What's new

Energy Independence a Reality?

I'd prefer they do it themselves but will they?

They already are, as I pointed out above.

Your statement that "Our trucking fleet should have been on CNG years ago "followed up with "but will they?" doesn't make much sense to someone in the business of making money. It makes sense from a national security p.o.v. though.

First thing, natural gas hasn't been in this kind of excess until very recently. Second, the main barrier to CNG fleets is infrastructure and technology. Why in the world would we prefer government to advance that technology for the benefit of wealthy business owners rather than have these business owners make their own investments? Walmart will switch to natural gas rigs (with ease) as soon as it becomes profitable. They don't need any more of our money to make it happen, supposedly for our own good.
 
They already are, as I pointed out above.

Your statement that "Our trucking fleet should have been on CNG years ago "followed up with "but will they?" doesn't make much sense to someone in the business of making money. It makes sense from a national security p.o.v. though.

First thing, natural gas hasn't been in this kind of excess until very recently. Second, the main barrier to CNG fleets is infrastructure and technology. Why in the world would we prefer government to advance that technology for the benefit of wealthy business owners rather than have these business owners make their own investments? Walmart will switch to natural gas rigs (with ease) as soon as it becomes profitable. They don't need any more of our money to make it happen, supposedly for our own good.

It does makes sense for the owner of a trucking fleet. The amount of money they will save from switching to CNG would be huge over time.
 
I'm sure this is just off the wall, but look at the whole world crisis in wallboard. . . . prices bouncing around, off the walls and ceilings. . . .building costs going up like crazy. . . ..

nobody knows where wallboard comes from, it's magic. No press coverage of this crisis at all. . . . . deafening silence.

whole mountains of 100% chemically-pure gypsum deposits with enough gypsum to supply the world's needs practically infinitely. I mean, the sun is going to burn out before we use up all the gypsum .

But just like Robert Redford, who began wanting to protect forests and mountains after he already owned his little mountain and forest, all the commodities today are in the hands of companies who are doing everything to cut off new competitors from being able to enter the market.

Cartelism is the name of the game.

This world has a lot of resources of every kind. . . . even gold.

Gold is a commodity that will experience increases in production as the price goes up. . . . mountains will be turned upside down and leached with cyanide/sodium hydroxide all over the planet.

America has enough energy each from tar sands, oil, gas, and uranium. . . .. and ten times that in coal. oh what to do what to do.. . . I know. . . . lock it all up with environmentalism and shrines to Gaia, and clear the earth of it's human detritis. . . . .

Cartelism, fascism. . . . oh just new words for "feudalism". . . . and for all the human civilizations ever that existed to protect the wealthy few from the masses of "trailer trash"/tented nomads of every age.

Mankinds' quest for freedom has always led away from establishments of government into some wilderness somehow. Now we just need to trim the sails of overblown governance. It does nothing for the ordinary folks, and exists only to protect the titles of the nobility. In name, in law, and in the land.
 
It does makes sense for the owner of a trucking fleet. The amount of money they will save from switching to CNG would be huge over time.

Not yet, especially for small operators. We need multi-decade hedge contracts with the producers (who are flaring a lot of the dry wells off, and Al Gore getting carbon credits for converting nat gas in the ground with a 37 GHG number into CO2 in the air with 1GHG). Each company would also need to install their own refueling station and couldn't transport anything OTR.

California has worked some stuff out with the ports. Garbage and other local utilities will slowly switch over based on the replacement rate. Large companies like Walmart will figure out the infrastructure for their own logistics.
 
This is great news but at the end of the day, oil and gas are still finite resources and we do need to think about the future. As in 100-300 years from now.
 
Last edited:
No. Us energy independence is a pipe dream. What's stopping these companies from selling their crap overseas? As soon as we're close to energy independence we'll surely just look to sell more of it keeping us addicted to foreign imports (and the wonderfully high prices and the cha ching they'll provide.
 
Solar prices are dropping like a rock and utility rates keep climbing. Within 10 years they will both hit equilibrium. Then it will be dumb not to have it.
 
Solar prices are dropping like a rock and utility rates keep climbing. Within 10 years they will both hit equilibrium. Then it will be dumb not to have it.

Based on what?

I'll be the first to slap one of those gawdy $20,000 setups on my own roof & go net metering but the stuff isn't anywhere near competitive at current rates. Still takes over 17 years for a payback, with huge govt. and local grants, not counting in cost of capital, and optimum assumptions on price and integrity.
 
This is great news but at the end of the day, oil and gas are still finite resources and we did need to think about future. As in 100-300 years from now.

I have faith in innovation coming along as oil prices increase or even outpacing it. Technology is booming at an incredible rate these days. I don't know how you'd quantify it but I'd say the last 5-10 years has no match in relative terms across all history.

More cars, less gas. More houses and electronics, less kWh consumption. These trends will continue.
 
Back
Top