The End of the End of Gasoline ?

Comments | 5

• Submitted by Rolf on April 10, 2014 at 4:56 am

  Or maybe . . .

  Making lead from gold would be a more apt metaphor.

  Carbon neutral may sound fine, but at the least, relatively cheap, and potentially limitless gasoline will still dampen any other efforts of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide actually in the atmosphere.

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  • Submitted by rootrunner on April 10, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    With the appetite and

    With the appetite and consumption of petrol, considering the extra intake and conversion of seawater, it may just offset future coastal flooding caused from the polar meltdown, caused by jet stream malfunctions and altered weather patterns, caused by global warming, caused by a carbon overloaded atmosphere, caused by a build up of gas & coal exhaust/pollution, wait didn’t we know this back in the 70’s, bet those artic ice cubes for a last martini at the sushi bar offering imitation tuna will be a big seller as we further deplete and exploit out planet.

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• Submitted by cgrotke on April 11, 2014 at 8:53 am

  Onward and upward!

  I suppose it is good that after we take all the oil out of the earth we’ll drain the seas. We’re such good stewards of natural resources.

  (Looking at earth like a big powering engine, of what use would lubrication or cooling be? I plan to extract all the oil from my car and water from my radiator as an experiment to see what happens.)

  I guess there’s no need to cut back or reduce consumption. Onward we go!

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• Submitted by SK-B on April 11, 2014 at 10:13 am

  Here is an interesting idea

  I saw the following comment on a forum:

  http://peakoil.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=69489

  “I’ve often wondered if making synthetic liquid fuels, or synthetic natural gas, might be a good way to store energy from wind and solar sources during periods of excess electricity production.”

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  • Submitted by tomaidh on April 11, 2014 at 4:41 pm

    Hydrogen Storage

    The electrolysis process we first experienced in middle school chemistry produces Hydrogen and Oxygen using electricity. It doesn’t care where the electricity or the water comes from.
    The Hydrogen can be used by itself as a fuel, or it can be catalyzed with waste CO2 to produce hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons can be cracked, stacked, polymerized or otherwise modified to produce fuels, plastics, carbohydrates (think foods), or virtually anything we need that is currently made from fossil deposits.
    As mentioned above, it doesn’t matter where the electrons come from. That’s a matter of economics rather than technology.
    Purchased electricity from the grid can be very expensive, as it is during peak afternoon hours during the summer, where the spot price can be more than $100.00 for a KWH. (That’s not a typo).
    Conversely, it can be very cheap. Sometimes during the wee hours, the spot price actually turns negative (Means they pay you to take it). There are technologies currently in use that buy the power when it’s low and sell it when it when it’s high, turning tidy profits. The pumped storage facility on Northfield Mountain is an excellent example.

    Quote: “I’ve often wondered if making synthetic liquid fuels, or synthetic natural gas, might be a good way to store energy from wind and solar sources during periods of excess electricity production.”
    How about storing the Hydrogen itself? I can’t find the link, but there’s an industrial scale project currently under construction in Northern Ireland in which they will be liquefying Hydrogen and storing it in an abandoned salt mine.The electricity will be coming from wind.

    Here’s another: Hydrogen Energy Storage is Big in California
    The state of California has in recent times been setting a roadmap towards a smart energy future, and the latest measure involves hydrogen energy storage. The California Hydrogen Business Council has announced a project that seeks to promote the use of hydrogen as an energy storage medium.
    The president of CHBC, Mark Abramowitz, was bullish in his forecast, believing that “hydrogen energy storage will play an increasingly important part of the future energy mix in California as we extend the use of renewable power.” Ultimately, the organization hopes to accelerate the state’s progress towards its smart energy future through the increased adoption of hydrogen energy storage.
    http://www.energystorageforum.com/europe/news/hydrogen-energy-storage-big-california

    Getting back to “The End of the End of Gasoline”.
    Realistically, it’s “The End”, not “The End of the End” -. Once the infrastructure exists to recharge them whenever and wherever needed, there will be no reason not to drive them. The technology is not here yet, but it’s right around the corner.
    The electric car is here to stay and for reasons most of us never dreamed of.
    Here’s an article: The #1 Reason Why Electric Cars Will Dominate the Car Market
    Some quotes:
    • I wish I could say it’s no secret, but it actually is something like a secret that electric cars are simply way more enjoyable to drive than gasmobiles
    • In the case of electric cars, you hear this story over and over again: “I was just planning to use the electric car for [insert some practical, routine purpose], but then I found myself never wanting to drive my [insert higher-end car model].”
    • Over and over again, you hear people saying: “I could never go back to gas cars now.”
    • This quote from an early investor in Tesla after testing out an early Roadster is extreme and refers to a prime Tesla product, but it still captures the essence of the story at all electric vehicle price levels: ”What the hell did you do to my Porsche? I just spent a quarter of a million dollars on this thing, and it sucks now!”
    Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/30/1-reason-electric-cars-can-dominate-car-market/#q3rgXzYGocwWPUIM.99

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