe (among others). The New Energy Congress is an association for the purpose of reviewing the most promising claims to up-and-coming clean, renewable, affordable, reliable energy technologies, in order to come up with a weighted list of recommendations of the best technologies.

The Full List

Here's the first 20:

1. Stirling Energy Systems utility solar - 20-year purchase agreement between Southern California Edison and Stirling Energy Systems, Inc. will result in 20,000+ dish array covering 4,500 acres capable of generating 500 MW, at a cost competitive to grid power. (http://stirlingenergy.com)
2. [/size]

   ENECO Chip Converts Heat to Electricity - Utah company claims to have invented and patented a "solid state energy conversion/generation chip" that will convert heat directly into electricity or alternatively refrigerate down to -200 degrees Celsius when electricity is applied. (http://eneco.com) (NEC Specialist: Richard P. George)

3. W2 Energy Birthing Affordable, Renewable Petrol - Imagine a gasoline and diesel source that is CO2 neutral, sulfur-free, derived from renewable sources, superior in its power performance to fossil-based fuels, and costs less than 1/7 of fossil-based fuels. The company has also built an engine to optimize use of the syngas portion of the product. (http://www.w2energy.com)

4. SolarCube™ by Green and Gold Energy - Award-winning solar technology uses Fresnel lenses to focus sun's energy onto photovoltaic cells. 5.8 cents per kWh. (http://www.greenandgoldenergy.com.au) (NEC Specialist: Richard P. George)

5. Validated | Available for Commercial Purchase | Directory:Wind >

   Wind Farms - Wind farms present an economy of scale, enabling them to produce electricity in the price range of grid power.

6. Cool Earth Solar - Company has developed an inflatable solar concentrator technology that slashes materials costs, making solar farms competitive with commercial electricity generation systems within three years. (http://www.coolearthsolar.com) (NEC Specialist: Jon Bonanno, investor, board member)

7. EEStor Ceramic "Battery" - Texas company is working on an "energy storage" ultra-capacitor device made from ceramics. It's not technically a battery because it doesn't use chemicals. It can allegedly charge within 5 minutes (from a substation) with enough energy to move a car 500 miles on about $9 worth of electricity -- about 45 cents a gallon.

8. Nanotube Super Capacitor Battery - MIT researchers are developing a battery based on capacitors that utilize nanotubes for high surface area, enabling near instantaneous charging and no degradation. Estimating ~5 years to commercialization.

9. DayStar Technologies' Silicon-Free Solar Cells - Daystar's unique metal foil design is not vulnerable to silicon shortages. Striving to "make free energy affordable", production of this thin film design is being ramped up to 20 MW per year. (http://www.daystartech.com/)

10. Sines Reluctance Generator (Potomac Energy Projects) - Electrical generator involves thin film superconductivity, vortices and magnetic flux gates. (http://www.potomacenergyprojects.com - NEC Specialist: Eddie Sines, Inventor)

11. Nelson Scientific's Electron Capture - Developing commercial method for capturing electrons for electricity. Device catches free electrons in a vacuum, where they are redirected to conductors, yielding electricity. (http://nelsonscientific.com)

12. Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation (SHEC) - Has developed a process that will convert landfill and other waste methane into clean hydrogen, using the power of the Sun for the reformation, at a price comparable to traditional hydrogen production methods. (http://www.shec-labs.com/) (NEC Specialist: Tai Robinson)

13. Enviromission Solar Tower - Enviromission Solar Towers are like an inverted funnel, with a wide skirt to collect air to then turn a turbine in the tower. (http://www.enviromission.com.au/) (http://www.solarmissiontechnologies.com)

14. Colliding Plasma Toroid Fusion. - Electron Power Systems Ltd. is developing a process that remains stable without magnetic confinement, by using background gas pressure for confinement instead, could provide clean, non-polluting energy technology at one-tenth the cost of present energy generation. (http://electronpowersystems.com)

15. International Automated Systems - Utility scale solar presently in process of being commercially installed for first time; alleged to produce electricity at 3-5 cents per kilowatt-hour. Highly-efficient bladeless turbine has wide range of waste-heat-harnessing applications. Methanol production technique will draw CO2 out of the environment, reversing global warming. (http://IAUS.com)

16. AVA Solar to Mass Produce Low Cost Solar Panels - AVA Solar will start production next year on cadmium telluride thin film solar PV modules developed at Colorado State University. Produced at less than $1 per watt, the panels will reduce the cost of generating solar electricity to roughly the same as the conventional grid.

17. Energy/Matter Conversion Corporation - Dr. Bussard and his team at Energy/Matter Conversion Corporation, after close to 20 years of hard work, have developed a revolutionary radiation-free fusion process that takes boron-11 and fuses a proton to it, producing, in its excited state, a carbon-12 atom. This excited carbon-12 atom decays to beryllium-8 and helium-4. It was developed under a DOD contract and has recently been made public.

18. SA thin film solar eclipses others - South African solar panels consist of a thin layer approximately five microns thick (a human hair is 20 microns thick) of a unique metal alloy that converts light into energy at a fraction of the cost. The photo-responsive alloy can operate on virtually all flexible surfaces. Expected in market in 2007.

19. O'Conner Hush Energy Turbine - Arthur O'Conner of Australia has international patents on a wind turbine design that is very quiet, can operate a low speeds while tolerating high wind speeds, with a price tag that makes energy generation comparable to grid energy cost for residential and commercial applications. (http://www.hushenergy.com)

[Dan J 277]

Judicious use of renewable resources and an increased focus on energy efficiency would probably extend the lifetime of these amazing non renewable energy sources. Oil is incredible stuff, so why are we so intent on using it up as fast as possible?

I was being sarcastic. If we gave up the plastics we would be cutting more trees and smelting more metals.

Renewable energy is not nearly at the efficiency levels they need to be to hold up a society. They are too expensive. Without welfare from the gov't they would fall to the wayside until there was a market for them.

I'm all for renewable energies. If I wasn't taxed to death I could afford a more energy efficient water heater, furnace, ect.

Oil companies get subsidies from the goverment, even though they are able to support themselves quite well.

If we wait until oil gets expensive, we may not have the time to find new technolgies for generating energy. Because so much of our society relies on oil as the main source of energy, not replacing it quickly could lead to a collapse of our society and way of life.

If we take the long term view and start focusing on it now, we can find and transition to new technologies long before it becomes a significant problem.

[HAL 9000 96]

If we are going to give up oil. Are we willing to give up plastics, lubes, asphalt roads, and the other products derived from crude oil? Gasoline isn't the only thing made from crude.

I say drill and tap into all the oil reserves. When the oil dried up we will have no other choice , but to find alternatives.

Why give them up?

Can't we just use deductive reasoning and apply the hydrocarbons saved from going to gas and fuels would be better used to have more available "plastics, lubes, asphalt roads, and the other products derived from crude oil" ?

Again, then we could argue about their inability for biodegradability, too.

[Heracles 417]

(LOL to you expertise claim)

How much did it cost to lay down a pipeline in Alaska, or to drill oil deep under the ocean? Keep in mind when you factor in costs, there are intangible costs that come with relying heavily on foreign oil, not to mention the environmental costs burning fossil fuels. Dismissing solar power as costing too much is ridiculous, particularly in light of how much it costs to build and maintain a nuclear power plant or how much the federal government helps out current energy providers.

Solar power is a gimmicky technology. heck it can barely charge a cell phone let alone power a house. Hence why very few places are using it on a mass scale. It is only feasible when coupled with the other technologies. Nuclear power is still the best option. Interesting enough the new government in Aus promised to sign Kyoto. Surprise surprise it has come out that this will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to implement. The liberals there are also adamant about not using nuclear power to generate power.

Hydrogen on the other hand could very well be used to generate power and be used in cars. If we started manufacturing it on a mass scale it could become very feasible. This is where the government should be investing money. Especially considering it is the most abundant resource in the galaxy..

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

I discovered something while in the process of looking for land to buy out west. Back when the railroads were being established they owned most of the land in western states. Later when that land was sold to individuals the railroads kept the mineral rights. If this is the case where they are drilling for oil only the rich will get richer and the average Joe won't get ####### except a little money for surface damages. Even land that you do have the mineral rights and gas and oil are found the rich get richer but at least the land owner get a few bucks. In Arkansas the law says that a minimum of 1/8 share is to be paid based on the percent of a governmental section you own (1 square mile). Unless a well in your section is HUGE you don't get too much from it compared to the gas and oil companies.

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

(LOL to you expertise claim)

How much did it cost to lay down a pipeline in Alaska, or to drill oil deep under the ocean? Keep in mind when you factor in costs, there are intangible costs that come with relying heavily on foreign oil, not to mention the environmental costs burning fossil fuels. Dismissing solar power as costing too much is ridiculous, particularly in light of how much it costs to build and maintain a nuclear power plant or how much the federal government helps out current energy providers.

Solar power is a gimmicky technology. heck it can barely charge a cell phone let alone power a house. Hence why very few places are using it on a mass scale. It is only feasible when coupled with the other technologies. Nuclear power is still the best option. Interesting enough the new government in Aus promised to sign Kyoto. Surprise surprise it has come out that this will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to implement. The liberals there are also adamant about not using nuclear power to generate power.

Hydrogen on the other hand could very well be used to generate power and be used in cars. If we started manufacturing it on a mass scale it could become very feasible. This is where the government should be investing money. Especially considering it is the most abundant resource in the galaxy..

I AGREE hydrogen is the way to go with our future. The biggest obsticle is the cost of setting up the fueling stations around the country.

Wouldn't it be great if the US eliminated the need for fosil fuels? The Middle East would colapse.

[Dan J 277]

(LOL to you expertise claim)

How much did it cost to lay down a pipeline in Alaska, or to drill oil deep under the ocean? Keep in mind when you factor in costs, there are intangible costs that come with relying heavily on foreign oil, not to mention the environmental costs burning fossil fuels. Dismissing solar power as costing too much is ridiculous, particularly in light of how much it costs to build and maintain a nuclear power plant or how much the federal government helps out current energy providers.

Solar power is a gimmicky technology. heck it can barely charge a cell phone let alone power a house. Hence why very few places are using it on a mass scale. It is only feasible when coupled with the other technologies. Nuclear power is still the best option. Interesting enough the new government in Aus promised to sign Kyoto. Surprise surprise it has come out that this will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to implement. The liberals there are also adamant about not using nuclear power to generate power.

Hydrogen on the other hand could very well be used to generate power and be used in cars. If we started manufacturing it on a mass scale it could become very feasible. This is where the government should be investing money. Especially considering it is the most abundant resource in the galaxy..

I AGREE hydrogen is the way to go with our future. The biggest obsticle is the cost of setting up the fueling stations around the country.

Wouldn't it be great if the US eliminated the need for fosil fuels? The Middle East would colapse.

Hydrogen itself is not so much a source of energy as it is a form to store energy. It would not replace the need for other types energy generation. Electricity is needed to make hydrogen from water.

It also has the issue of needing a very expensive material as a catalyst (platinum), but work is being done to find other cheaper catalysts.

It may directly replace gasoline in cars, but it would increase the load on powerplants and other sources of energy to create the hydrogen.

[Heracles 417]

I AGREE hydrogen is the way to go with our future. The biggest obsticle is the cost of setting up the fueling stations around the country.

Wouldn't it be great if the US eliminated the need for fosil fuels? The Middle East would colapse.

and this can only happen if the government starts providing realistic grants to the industry. You hear about solar and ethanol receiving grants yet hydrogen is barely talked about. There are so many industries that could use it; such the the airlines which desperately need an alternative solution..

Getting rid of our reliance on other people's oil should be our #1 priority. If we can put people in space, create artificial hearts etc we can solve this energy problem. What ever happened to the pioneering America that developed so much in the 60s.

[Heracles 417]

Hydrogen itself is not so much a source of energy as it is a form to store energy. It would not replace the need for other types energy generation. Electricity is needed to make hydrogen from water.

It also has the issue of needing a very expensive material as a catalyst (platinum), but work is being done to find other cheaper catalysts.

It may directly replace gasoline in cars, but it would increase the load on powerplants and other sources of energy to create the hydrogen.

Hence the use of nuclear power to start it off. On the other hand how much money is being spent on Fusion power research. I know Europe is spending quite a bit on developing that technology.

Edited April 3, 2008 by Boo-Yah!

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

(LOL to you expertise claim)

How much did it cost to lay down a pipeline in Alaska, or to drill oil deep under the ocean? Keep in mind when you factor in costs, there are intangible costs that come with relying heavily on foreign oil, not to mention the environmental costs burning fossil fuels. Dismissing solar power as costing too much is ridiculous, particularly in light of how much it costs to build and maintain a nuclear power plant or how much the federal government helps out current energy providers.

Solar power is a gimmicky technology. heck it can barely charge a cell phone let alone power a house. Hence why very few places are using it on a mass scale. It is only feasible when coupled with the other technologies. Nuclear power is still the best option. Interesting enough the new government in Aus promised to sign Kyoto. Surprise surprise it has come out that this will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to implement. The liberals there are also adamant about not using nuclear power to generate power.

Hydrogen on the other hand could very well be used to generate power and be used in cars. If we started manufacturing it on a mass scale it could become very feasible. This is where the government should be investing money. Especially considering it is the most abundant resource in the galaxy..

I AGREE hydrogen is the way to go with our future. The biggest obsticle is the cost of setting up the fueling stations around the country.

Wouldn't it be great if the US eliminated the need for fosil fuels? The Middle East would colapse.

Hydrogen itself is not so much a source of energy as it is a form to store energy. It would not replace the need for other types energy generation. Electricity is needed to make hydrogen from water.

It also has the issue of needing a very expensive material as a catalyst (platinum), but work is being done to find other cheaper catalysts.

It may directly replace gasoline in cars, but it would increase the load on powerplants and other sources of energy to create the hydrogen.

There are alternatives to fosil fuels for electricity like nuclear and wind. Yes we would have the additional need for electricity to separate hydrodren from oxygen in water but I think scientists could develop an efficient way to do this.