Oil Storm...
Jun. 12th, 2005 03:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
strredwolfFX 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...
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...
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no subject
Date: 2005-06-12 07:02 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-13 06:33 am (UTC)