Re supply of energy... o Several geothermal power stations exist o One pilot plant exists in a National Park in the USA o Small, compact, quite powerful, sits below a low tree line (12ft)
One problem is the scale required and cheap solutions require rather geologically specific areas which are not that abundant.
The problem is not an energy crisis or cost, but political. Lobbyists have too much power, UK has followed the USA.
Alternative energy... o Transported Hydrogen -- will never be viable
---- H is not easily liquefied making transportation & storage difficult o Fuel Cell derived Hydrogen -- may be viable someday
---- requires replacement cars / car industry / supply chain
---- GM can do plastic cars now, but parts industries would vanish o Stored Electricity -- viable now via Lithium Ion batteries
---- requires replacement cars / car industry / supply chain
---- GM can do plastic cars now, but parts industries would vanish
Fuel Cell & Battery technologies would destroy much industry. o You would gain fuel cell & battery producing manufacturers o You would lose every manufacturer related to the IC engine o You would lose a lot of competitive advantage overnight
That politically is why USA, Germany & Japan will not do it. An electric car in its purest forms has very few parts which in turn makes labour cost a dominant component, profit the least. Consider Ford alone have about 165B$ in debt, and most debt & leasing in businesses is hidden in Off Balance Accounting.
Any viable fuel solution needs to combine three elements: o Provide a direct substitute for oil in cars / power stations / planes
---- removes the need for vast CapEx spend on electric cars
---- removes the need to destroy parts industries around IC engines o Provide a carbon neutral or ideally carbon negative effect
---- carbon negative like a heat pump CoP figure (more out than in) o Provide a political lobbyist acceptable solution
---- which is the stumbling block
The viable fuel is plant derived alcohol fuels. o Existing cars & technology is readily adapted
---- no major CapEx, no lost parts industries around IC engines
---- migration to other technologies amortised over time o Carbon negative potentially through plants
---- plants remove CO2, car produces CO2 o Political lobbyist unacceptable
---- UKs most profitable companies are oil & supermarket :-)
---- replacing oil execs with farmers is not going to excite them
It would be interesting to know if plant ethanols could be viably be used to power existing gas stations (not just a burner change :-)
If nuclear is blocked in the UK, we could simply outsource it: o Nuclear plant can be located anywhere in France for example o Electricity is then simply piped to us (and warms a lot of cable)
UK nuclear stations are not ideally positioned re sea level rise.
GM can produce a plastic composite car tomorrow. o The problem is not cost or engineering or performance (it does better) o The problem is the cycle time in producing the panels (still too high)
So there is not an energy crisis, just political protectionism. Business & politicians are now inseparable, which makes both idle.
You could argue we are reaching a peak in Consumption (spending). o Present taxation system is quite heavily based around Consumption o If Consumption were to fall then Energy is a natural taxation target
Energy is a very attractive indirect taxation target for Moron Brown. In an outsourced society it is that which can not be that gets expensive.
Global warming changes in the West are quite irrelevant since most of the big industrials have moved plant East so they can enjoy the ability to walk away from environmental legislation whatsoever.
Governments can not even understand compound interest, so a bit of a stretch to make them understand energy policy. The last light to be turned off will be in government, only then will a light turn on.