Short video describing several reasons why everyone should consider changing from regular light bulbs to the newer compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in support of your green lifestyle!
Nice work Lee … Thanks!
Sounds like T. Boone Pickens might have lost again ….
Isn’t amazing how quickly things can change. Just one short year ago, fuel prices were soaring and the emphasis on alternative energy was in the stratosphere along with them.
This summer it’s a completely different story.
Though thoughts of alternative energy systems haven’t completely diminished, it has definitely started to drift off to the sidelines.
Why?
First of all … The Economy ….
When people are suddenly being pressured with increasing costs, lay-offs or threats of lay-offs, stagnating salaries and so forth, it is difficult to be as enthusiastic about a topic like alternative energy. Add in the fact that financing for alternative energy programs ran into the same funding issues as everything else, many projects were pushed to the back burner for the moment.
Then couple the fall in oil prices (> $120/barrel in ’08 to <$70/barrel in ’09) and lower prices at the pump thus easing the financial burden on summer travelers and it is easy to see why most people are starting to slip into complacency about our energy situation.
Now I am not saying we have completely forgotten about our energy situation but there are definitely more pressing things on our minds at the moment. The one thing we can not afford to do is become completely complacent with foreign oil since the root of the problem (our dependence on it contributes to the financial burden on our economy) is still very much alive.
I became even more concerned today when I came across a news story posted on the Associated Press (AP) website about a significant oil discovery off the coast of Brazil.
The AP reported oil exploration companies had found a field believed to contain up to 8 billion barrels of oil in a region where the total recoverable oil estimates range up to 100 billion barrels.
Those are awfully big numbers aren’t they!
Perhaps or maybe they are just a little deceptive ….
First of all, the 100 billion barrel figure is the high-end estimate and there could be substantially less recoverable oil present given the location (deep water and difficult drilling conditions). Secondly, let’s consider the quantity of oil present with the current daily global use of oil (85,897,000 barrels/day).
100,000,000,000 barrels/85,897,000 barrels/day = 1,164 DAYS
1,164 days/365 days/year = ~3.2 YEARS
Although the numbers may appear impressive (and in some respects they are), the high-end estimates only adds a few years into the global oil reserve. If it turns out recoverable oil is more towards the low end of the range (50 billion barrels) it would only add 1.6 years into the global oil reserves. Oh and one other thing, Brazil is a foreign country and therefore that is foreign oil as well!
Just remember, even though the economic burden imposed by petro-fuel costs have been somewhat alleviated from the recent past and there are claims by many people associated with the petroleum industry of huge finds to keep us going, the numbers just don’t add up!
Support viable alternative energy projects when ever you have the chance!
Energy issues are usually floating around amidst the myriad of thoughts in our heads especially this time of year as vacation season approaches and historical price increases occur. Events of the recent past have finally resurrected interest and development of viable alternative energy systems like wind, solar and bio-fuels (biodiesel from algae is one I am keenly interested in) as green transportation energy sources.
After last summer’s dramatic price swing in the cost of crude oil and refined products, America and the rest of the World’s interest in alternative energy options swung almost as dramatically. Although the interest in alternative energy decreased during the last quarter of 2008 and earlier this year (mainly related to the economic woes across the globe), we are fortunate it did not die off completely. Perhaps the reality of fossil fuel limitations (both natural and imposed by the producers) has finally sunk in so alternative energy projects can continue development and ultimately implementation.
I came across a news report today summarizing a report of substantial progress by diesel engine manufacturers in drastically reducing the emission of particulates, CO and NOx compounds over the last half decade. This change was in response to new diesel engine emission standards set by the U. S. EPA that went into effect in 2007. It was reported that most manufacturers had not only met but greatly reduced emissions below the standards.
Just think …. diesel engines not puffing out plumes of black, sooty, smelly smokes each time they drive down the road (or at least far less of it) …. COOL!
If the diesel engine companies can continue to further reduce emissions and alternative energy companies can develop a non-petroleum source of diesel (like aquatic algae a.k.a. pond scum fuel), we may be on the way to seeing a significant change in how we power our transportation needs!
Regretfully it’s not quite as easy as that since the biodiesel from algae (pond scum fuel) is in the latter stages of R&D. A few of those companies claim they could be producing substantial quantities of biodiesel within a three to five year period with continued support and resources. It seems to me this is an area of upcoming alternative energy development deserving attention and support …
Here are the links to a few sites with additional information:
Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (Diesel Engines)
Biodiesel from Algae (Pond Scum) by Valcent/Vertigro
