Wide open throttle

It's been a while

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:47:06 GMT

Since I posted an entry. Quite a while. Yup.

quote

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:17:23 GMT

"It has been often said that, if the human species fails to make a go of it here on Earth, some other species will take over the running. In the sense of developing intelligence this is not correct. We have, or soon will have, exhausted the necessary physical prerequisites so far as this planet is concerned. With coal gone, oil gone, high-grade metallic ore gone, no species however competent can make the long climb from primitive conditions to high-level technology. This is a one-shot affair. If we fail, this planetary system fails so far as intelligence is concerned. The same will be true of other planetary systems. On each of them there will be one chance, and one chance only."

- Fred Hoyle

Food vs. Fuel

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 01:58:57 GMT

http://www.paulchefurka.ca/Biofuels.html

How much oil-equivalent biofuel could we actually make if we turned all the world's major grain and oilseed crops into automobile fuel, leaving none whatever for food? In other words, what are humanity's relative energy requirements for food and transportation? Would their scales of use allow us to easily and effectively substitute a portion of our food energy use for transportation fuel?

To answer this question I considered ethanol from corn, wheat, rice, sugar cane and sugar beets, and biodiesel from soybeans and rapeseed (canola), plus palm&sunflower oils. In each case I converted the entire world crop into fuel, discounted the ethanol by 1/3 for its lower energy content, and converted the annual production in litres to the oil-industry standard measure of millions of barrels of oil equivalent per day. Here are the results:

Ethanol

Corn:
World crop (Million tonnes): 700
Litres per tonne: 400
MBOE/day: 3.2

Wheat:
World crop (Million tonnes): 600
Litres per tonne: 370
MBOE/day: 2.5

Rice:
World crop (Million tonnes): 600
Litres per tonne: 400
MBOE/day: 2.7

Sugar Cane:
World crop (Million tonnes): 1324
Litres per tonne: 100
MBOE/day: 2.5

Sugar Beets:
World crop (Million tonnes): 250
Litres per tonne: 108
MBOE/day: 0.3

Biodiesel

Soybeans:
World crop (Million tonnes): 270
Litres per tonne: 140
MBOE/day: 0.5

Rapeseed (Canola):
World crop (Million tonnes): 55
Litres per tonne: 400
MBOE/day: 0.4

Palm&Sunflower oils:
World crop (Million tonnes): 42
Litres per tonne: 900
MBOE/day: 0.7

The total from turning virtually all of our food into fuel is 12.8 MBOE/day - only 15% of the current world oil consumption of 84 million barrels per day. To make matters worse, it takes a lot more energy to make biofuels than it does to simply pump oil from the ground and refine it. A rough estimate is that it takes at least twice as much. Accounting for this necessary energy outlay reduces the available net energy of our biofuels to less than 8% of the world's oil consumption.

This is one of the reasons why using crop-sourced biofuels for transportation is such a horrifically bad idea. We strip mine our top soil, we deplete our water tables, we starve everyone and we still have only an 8% solution. We all - individuals, countries and our whole civilization - need to be very, very cautious in promoting the use of biofuels, lest our thirst for transportation fuel overrun our common sense. And we must always remember to crunch the numbers.

Power

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:00:10 GMT

"Standing alone, the five leading Internet search engines will consume 5 gigawatts of electricity in 2006. That equates to the amount of electricity needed to run the city of Las Vegas."

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 03:04:56 GMT

Easter Island's End
By Jared Diamond, in Discover Magazine
August 1995

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/24/042.html

This is a worthy read.

Earth Day

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 02:25:44 GMT

That's right...that stupid Earth only deserves one day. One.

Peak Oil

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 02:24:57 GMT

I may be crazy, but it doesn't mean the Army Corps of Engineers doesn't believe the same thing...

http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=A440265&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 04:16:57 GMT

Considering a population of 295,734,134 and war costs of roughly $244,715,600,000...as of March 2006: every man, woman and child of the United States owes roughly $830 due to the war in Iraq.

Sun dog city and ::sniff sniff:: diesel?

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 05:11:41 GMT

Seems as if today was sun dog city...saw one very briefly in a passing contrail and then on the way home there was one on each side of the sun, bright, big, and colorful. While walking out to my car I detected the rather strong smell of kerosene or diesel and suddenly it became clear that the tracks of wetness, sometimes puddles, which were running for *quite* a long ways down the road, were in fact a large trail of diesel fuel. I was unfortunately not equipped with a lighter, as this would have provided a spectacular pyrotechnics display. Damn the lack of flame source.

P.O.

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 04:58:04 GMT

So every now and then since I became informed about the idea of peak oil, I begin reading articles to get updated on the latest events and information surrounding it. Should you desire to do some reading you can find a good primer here: http://energybulletin.net/primer.php as well as other ongoing information here: http://energybulletin.net and here: http://www.theoildrum.com It would seem that not much has changed, prospects never seem to be all that peachy. Because the issue is complex there is a wide range of responses to it, most notably the "we're all going to die so what's the point? lets party!" and "the magical technology will save us all!" and the "hey, maybe this is a good thing." Two of those three imply a high confidence of a major occurence, the other seems to not have so swift a grasp on the nature of energy consumption as relating to society both past and present. I'm pretty well convinced at this point that the situation is going to end badly. Overriding premise behind peak oil is the necessity of oil, and our inability to extract and refine it at a rate which keeps up with demand. In the peak oil argument, this happens primarily due to existing high demand and geological issues. However, for a moment setting aside all knowledge of peak oil, just looking at our current situation oil supply is still tight. The amount extractable with the current infrastructure is just barely greater than demand. By way of War, Revolution, et. al., the supply could easily fall below demand causing spikes in prices and doing serious damage to the world economy. Add in the complication of peak oil and imagine those price spikes lasting forever. Then the kicker...there's nothing more energy dense and a greater return on energy investment than oil. It's just not really replaceable. So something big will have to change. I don't think I've yet grasped the immense nature of it because things keep going on around me as they always have and there's no open indication that anything will change. It seems as if one day someone will jump out and be like "April Fool." But when there's something as basic as having a finite amount of something, and you're using it (at a rapid rate at that) then eventually it's going to be gone. Problems with Peak Oil start long before it's completely gone though, because the early oil is easier to get and a better return on energy investment...subsequent wells are smaller and more difficult to tap, require more energy to find and tap, etc. Many believe we are near the peak, possibly a bumpy plateau more than a shapely peak, which means that in the few years to come we might see the feces impacting the rotating air redistribution device. Some believe that the supply squeeze we're experiencing now is a warning of the proximity of peak. It's hard to imagine the world ending as we know it, especially when no one else seems to notice or care or be aware of the possibility. There have been End-of-World believers through all of history, a good many wrong, some right in their own way...but I have a feeling that this one is going to be a doozy. Back when I paid more attention and was into number crunching and putting everything together I foresaw no significant problems, barring wars and such, through 2008 during which many significant projects were slated to come on line. Just as a matter of conjecture I figure that by 2010 we'll know a lot more about the peak oil situation than we do now and by 2015 we'll pretty much know whether we're screwed or not. In the meantime...I feel pretty clueless as to how to react.

42

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 01:33:43 GMT

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=answer+to+life+the+universe+and+everything

Thu, 26 May 2005 03:59:03 GMT

Phoenix Motorcars...interesting little company. Trying to fire up a mass production line of battery electric vehicles based on classic designs, their first car being a 1937 Ford Cabriolet, real pretty looking too. Freeway capable, range a little short at around 120 miles (base) but plenty enough for most people, peppy enough...it'll be interesting to see how it goes..

http://66.218.37.153/index.htm

Sat, 26 Mar 2005 03:54:44 GMT

Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it. - Mark Twain

Thu, 17 Mar 2005 05:38:42 GMT

This should be read by you:

http://www.energybulletin.net/4733.html

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 19:01:15 GMT

"What did the Fascist regimes in Italy, Germany, and Spain have in common? They consisted of a highly militarized state, backed by corporation and a wealthy elite, that rose to power through a false populism that exploited the public’s fear of foreigners and “moral degenerates.” This precisely defines the formula that Karl Rove designed to consolidate the Bush administration’s power in the recent election."
-- Sean Donahue

Thu, 04 Nov 2004 23:45:51 GMT

It was incorrect of me
to catch a glimmer of hope
to step out of the shadows
from which I watch the past repeat.

Wed, 29 Sep 2004 03:46:39 GMT

Does your little Expedition have you feeling like a wussy? Is your Hummer feeling a little bit cramped? No problem! Now there's the Navistar CXT...based on the popular -and manly!- cement mixer platform, you can overshadow those tiny Hummers by more than two feet. With six tons of load capacity, you might even want to carry a spare Hummer as a play toy! Get yours today!

http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/13/pf/autos/monster_truck/index.htm

Ridin' the bridge

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 19:46:25 GMT

Flood...if it's not a 100 year flood then it's damn close. It's quite interesting seeing buildings in water up to the windows and seeing picnic tables which used to be a good thirty feet away from the river buried by water. Soak it up while you can! These things don't come around very often. So the highlight of my day had to be riding the bridge. Since the bridge didn't go anywhere it's probably one of the most exciting stationary things to ride. Brought to you by illusion, perched in the middle of the bridge, one can look down at the water and follow it closely...becoming disoriented enough so that if, while still staring at the river, one looks up a little...one appears to be moving. Which leaves you perched above the river, traveling up it, with the banks of the river going with you. Definitely a recommended ride.

Mon, 16 Aug 2004 02:27:33 GMT

The success of McDonald's rests upon fear. This particular fear is of the unknown. Though restaurants can be profitable with local patronage revenue from transient customers, either just passing through or visiting the area, can be rather large...and it's this revenue that McDonald's taps into. While most of us have a certain place or places to go and eat, when we're on the move and faced with the local mom&pop shop and McDonald's, many will head for the McDonald's because of the consistency involved. We know what's in the McDonald's even though it's 3000 miles from home, but we don't know what to expect in the mom&pop shop...and you have to ask yourself - "do I want to risk it?" The place may be a rat's nest, or it may be great...might make a mouth watering grilled cheese or fry up a burnt crisp - could go either way...but at least in McDonald's you know it'll be crappy but edible every time.

CFL

Wed, 11 Aug 2004 03:57:42 GMT

So, I'm sure somewhere in here I mention these things...at least under the broad title of "energy efficiency" and how we can do things a lot more efficiently than we already do. Compact Fluorescent Lighting, CFL for short. I'd been scoping these little wonders out for quite a while...like most people, the thought of spending 7 bucks a bulb (imagine the brave souls who bought these things at 20 bucks a bulb...) threw me right the hell off the idea of buying them. This...even though I'm smart enough to punch the buttons of a calculator and see that in fact, over the life of the bulb, there would be a substantial "payback" due to the energy savings. The thoughts of a stray cat or stick waved in the air spoiling the wonderful economics of energy efficiency in one resounding PSSSHHH of broken glass was enough to stop me.

Then comes the other day.

In one six-pack, the number you'd normally find beer sold in...and for roughly 11 bucks after tax, I entered the age of CFL. 60 watt equivalent(seems to be true!), 14 watt actual draw, they come on instantly(which I was suprised about), NO FLICKER, and a supposed 10,000 hour lifespan...these things have come a long way. The payback on them(I haven't even done any math on this) is probably a couple of months, six maybe...at the long end perhaps a year or two...depends on how often you use the particular light, obviously...but not the 6 year payback they used to be. After that you just sit back and enjoy the savings...even if the cat or stray broom handle occurs, then you're not out that much. The one bugger is lampshade compatability...as far as I know...there isn't any. If you've got a lampshade that doesn't rely on the bulb, you're golden...if you've got a ceiling light or desk lamp that has a thing that clips directly onto the light, you're screwed...but it's really not that bad...and maybe the little swirl is just a bit sexy...maybe.

Thu, 22 Jul 2004 03:57:59 GMT

I imagine sometimes how the first explorers of deep space might take a page from the first long range explorers of earth. Upon exiting the atmosphere and achieving escape velocity to deploy solar sails and ride with the solar winds to their backs.

Sat, 17 Jul 2004 03:50:12 GMT

The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.
- Robert Frost

Tue, 13 Jul 2004 03:52:31 GMT

Why is it that (except for the Toyota Rav4 EV) the electric cars that major manufacturers have produced have all been crushed? Literally crushed. Compacted. Destroyed. There was plenty of demand for them, there were waiting lists miles long. But, citing no demand, the car companies didn't allow the leases on existing cars to be renewed, wouldn't allow the people leasing the cars to buy them outright...and then took them to a junkyard and crushed them.

Tue, 13 Jul 2004 03:45:23 GMT

http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/SingerCars/main.asp

Sun, 11 Jul 2004 02:40:48 GMT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1254763,00.html

" Officially, the biggest 4x4s can manage 12 or 13 miles to the gallon in urban areas. Unofficially, US journalists found that the Ford Excursion was doing 3.7. Switching from an average car to a big 4x4, the Sierra Club calculates, uses as much extra energy in 12 months as leaving your television on for 28 years. "

This article also mentions people's excuse of "freedom of choice" to which they have amusing responses to...but there are many freedom of choicer's who like to invoke the "free market" but fail to mention the hundreds of billions of dollars of subsidies provided to oil industry every year, not even counting the military intervention required, nor that many buisinesses recieve tax break on the larger vehicles making them more affordable to buy than smaller vehicles. All of these policies clash violently with free market ideals, yet no one seems to care. In head to head battle on an even playing field, oil very likely wouldn't survive long.