What r the alternate technologies under development to avoid dependance on oil? When can we expect them?

Question

What r the alternate technologies under development to avoid dependance on oil? When can we expect them?

Answer 1

Lots of methods

1. coal gassification

2. oil shale (still oil, but not foreign)

3. oil sands (still oil, but not foreign)

4. tidal energy

5. geothermal energy

6. safer fission energy

7. fusion energy

8. solar energy, including photovoltaics

9. wind power.

10. better conservation methods, like hybrid cars

11. telecommuting using telecommunications and computing



and so on.



We would be much farther on all of these if the government, in all its infinite wisdom, and not stopped development almost completely on all of them about 25 years ago.



Thanks to mostly conservative politicians, you are now looking at an extended period at coping with a substantial foreign oil dependence. Aren't you proud ? Aren't you glad you voted republican and demanded that the CAFE standards not be enacted?



Basically, you get what you pay for. And the public demanded this situation, and they were rewarded with having their wishes come true.

Answer 2

To what exactly? Windpower uses the same enrgy to make as than they can produce in their lifeltime at the present moment. And there is the additional problem of storage batteries and transmission lines which in fact make them nett contributters at present!!! Solar cells are still the most expensive form of electrical generation and again at present standards they do not pay for themselves in their lifetime! They need storage batteries and other equipment and are also a recycling problem. But - there are some major leeps forward happening in dot matrix printing and in more friendly materials. Biofuels such as ethenol and biodeisel sound wonderful but are already causing horrendously worse problems. Corn prices are rising very fast and with it the price of bread. The corn it takes to fill just cars tank would feed a man for a year!!! Sugar cane prices have doubled in two years!!! When the pollution caused from the use of fertilisers, handling and production are added to their fule use footprint they are nett poluters!! Much, much worse is the fact that deforestation is occuring at an alarming rate to grow biofuel crops. Deforestation in the tropics accounts for nearly 20 per cent of carbon emissions due to human activities. This will release an estimated 87 to 130 billion tonnes of carbon by 2100, which is greater than the amount of carbon that would be released by 13 years of global fossil fuel combustion. So maintaining forests as carbon sinks is absolutely essential in stabilising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations! There are two good possibilities. Nuclear which is virtually non poluting - but many people do not like it. Or clean burn coal technology. FutureGen is an initiative to build the world's first integrated sequestration and hydrogen production research power plant. The $1 billion dollar project is intended to create the world's first zero-emissions fossil fuel plant. When operational, the prototype will be the cleanest fossil fuel fired power plant in the world. In seeking other alternative fuels we are heading in the right direction and we must keep up the momentum but current alternative fuels are not the panacea they are sold as at the moment and in many ways are more harmful than oil. That will change but the most important thing that is required is good scientific research, honest debate and above all a close look at both the good side and especially the down side of alternatives. For example recycling aluminium saves more polution than almost anything else!

Answer 3

Uh, none so far, you've got the President pushing hydrogen cars but they still aren't practical (Basicly, its too expensive to turn to hydrogen cars). Then there is the hope that ethonol will save the day, it wont. At best it'll relieve us up to 40% from oil all together, but even that number is skeptical considering that ethonol is a product you put out by farming (Thus, prone to farming problems, like weather yadda yadda). Basicly, we've got nothing and all the President is doing is putting money into R&D that should of been put in 20 years ago. Though, I tell you one thing, the person who does come up with such a thing will be hailed as the next Edison. Hell, he'll be bigger than Edison, finally the energy to travel to the stars and save some of us humans before we blow each other to kingdom come (Not that its very likely to ever happen, oh well, I can dream).

Answer 4

Many. Most, of course, being from renewable sources.



For automobiles, the short term solutions are ethanol to suppliment/replace gasoline and biodiesel to suppliment/replace fuel oil. Hydrogen is also under development, but for use in fuel cells and internal combustion engines.



Ethanol is distilled from sugars, in the U.S. it is primarily made from corn. Biodiesel is made from plant and vegetable oils, either new or used. New oil is usually derived from soybeans.



Ethanol is already here. About 20% of vehicles on the road today are equipped to run off of E-85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). Biodiesel is also available, but somewhat more limited. Many Diesel powered vehicles will operate on some blend of biodiesel without any necessary modifications.



Hydrogen powered fuel cell cars a ways off. The cost of fuel cells are the biggest problem right now, let alone there is no standardized fueling infrastructure in place to dispense hydrogen.



While biodiesel and ethanol can be used to augment the use of petroleum based oil, they are not complete solutions at this point. At this point in time, we simply cannot grow enough of a feedstock to totally replace oil. As technology improves, we will be able to get high yields out of various types of crops, as well as become more efficient in our use of energy, hopefully closing this gap.

Answer 5

Yes, bio-ethanol is our closest and most realistic answer for today. This can be a huge domestic product because it is created just like grain alcohol (AKA moonshine). In fact a vodka producer can make the E85 fuel - but has to add gasoline to avoid it being confused with 180 proof party booze.



Some cars are able to take E85 now and more stations are making it available nationwide. The conversion process for filling stations is minimal compared to the hydrogen options. See e85fuel.com for stations and autos that can use E85 (bio-ethanol) fuel. Flexi-fuel cars is the new buzz after the hybrid buzz. I'd like to see a hybrid flexi-fuel car from a U.S. car manufacturer to finaly be ahead of the curve with automobile technology.

Answer 6

ethanol u can get from sugar cane, or other vegetables.



there are already card made for ethanol in brasil and argentina and europe i dont know when in the US