The Next Oil Crisis
- Thread starter WATU2
- Start date
As always, March is Ford Truck month. Everyone sold will be on the road 10 years...minus the wrecked ones of course. Haven't seen an electric semi yet. American Airlines has no solar airplanes yet they still use Jet A. In most of the country "electric trains" are diesel to electric drive. Ocean going freighters that carry cars from overseas still run on Bunker C fuel. Cars get better mileage by using plastics which begin in petrochemical plants. Portland Cement hasn't totally replaced road asphalt, but both come in trucks. At least around here most roofs are asphalt shingles.
Have we got the electric grid any closer to ready to handle all of the cars?
Have we got the electric grid any closer to ready to handle all of the cars?
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Renewables are on the upswing, but have a long way to go.
"In 2015 solar was up 17% over 2014 and represented almost a third of new electric generating capacity additions in the U.S."
"In 2015 solar was up 17% over 2014 and represented almost a third of new electric generating capacity additions in the U.S."
Yes, from your article renewables have a long way to go.
Generation (Thousand MWh)
Coal 1,581,710
Natural gas 1,126,609
Nuclear 797,166
Hydroelectric 259,367
Wind 181,655
All solar 27,227
Utility-scale solar 17,691
Distrib solar 9,536
Still, I stand by my statement above. Many things that come from traditional forms of energy are not easily changed to renewables.
The biggest renewable energy source in the world is still wood. But, of course, it makes CO2.
Again, I ask, everything went electric, could the grid handle it?
Oil prices are incredibly sensitive to changes in supply. Small percentage excesses in supply can drive prices down much by a much great percent. Witness our current situation. Perhaps it will 'normalize' next year, but increases in renewables will strongly affect price again afterwards.
