-
-
China, climate change and US dollars
Minqi Li: Renewable energy is canceled out by the growth of fossil fuels; US dollar depends on China. Part 9
"China's growth in oil consumption accounts for about one-third of the world's incremental oil consumption that's happened since 2000, and now China's oil consumption already accounts for about 10% of the world's total oil consumption. And the US accounts for 25%, but China's is growing very rapidly. And that is taking place, moreover, at the moment when we're probably at the peak, overall peak, of the global oil production or very near to that. And so you have this growing demand from China and some other emerging economies against a background of stagnating or possible declining supply of global oil production in the future. And so that definitely is a major factor behind the current global energy crisis."
Minqi Li is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah specializing in Political Economy, World Systems and the Chinese Economy. He was a political prisoner in China from 1990 to 1992. He is the author of "After Neoliberalism: Empire, Social Democracy, or Socialism?
(For the other parts, do a local search for Minqi Li) Minqi Li: Renewable energy is canceled out by the growth of fossil fuels; US dollar depends on China. Part 9 ... more -
Camelina: a better source of biofuel?
The search for sources of biofuels that won’t negatively impact the world’s food supply and add to global warming appears to be bearing some fruit. One company that thinks it has a solution, Great Plain - The Camelina Company, has proclaimed itself the “world’s largest camelina producer.” Just what is camelina? Camelina is an oilseed crop in the same family as mustard, rapeseed and cabbage, that’s beginning to be grown and crushed throughout the United States and Canada for both fuel and cattle feed. Camelina is well on its way to a low cost, high yield, alternative to crops like corn or soy as source of biodiesel.
Federal mandates to increase alternative fuel production have contributed to the rising cost of consumer goods and food, and may actually increase global warming as valuable farmland is being used to grow crops for fuel. Camelina offers one solution for reaching biodiesel production goals by providing a sustainable, low-input biofuel feedstock that doesn’t interfere with food production. Camelina, unlike many other crops, is virtually 100 percent efficient. It can be harvested and crushed for fuel and the remaining parts can be used to produce high quality omega-3 rich animal feed, fiberboard and glycerin. It actually produces both food and fuel.
Camelina has the ability to grow on marginal land, utilizing very little moisture, in cold states as far north as Montana and Canada. Camelina is also an excellent rotational crop and has been shown to enhance the yield of subsequent crops such as wheat by up to 15 percent.
Great Plains has contracted with several crushing partners in North America to produce over 10 million road miles of camelina biodiesel to date, and plans to boost production to 100 million gallons by the year 2012. The search for sources of biofuels that won’t negatively impact the world’s food supply and add to global warming appears to be bearin... more -
Repurposing our Cities For Peak Oil
Kriscan tours Troy, NY, where she speaks with Duncan Crary, host of the audio program, Kunstlercast. They walk around neighborhoods pointing out various aspects of the original cityscape that weren't replaced by box stores, therefore retaining its ability to be a city in a future of less oil. Kriscan tours Troy, NY, where she speaks with Duncan Crary, host of the audio program, Kunstlercast. They walk around neighborhoods po... more
-
Peak Oil Question for You
Kriscan asks her viewers what they believe is the time frame for peak oil and why.
-
my peak oil vlog
kriscan gets personal and discusses a few things that have changed her thinking while creating her peak oil webshow.
-
Car Free Cities?
Kriscan in New York City for one of the experimental Saturdays in August 2008 in which 6.9 miles of street is blocked to automobile traffic between 7am and 1pm. People used this opportunity to ride their bikes, walk in groups, push their strollers without fumes or fear of cars. Might this car free experiment resemble our near future when fossil fuels become more expensive or possibly scarce? Kriscan in New York City for one of the experimental Saturdays in August 2008 in which 6.9 miles of street is blocked to automobile tr... more
-
5 things you didn't know were biofuels
When talk turns to biofuels, it often soon turns to food shortages next. Biofuel doesn't have to be made from food staple crops, though.
Here are five unexpected potential biofuels:
Giant Grass:
Giant Grass, also known as Elephant Grass or Miscanthus, yields twice the amount of ethanol per acre than corn or switchgrass ethanol in one quarter of the space.
Miscanthus, for instance, is able to grow on land too marginal for crop production, so it doesn't have to compete with land for food crops. It also doesn't require major input or fertilization after planting and once established will yield for around 15 years.
Agave:
No longer known solely as the main ingredient in tequila or agave nectar, Mexican scientists began to test the viability of the agave plant as a potential ethanol producer. Scientists estimate that agave can produce up to 2,000 gallons of ethanol per acre per year and increase to 18,000 gallons if the plant's cellulose is processed. The plant is also praised for its durability.
Algae:
Sapphire Energy, a biopetroleum producer, boasts a renewable, high-octane diesel made from algae called Green Crude that is chemically identical to gasoline.
"The resulting gasoline is completely compatible with current infrastructure, meaning absolutely no change to consumer's cars." This is of course in addition to the benefit that their Green Crude is a carbon neutral fuel.
Kudzu:
The kudzu plant, which is also known as "the plant that ate the South" grows vigorously in the United States at a rate of 6.5 feet a week.
Researchers estimate that kudzu could produce 2.2 to 5.3 tons of carbohydrate per acre in much of the South, or about 270 gallons per acre of ethanol, which is comparable to the yield for corn of 210 to 320 gallons per acre. They recently published their findings in Biomass and Bioenergy.
Sugarcane-Giant Grass Hybrid:
Giok Se Tijong created Tijong grass, a sugarcane- giant grass hybrid plant in his homeland of Indonesia in the 1950's as quality cattle feed. Recently, the retired minister was inspired to test his plant for it's biofuel potential.
Preliminary tests show that the grass has a high carbohydrate content (71.26%) and Tijong has produced ethanol from it in his home laboratory, but he has yet to receive enough backing to do much more.
Related:
::Watch this video of algae as biofuel, cooking oil, health supplement on the Huffington Post.
::More on green energy from the Huffington Post. When talk turns to biofuels, it often soon turns to food shortages next. Biofuel doesn't have to be made from food staple crops, ... more -
Peak oil pundits perplexed by reality
If oil production has peaked, its decline irreversible, and global demand continues to rise, why would prices drop?
-
Come superare il Peak Oil? usare il cervello...
Come trovare una fonte sostenibile, rinnovabile ed eco-compatibile per rimpiazzare (parzialmente) il petrolio nei trasporti?
Alcuni hanno cercato di rispondere alla domanda utilizzando l'etanolo estratto dal mais, dalla canna da zucchero oppure dalla cellulosa. Risultato: agricoltori che invece di coltivare mais per l'alimentazione oppure grano hanno pensato di investire nell'etanolo facendo balzare al cielo le quotazioni del grano. Tra l'altro il rapporto energetico dell'etanolo estratto in tal modo risulta poco economico. Insomma una risposta affrettata e sostanzialmente sbagliata.
La Algenol Biofuels sembra aver trovato una risposta originalissima e piena soltanto di punti positivi. Invece di coltivare cereali per estrarre etanolo usa un tipo particolare di alghe. Invece di irrigare i campi di alghe con acqua potabile usa l'acqua del mare. Invece di usare fertilizzanti a base petrolchimica usa fertilizzanti derivati dal letame.
I campi su cui creare la "piantagione" viene ricavato dal deserto!
Il processo di produzione produce: ossigeno ottenuto per fotosintesi, acqua dolce, etanolo.
Il rapporto energetico è 8:1, cioé per ogni unità di energia derivata dal petrolio immessa nel processo ne vengono prodotte 8!
Per ogni acro di terreno della piantagione di alghe (equivalenti a circa 4.000 mq) si producono 6.000 galloni (quasi 23.000 litri) di etanolo all'anno, contro i 370 galloni (1.400 litri) all'anno delle coltivazioni a mais! L'obiettivo dell'azienda è di arrivare a 10.000 galloni (37.000 litri) per acro per la fine di quest'anno.
Se fosse vero, sarebbe davvero l'invenzione del secolo. In ogni caso: usiamo il cervello e "forse" ne usciremo... vivi e più in salute. Come trovare una fonte sostenibile, rinnovabile ed eco-compatibile per rimpiazzare (parzialmente) il petrolio nei trasporti? ... more -
Peak Opportunity
KrisCan speaks with inventor Bill Gray at his San Francisco studio about living in a post peak oil time of innovation, creating a new energy storage device, and the opportunities for green investments. KrisCan speaks with inventor Bill Gray at his San Francisco studio about living in a post peak oil time of innovation, creating a new ... more
-
KrisCan + Andre Chatting Post Peak Oil (2)
KrisCan continues her conversation with Andre Angelantoni in San Francisco about preparations we can make during our energy descent.
-
KrisCan + Andre Angelantoni Talk Post Peak Oil Survival (1)
KrisCan speaks with Andre Angelantoni at San Francisco's hybrid and electric car service Luscious Garage where they chat about how to prepare for life after Peak Oil. KrisCan speaks with Andre Angelantoni at San Francisco's hybrid and electric car service Luscious Garage where they chat about ho... more
-
KrisCan's Surfing For Peak Oil
Kris Can gets to the beach to talk to a longtime surfer about his take on peak oil, our surf equipment being fashioned from petroleum products and how the recreation of surfing is ultimately linked to the environment and oil issues Kris Can gets to the beach to talk to a longtime surfer about his take on peak oil, our surf equipment being fashioned from petroleum ... more
-
KrisCan Speaks with James Howard Kunstler (part 5)
After setting out to chat about peak oil with James Howard Kunstler, we concluded our conversation with thoughts about his novel set in the post oil future of upstate new york and wondered about the destiny of the cheese doodle ... After setting out to chat about peak oil with James Howard Kunstler, we concluded our conversation with thoughts about his novel set i... more
-
KrisCan Speaks with James Howard Kunstler (part 4)
Kriscan and James Kunstler discuss various topics such as why peak oil isn't headlining newspapers and media, how our oil & gas prices are set and what happened to america's railroad? Kriscan and James Kunstler discuss various topics such as why peak oil isn't headlining newspapers and media, how our oil & g... more
-
Petrolio: +1% della domanda, +20% del prezzo!
Inquietantissima questa affermazione del Segretario USA per l'Energia, riportata da Reuters:
In assenza di aumenti di produzione, per ogni punto percentuale di aumento della domanda possiamo aspettarci una crescita di prezzo del 20% per bilanciare il mercato.
E poi ci chiediamo come mai il petrolio è aumentato tanto, signora mia...
http://petrolio.blogosfere.it/2008/06/1-della-domanda-2... Inquietantissima questa affermazione del Segretario USA per l'Energia, riportata da Reuters: ... more -
Siamo in riserva.
"Questo significa che avremo il barile a 200 dollari " , disse il Saudita Mohammed H. A. Abudawood" uomo d'affari di primo piano facente parte del Jeddha Economic Forum.
La frase é stata colta al termine del Forum e totalmente ignorata dalla stampa ad eccezione del New york Times, dove é stata tolta dopo poche ore, si può reperire ancora a questo link http://finance.google.ca/group/google.finance.657319/br... .
Appare evidente che l'aumento di produzione promesso dai Sauditi e tanto decantato in occidente come argomento di stabilità per i prezzi futuri del greggio non é altro che una buffonata i cui protagonisti sono tanto i nostri responsabili che i Sauditi.
Alcuni numeri: la produzione di greggio che i sauditi si dicono disposti ed in grado di produrre é 9.7 milioni di barili al giorno, nel 2005 era 11 barili die, in evidente declino produttivo certificato da EIA http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/country/country_energy_data.cf....
Oltre che il generale declino produttivo L'Arabia ha visto aumentare il consumo interno di circa il 400% arrivando alla soglia dei 2.5 milioni di barili die e visto che l'aumento interno, come per molti altri paesi produttori, é galoppante, si progetta di estrarre petrolio "pesante" di scarsa qualità dagli alti costi di raffinazione che in buona parte servirà presumibilmente ad uso interno.
Altro che speculazione sul greggio, siamo in riserva e la domanda può essere tamponata solo da una lunga, profonda, recessione economica globale a cavallo della quale ci dovremmo sganciare dal greggio e fonti fossili/minerali se vogliamo avere un futuro. "Questo significa che avremo il barile a 200 dollari " , disse il Saudita Mohammed H. A. Abudawood" uomo d'affari ... more -
Aumenta ancora il costo del petrolio. L'Opec: i prezzi non scenderanno
(rainews24) Nonostante l'annuncio dell'Arabia Saudita e del Kuwait che aumenteranno la produzione di petrolio non si arresta la corsa dell'oro nero. Aumenta ancora il prezzo del petrolio in Asia, dopo il nuovo rialzo di ieri a New York. Nel dopomercato elettronico che fa riferimento al Nymex, la Borsa merci di New York, a mezzogiorno a Singapore il greggio per consegna a agosto è stato trattato a 136,90 dollari a barile, con un rialzo di 0,16 dollari rispetto a ieri sera, sempre sul Nymex.
A New York ieri il greggio ha registrato un rialzo di 1,38 dollari salendo a 136,74 dollari a barile.
Dall'Opec arriva uno stop a qualsiasi altro aumento dell'offerta. Il presidente dell'Opec Chakib Khelil ha ribadito che il mercato è in equilibrio e che gli alti prezzi del greggio sono dovuti a speculazione,
debolezza del dollaro e attesa per le decisioni della Bce.
I prezzi del petrolio "non scenderanno", ha detto il presidente dell'Opec, l'algerino Chakib Khelil, assicurando che il cartello ha già fatto tutto il possibile. (rainews24) Nonostante l'annuncio dell'Arabia Saudita e del Kuwait che aumenteranno la produzione di petrolio non si arresta... more -
Chavez threatens EU with oil boycott
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has fuelled the growing rift between Opec oil-producing nations ahead of a major summit this weekend, by threatening to block supplies to European countries.
As angry protests broke out in China over a sharp rise in its fuel prices today, Chavez said he was enraged by new rules passed by the EU parliament on Wednesday, aimed at standardising the process by which member nations deport illegal immigrants. They contain contentious measures such as providing for long detention periods. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has fuelled the growing rift between Opec oil-producing nations ahead of a major summit this weekend,... more
-
related topics
Peak Oil
Contributors (131)
Peak Oil
