20 bucks a barrel- never! Not even if the air was in full use.lurker wrote:There's a lot of speculation that oil's gonna hit twenty bucks a barrel...
That being said, I do think that there are things that can alter where we get our power. Like nuclear plants.
I guess my trepidation comes from the fact that it always seems that people talk about major issues in changing over to alternative energy forms as if they're little bumps in the road that oil companies or automakers keep in place to stymie the easy transition to clean, affordable, renewable energy--and they're not little bumps in the road.
I think I pointed out here that it's the energy companies who are pursuing alternate energy with more zeal than anyone--because they want to STAY energy companies. The first viable solution will make the discoverer rich beyond anyone's wildest imaginings--AND they'll be hailed as a savior. AND they'll STILL have all that oil to sell for it's other uses. It's a win-win-win situation.
So this isn't an easy thing--no matter how much I, or you, or anyone wants it to be.
Even if the air car becomes feasible for American use within a year or two, it will take 3 -4 years for full production. That is more then plenty of time for installation of new power lines and alternative production. It will take 6 years for the first Nuclear Plant to go on line even it was approved and started today- I’m not a big fan of it due to the long term storage problems. If a state wants one then let them store it in their state!
I don’t believe that those companies that own power production plants worry about cheaper energy sources. But those that supply them do! Oil, coal and natural gas companies worry and fight to prevent them. Why are the oil producers allowing the decline in oil? Is it just a concern over the lower dollar or the economy or is it that the influx of alternative energy investment money flowing into those companies? Perhaps so or a little of both? The successful model of industry is not creating a product that everyone want to buy, one that has a short obsolete life or needs to be re-supplied- the ink jet printer is a great example. Its not too expensive to own one, but it does get expensive to purchase the ink cartridges. In ten or fifteen years, the ink cartridges become obsolete and its time to buy a new printer.
Today’s car is about the same except in most places it will rust out or they sell you a new one because that’s sexy. We all want to be sexy and hip! So we walk into the showroom and buy a new car even if we don’t need one. The hybrids now have a battery to replace and if you bought a Laptop within the last five years, you already replaced the battery. The cost of a lithium battery is about $150 average. The cost of Hybrid would about $4,000 for a prius to $8,500 for a ford? You still have an engine to worry about replacing someday so you sell it hopefully before you do both repairs. Manufacturers has a lot invested in their planned obsolesce designs.
In 2006, I had a discussion thread on the air car, it got less response and thread lies somewhere in the abyss of eplaya- I don’t even have the time now to dig it up. But now that gas has recently hit $4.15 National average and the need for a New “Realâ€
