posted
Here are my proposed solutions to the high cost of gasoline:
1) Allow more drilling for oil in our coastal areas, but not in pristine areas. 2) Allow drilling in ANWR---but only in the 5% of the area that is proposed, and mandate as little environmental damage as possible with strict rules. 3) Allow more refineries, and along with that, new companies to be involved both in refining of oil and selling of gas. The monopolizing of oil production is making competition null and void. 4) Make speculating on the price of oil a criminal offense. 5) Stop driving as much. 6) Write to Congress to increase grants, tax breaks, etc., for legitimate research and inventions that will lead to cheaper energy sources that actually work.
Posts: 3194 | Registered: May 2006
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quote: 6) Write to Congress to increase grants, tax breaks, etc., for legitimate research and inventions that will lead to cheaper energy sources that actually work.
Did you know you can get a tax break for solar power but not wind power?
You can get a tax break on the power generated by a windmill. But, so far, two bills have been introduced (that I know of) to create tax incentives for wind power 2003 and 2005, but so far nothing.
posted
Wind power is not that compelling, it works in a limited number of areas. Environmentalists claim it kills all the migratory birds. That may be why its being held up.
Posts: 7721 | Registered: May 2001
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Two ways. Either through nuclear power plants, or to drop on Iran and Venezuela.
Either way, it works for me. [Cool]
Yeah, I forgot that. But generally speaking, nuclear replaces coal as a way to generate electricity. I guess that could be used to heat homes instead of heating oil--but until they develop a car that can run on nuclear power, I'm not sure it actually solves the problem. Of course, every little bit helps in the long run.
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posted
In that car, it sure would be. On ramps are sometimes pretty short here in CA and the freeway is schizophrenic, either at a dead stop, are very very fast.
If someone were driving in that car, it would indeed be a bad assumption.
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posted
Perhaps if many people settled for a little less, and better fuel efficiency, we could avoid the entire population settling for the "less" of walking everywhere, or paying $10 per gallon for gasoline.
Posts: 8601 | Registered: Sep 2002
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quote:In that car, it sure would be. On ramps are sometimes pretty short here in CA and the freeway is schizophrenic, either at a dead stop, are very very fast.
If someone were driving in that car, it would indeed be a bad assumption.
I have no idea why that comment is relevant to the intent of my comment. And if my comments intent is blatently not obvious, I would think the natural step would be to ask for claification.
I was indicating that I understand what that accelration rate implies. In fact:
60m/h = 0.016666666666 m/s
Vf = at 0.01666666m/s / 10s = 0.00166666666m/s^2
d=1/2at^2 d=0.5(0.00166666666m/s^2)(10s^2) d=0.08333333m or 440 feet
posted
Took me a while to find the statistic. And just to be fair it does say 0 to 60 in less than 10 seconds.
Also:
quote:How much will it cost for an overnight charge?
Looking at typical California electricity rates the cost should be in the $1 to $2 range for an overnight charge.
Given a range of 120 miles and using the max estimate of $2, and assuming 40MPG for a normal car, I'm thinking saving more then $8 dollars for every 120 miles of driving is worth some Inconvenience.
quote: Perhaps if many people settled for a little less, and better fuel efficiency, we could avoid the entire population settling for the "less" of walking everywhere, or paying $10 per gallon for gasoline.
The TESLA is soooo much less efficient. It was a discussion on performance.
Still whining is a constitutional right.
And some of us can afford to live poorly and do with less. Just try and stay in the slow lane, it is so irksome when people with "cool cars" that don't move very well, are driving in the passing and fast lanes.
I think that might be one of the problems: the notion that there is one "entire population."
Solutions to the energy demand pressure that don't recognize the difference between highly-populated urban areas, where walking or public transportation make a great deal of sense, and thinly-populated western areas where walking and public transportation are extremely impractical -- or that little vehicles toting one person are far less efficient than big vehicles toting lots of people can be -- only compound the problem.
Here in 320-days-a-year-sunny Colorado, clearly the answer is Solar energy (which, by the way, is a scripturally approved method of powering the earth, see Doctrine & Covenants 88 ). But in Seattle or maybe the east coast, solar might not be a good solution. Another view: for me, walking and biking are for many purposes good alternatives, because two church buildings are less than 2 1/2 miles away (ward building and stake center), schools and groceries and library and movies drugstore and hardware store and ice cream shoppe and shoe store are within a half-hour walk. But I obtain these benefits at the price of living in an older, more-run down and mixed ethnicity portion of the town (a trade-off many apparently are unwilling to make). I no longer have small children at home, so there are no little ones to tote (though I did have a two-seat trailer when they were that age). Buses into Denver and Boulder can be caught by walking six blocks (and riding an hour or more, for the price of $3.50 one way, which is almost equal to the gas cost). But lots of young couples buy homes out on the fringes of settlement, where they can get larger houses and bigger yards for lower prices, but there are fewer transportation options, and much longer distances to drive for all basic goods and services. Our school district, because it is so financially strapped (big big understatement), does not offer any transportation services for students living within a mile and a half (2 1/2 miles for high schoolers) of the school. Walking and biking, especially in winter, just really isn't an option for these families.
My point is, there cannot be any one-size-fits all answer to our energy demand needs. We need to pursue many answers, and also let go of preconceived notions about what is and is not a good alternative.
posted
Cal Trans is the most expensive boondoogle in LA History. We also have the most expensive subway that carries less people than it is supposed to.
Some urban areas are built for it. Europe does a great job. We seem to have problems in LA.
Nuclear power though is the quickest best answer for clean energy. The others are too limited by geography.
Posts: 7721 | Registered: May 2001
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quote:Here in 320-days-a-year-sunny Colorado, clearly the answer is Solar energy
That is true, as long as your in the high plains and not the mountains themselves. What is the cost of solar power though? I believe it costs much more than any other conventional electricity. Technology might bring the high cost down, though from what I have read, isn't viewed to do so for quite some time.
Posts: 7721 | Registered: May 2001
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quote:Cal Trans is the most expensive boondoogle in LA History. We also have the most expensive subway that carries less people than it is supposed to.
Some urban areas are built for it. Europe does a great job. We seem to have problems in LA.
I'm thinking that could be because most areas of the world are much more densely populated. LA I know is too, but stretched-out much more, like much of the west. For Pete's sake, I remember driving north of greater LA for an hour or two before reaching the city limits. That's also why I believe that the cost of gas is more troublesome in places away from the east coast--though heating oil is much more of a problem there.
Posts: 3194 | Registered: May 2006
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quote: I'm thinking that could be because most areas of the world are much more densely populated. LA I know is too, but stretched-out much more, like much of the west. For Pete's sake, I remember driving north of greater LA for an hour or two before reaching the city limits. That's also why I believe that the cost of gas is more troublesome in places away from the east coast--though heating oil is much more of a problem there.
Yes, that is true, LA is much more spread out, your reasoning is pretty sound. A certain paranoia regarding earthquakes and high ofice buildings seems to permeate the building trends there.
Posts: 7721 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
CA allows lane splitting and riding in carpool lanes. I appreciate the motorcycle drivers who do the quick wave when you nudge over to give them room to pass. More power to 'em. Motorcycles might be less safe (often due to bad car drivers), but they are much more efficient.
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posted
As to the 0-60 thing, I used to have a Volkswagon Rabbit diesel car...it got from zero to sixty in, oh, a minute maybe? I didn't care, it got 60 miles to the gallon. The whole thing was a rattly, cheapo plastic thing, but it saved us tons of money. And yes, I drove it all around the Virginia/DC beltway, etc. and survived. I
Posts: 1670 | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Cal Trans is the most expensive boondoogle in LA History.
Could you clarify what you''re talking about? Just the subway, or something else? Caltrans usually refers to the California Department of Transportation, a state agency. It may very well be a boondoggle, but if it is, it isn't limited just to LA.
Posts: 5983 | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
Jeffery, actually it isn't CalTrans per se that's the "boondoogle", the blame is on politicans in Sacramento including both the Assembly and the current Governor who steal transportation funds from gas taxes meant for expanding freeways, etc to illegal aliens' welfare, prison, and health care expenditures.
But with that, local transportation agencies actually decide how their money is spent. So here in Orange County, OCTA, decided to expand all the freeways here in the past 10 years. (405 freeway from Costa Mesa to Long Beach is next on the list going from 5 lanes on each side to 7 or 8 lanes on each side.)
But up north in LA, MTA (Metropolitan Tranportation Authority) decided that improved freeways are not needed and spending billions of dollars for past 15 years to subways to nowhere somehow was the "answer". Now traffic in LA is worse than ever, but in Orange County in comparsion, traffic is much better than most areas in Southern California. (I'd take OC traffic anyday over Seattle, Salt Lake, or Phoenix's rush hour traffic)...
posted
The subways to nowhere are what irk me. A million dollars a foot. Almost as bad as the "big dig" back east.
Posts: 7721 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
And why did it jump? Because an analyst at an investment bank says he thinks that oil will be sooo much higher in the future, and all the commodities buyers want a piece of the action.
I still think it is a bubble.
Posts: 999 | Registered: Nov 2002
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posted
As much as I hate the high gas prices, the optimist in me wonders if this is going to force us to see amazing advances in energy technologies over the next couple of years. This might be the impetus to finally become energy independent, then we can stop worrying about the middle east, venezuela, russia, and other energy kingpins. It is painful now, but the optimist in me hopes that something good comes from this. Are you ready to see the coming miracles?
[ June 07, 2008, 11:08 AM: Message edited by: Jason ]
Posts: 3493 | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I have thought the same way. I remember the energy crisis. Our lighting is more efficient. It seems our appliances all use less energy. Would these improvements ever been made if there had never been an "energy crisis".
Posts: 153 | Registered: Sep 2007
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