tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861605.post5883793526128619116..comments2024-03-24T11:01:27.668-04:00Comments on Resource Insights: The energy revolution will not be televisedKurt Cobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05330759091950742285noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861605.post-67979303121122238452015-06-01T22:36:22.143-04:002015-06-01T22:36:22.143-04:00I remember Barry Commoner @ The Center for Biology...I remember Barry Commoner @ The Center for Biology of Natural Systems [Washington Univ.] calling for conserving energy in the late 1960's.<br /><br />What is it about this notion that makes it [apparently] such an anathema?CrocodileChuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10762442097044797842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861605.post-46207255488455427962015-06-01T12:13:53.954-04:002015-06-01T12:13:53.954-04:00Kurt - good article.
All too rare to see discussio...Kurt - good article.<br />All too rare to see discussion of the impossibility of a Free Market transition in time to avoid ruinous climate destabilization.<br />Also pretty rare to see any discussion of renewables simply meeting some of rising demand, rather than displacing FFs.<br /><br />On the sylvi-biofuels front, as opposed to agri -, a company called Cool Planet may be of interest: http://www.coolplanet.com/how-it-works/overview<br />Their backers are v. commercial, so I've little hope for serious attention to feedstock sustainability, but that's a management decision, not the technologies. Ditto their focus on petrol, diesel and jetfuel, when methanol would be far more appropriate globally.<br />But if they can establish the precedent of carbon negative liquid fuels, that will be quite a step forward.<br /><br />I'd be glad to know what you make of the company and its assertions.<br /><br />Regards,<br />LewisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861605.post-54890016116670155562015-06-01T05:16:05.617-04:002015-06-01T05:16:05.617-04:00Excellent article — thanks for sharing, especially...Excellent article — thanks for sharing, especially your comments about the slowness with which primary energy sources change. So many articles and discussions assume that all types of energy are equivalent. With regard to transportation it is taken for granted that we can make a quick and seamless transition from liquid fuels to electricity. The technology does seem to be increasingly viable but it is all going to take a long time — time that we don’t have. As the 2005 Hirsch report stated,<br /><br /><i>While significant improvements in fuel efficiency are possible in automobiles and light trucks, any affordable approach to upgrading will be inherently time-consuming, requiring more than a decade to achieve significant overall fuel efficiency improvement.</i><br /><br />As someone who has worked on large energy projects for many years I am very aware that they take a long time.<br /><br />Moreover a transition to electrically-powered vehicles will require a huge investment in new infrastructure, and much of that investment will require fossil fuels for its manufacture and installation.<br /><br />As to reducing our energy consumption, today I was talking to a “snowbird” friend. She and her husband have homes in the north (summer) and Florida (winter). She is very aware of energy and environmental issues but immediately rejected any idea that our new lifestyle may involve living in just one place and driving less.ChemEnghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05168251215012150114noreply@blogger.com