Peak Oil Theory

[V8 Killer]

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/


Wow

[Nicklz]

Yup. When Saddam gained power in Irag. He hired US geologists to study Iraq's oil fields. They concluded at the then current production averaged up with increase demand levels they would begin to run dry in 2010. One of the reasons, OPEC doesn't like to raise production levels. They can make more money in the long run by producing just enough, rather than turning the spicket's on full blast and having excess oil. In short, they produce just enough to keep demand high, so they can get more money.

As for the economic meltdown theory I don't buy it. I am a landman, and we have enough to run america only for a at least another 75 - 100 years, by ourselves.

Many reports that say the world is running out of oil doesn't factor in, Oil & Gas fields that are currently unmarketable due to financial costs of extracting it. Those fields, are currently begining to be drilled due to rising costs.

The reason why we buy over seas oil, is because it costs much less due to operations required to drill vs here. It's not that we can't met our requirments, just cheaper elsewhere.

Not to mention we don't have adequite refineres here in the US. Currently we buy 10% refined from other countries. Which is a big part of why the gasoline is so high.

I do agree that the world, not just US, will eventually have to curb away from fossil fuels, but it won't be anytime within our lives. IMO

[mike h]

reminds me of all that crap about Russia going to nuke us. It won't happen, If we run out in the Middle East (not likely) then we will tap into new wells in Alaska and northern Canada.

[JusFlyinBy]

Did either of you actually read the entire thing?

This guy seems to exagerate a bit. I mean, Fuel cells costing 1 million dollars a unit and only lasting 200 hours? Try 5,000 dollars, to power and heat your home, and charge a vehicle. New York Power Authority has been using fuel cells down near the city for years now. Prices continue to fall too for the cells. I mean, this is only one example of why I think this guy is overexagerating.

[AZ3.8Camaro]

We could all run ethanol without a whole lot of work.

[Fbody3400]

As long as gas doesnt run out before I'm dead, i'm cool with anything...

[HAZ-Matt]

Sigh.

The problem is not that we would run out of petroleum per se, but that it would not be economically viable to pump it out of the ground and turn it into fuel for cars. That would cause a major shift in the typical American way of life. I don't see too much of a problem with running out of affordable gasoline, but running out of oil completely would be terrible as you can say bye bye to plastics and even pharmaceuticals.

Biomass fuels like ethanol will never be a viable energy source. There is only so much tillable land and we would have to dedicate an enormous amount of it to growing plants for fuel. Not to mention that each liter of ethanol contains much less energy than a liter of gasoline.

The next 50 years should be interesting. Asia's oil demand will skyrocket, which combined with the declining value of the dollar, is a large component of our rising gas prices. It's bound to get worse before it gets better.

FBody3400: You must be a Republican ;)

[Nicklz]

Well we are all doing our part...What's your gas mileage? lol

There are alot of other power resources, but nothing has the ability to replace petroleum. Either it cost to much, or not enough to supply demand. Petroleum leads both categories.

Something that is possible, this is just my own crackpot idea. Well possible for large cities. What if it worked off the "trolly car" method. Electric cars that gained their power from solar panels beside the road. You could have a pole like trolly cars do, only pointing down to the ground, the gain electricity from strips in the road. Giving the car power. The solar panels on the side of the road, can also store the power in batteries like these cells, for overcast and cloud days.

I did say it was a crackpot idea, but hell it's a thought.

[95fbirdkid]

Originally posted by Fbody3400:
As long as gas doesnt run out before I'm dead, i'm cool with anything...

the only time i think i've ever said this to one of your posts but.... AMEN BROTHA

[crasher]

pretty interesting article guess we'll just have to wait and see whats really going to happen over the next 10-20 years.

[Everglades W68]

There's more oil than we ever could possibly use - if we can afford to extract it and refine it.

The US alone has more shale oil than all of the known regular oil fields in the entire world combined - trouble is it is that just not worth it to extract it and refine it at current prices. With the increased prices of oil, people are starting to consider it again.

As oil prices go up, demand for different types of vehicles will change. In the late 70's and early 80's, the big consumer demand was for fuel-efficient cars. Everybody and his brother wanted a 4 cylinder car. Fuel efficiency, not performance, was the name of the game. (BTW - that's how we ended up with the 4 cylinder 3rd gen F bodies.) With gas prices up and rising, the fuel efficient cars will start to displace the (ridiculous, IMHO) SUVs on dealer lots.

In case, it is not like we'll wake up and suddenly find the oil is all gone.

[Jerriko]

Did anyone actually read the entire article? By no means I am agreeing with the entrie thing, but it does make sense. In the 70's, a very low drop in production did cause the shortage. And the article is as much about oil as its about the economy. Everbody thinks that if the prices go up, we can just switch over to a different power source. Sorry, that won't happen overnight like the collapse of the markets. Even if the alternate energy sources cost the same as oil, there would be little (or no) money to do anything about it. And if you really think about, one could say that we are on the downslide of the bellcurve right now. Fuel prices have been slowing rising for years b/c production levels having been dropping. The only question I have that the article doesn't address is if big oil is building any more refineries, tankers, etc; why are they building so many gas stations?

[camaro_speedemon]

Riiight.

So he's saying the world is gonna end? Suuure.