Back on 7/26/07 BobBoise writing about Peak Oil, wrote this:
"The bad news is that there is no substitute for oil, which has peaked worldwide, and natural gas, which will peak very soon. (There is a distinct possibility we may see shortages of natural gas if the coming winter is normal, or abnormally cold.)"
There isn't as much of a national consensus on the peaking of natural gas as Bob seems to think. For example, in Newsweek of 10/1/07, there's an interview about the abundance of natural gas, featuring a natural gas man (no pun intended), Robert Hefner whose company, GHK, "alone has discovered more than 3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas around the world." (p.40) He says: "At the time the fuel Use Act was being debated, my estimates were that the US had 1500 to 2000 trillion cubic feet of natural gas remaining. My estimates were called irresponsible, but the big oil companies were wrong. We have produced 585 trillion subsequent to that time, and today most estimators believe that we have at least 1500 to 2000 trillion remaining. At today's rate of consumption, that leaves...a 70- to 100-year supply."
Hefner's conclusion is that switching to natural gas can buy the time needed for eventually producing an economy powered by hydrogen gas released from seawater by electrical current produced by solar or wind generation. "Fifty years from now we will have developed a new energy infrastructure that is many times more efficient, largely through natural gas, solar and wind-powered electric generation, hydrogen fuel cells in the transportation sector, and massive increases in end-use efficiency. We will then be entering the hydrogen economy as a result of a transition that began with natural gas."
Would anyone like to comment? I'm guessing the whole article can be read online, as well.
Jo
Comments
March 18th, 2008
Not only Peak Oil, but Peak biodiesel
Here's irony at its best: http://wcco.com/local/soymor.biodiesel.suspend.2.679094.html
According to this news article, biodiesel plants are beginning to be shut down due to the rising costs of soybeans which is due to the increased demand for soybeans for biodiesel plants. Not sure if people are aware but most of our commodity crops (wheat, corn, hops, soybeans) have increased in price dramatically over the past several years due to the increasing demand for corn & soybeans for biodiesel plants.
For example the price of wheat has tripled in the past 10 months and is just now starting to be passed on to consumers (http://wcco.com/consumer/economy.business.wheat.2.677456.html).
Another irony: Kraft Foods is offsetting most of those costs by finding savings elsewhere, such as switching its Miracle Whip sandwich spread from glass to cheaper plastic bottles. But if we continue to use plastic, doesn't that just continue the demand for oil products which continues to increase in price driving the need for more biodiesel which can't find soybeans because they are too expensive?
April 7th, 2008
peak oil
so buy from sinclair/stinker. they might not be an idaho company, but they do not get crude from opec. Wyoming is not that far away!
ted