Oil Storm...

[strredwolf]

FX Network's docudrama "Oil Storm" posed a question to the viewers, saying "What would happen if the flow of oil to the USA was temporarily severed?"  To spoil folks, their answer was "A year of hell, a nessisary shift in energy strategy, and a damaged economy."

The better question would be "What would happen if the flow of oil from everywhere to everywhere was peramently severed?"

I would think total anarchy would be highly probable at this current stage of the game.  Alternate fuel cars (aka natural gas, hydrogen, and their hybrid eletric forms) would need to be quickly refined and produced.  Lighter materials would provide for added efficency.  I doubt the world could wait that long.

But this exersize has some relivance on Canmeph 2.  The world is older, as is the species.  Many wars have come, and a healthy amount of paranoia has set in as well as the need for a certian level of redundancy in everything.  With energy, this was paramount.  So, in addition to oil, other fuels were being developed on the fastest pace possible.  Solar energy was refined to near-100% levels.  Battery technology improved massively, squeezing every electron possible out yet keeping it viable for a new charge.  Hydrogen, coal, oil (crude and natural-grown), nuclear, you name it.

There wasn't much of crisis, as the mindset was now on "be as efficent as possible, with leeway for comfort, so everyone can stay afloat."  There aren't many personal automobiles, as mostly it's mass transit and your own two feet.  Of course, you'll need one for groceries and such.

And then, the invention of the Artificial Singularity Cell, the ultimate matter-to-energy converter.  The ASC's principle is simple:  exploit a black hole's tendency to "leak" various types of matter and energy as it degrades over time.  How it does isn't for discussion here (but I will describe it later).  Needless to say all that useless junk you want gone peramently can be used to power your car.  Of course, the ASC's are (what I'll nicely term) "volitile" by nature.  If not handled correctly, it could suck you in and recycle you as electrons.  Thus, they're used more often than not in major energy plants.

There is one other side-effect of the ASC's, though.  While they spew out electrons, they may also spew out various atomic matter, including the odd gasoline molecule.  Given how many ASC's are in place around the world (and the tight security!) you may say that the older energy plants are still active, and Canmephia is now a major player in the intergalatic energy market.

And that's not counting Canmeph 3, Babylon Alpha, or any other station using ASC's.

---
In doing some prelim research, I came across a report by the Department of Energy.  According to them, using current technology, the world will run out of crude oil in roughly 30 years.  We have that amount of time to find new energy sources, refine more efficent technology, and impliment it in the consumer markets.  30 years...

Comments

[griffinwolf.livejournal.com]

Are you talking fossil fuels period?

If that's the case, Coal plants would be shut down, too. There's about 40% of our production of electricity down (especially in the East Coast and South). Though the west coast wouldn't be 'as' effected, ironically. Las Vegas would still be booming.

As for Solar energy, only about 20% of solar radiation that radiates solar cells are actually converted.

Right now, cars are made of far lighter material than back in the 70's and 80's (thank you plastics, which, by the way, is a byproduct that accounts for 3-6 percent or less of actual crude oil). However, much of the weight nowadays are protective safeguards. My big beef is that the US (car) manufacturers don't seem to be doing anything to cut down on consumption, opting to remain at the status quo, but with a new, sleeker look.

If the world suddenly had fossil fuels cut off, instead of developing really new technology, cars would probably be converted to Bio-diesel almost overnight, here.

As it is, with powerplants that use steam turbines, they really try to squeeze every ounce of energy that they have, from thermal re-heaters, to multiple turbines that run at different pressures. However, a lot of heat that is latent in the 'waste-water' could possibly be used to heat domestic hot-water supplies, or even heat homes. Of course, that means it'd have to be pumped to/from the powerplant to accomplish this.

Another big energy saver, HEAT PUMPS! It's basically a vapor-compression cycle that sucks heat from one source, and then expels it into another. The brilliant thing is, if you do it right, you can turn the valve one way to cool your house, and another to heat it. The amount of actual electrical work is negligable. As opposed to resistance heaters (which are just awful, yes you're getting the same amount of work energy put in as heat, but then, you're spending a LOT of energy to get that heat in the first place).

[kesarra.livejournal.com]

That 30 years is based on current consumption rates. With the rise in population, it will be cut on a perpetually steeper curve.

News flash: Exxon has only recently recognized that the supply of oil in the world is dwindling and WILL run out. /facepalm

[kisai.livejournal.com]

Liquid coal for cars
return to nuclear technologies
Biodiesel for cars/trucks
forcing people to switch to heat pumps and get rid of their gas/electric baseboard heaters and central forced air systems

There is a LOT of stuff that can be done, just the market doesn't want to change. What the government needs to do is tax the most inefficient systems so people don't use them.

A heat pump system initial investment is expensive, but the heat is essentially free once installed. Problem is that it can only be installed in single family houses, not apartments.

[xaviusarchangel.livejournal.com]

I once seen a small presentation on The Discovery Channel about a man in California who was once paying $800 a month for electricity bills, so he invested $10,000 to install solar panels on his roof.

Now during the days, unless he is using a high-consumption device (like the oven or clothes dryer) he is actually producing more energy then he is using. His electric meter will actually run backwards, selling electricicty back to the electric company for others to use.

His average electric bill is now less than $100, and his investment should pay itself off in 3 years.

Now, imagine if a large number of houses had solar panels like that in cities? Less demand for energy means less fuels being expended to produce it, ergo, less pollution.

What irks me most about all these energy and pollution debates is that as it is now, we do have the means and technologies to drastically cut both if society really tried to change.

But society doesn't want to change. *sigh* Society will only want to change when it's already too late.