Here’s a thought provoking video that illustrates the ripple effect from oil across the world’s economy.

Where do we go from here?

Geothermal energy uses the heat from the center of the earth’s core to produce electricity. As the heat from the Earth’s core rises to the crust of the earth, the heat is captured and absorbed by geothermal power plants. Momentum is gaining to use geothermal energy as a more prominent source of alternative energy.

Geothermal energy is a continuous source of energy since the heat is trapped inside the earth, without depleting. This places geothermal energy above sporadic wind and solar energy, which tends to have a capacity factor of only 20-35%; geothermal capacity is more than 70%.

Although global energy use from geothermal sources today only amounts to less than 1%, geothermal projects now exist in around 20 countries around the world.

Advantages of geothermal energy:

5. You can have one in your backyard
4. Maintenance costs are low
3. The amount of land needed is low
2. Energy output is unaffected by changing weather conditions
1. It’s renewable

Disadvantages of geothermal energy:

1. Produces greenhouse gases during production and maintenance
2. They could affect their surrounding environment
3. If a system is too large for its site, the energy could dry up

Technology of geothermal energy

To understand and learn more about geothermal energy, visit the Geothermal Energy Association

There certainly are pro’s and con’s for nuclear energy and there is also a lot of misconception on how nuclear energy works.

Nuclear power is a naturally occurring phenomenon, as in the fusion reactor which constitutes our sun and all stars in the universe, nuclear power is neither good or bad, it simply exists. Man’s use of the energy which is released from nuclear fission or fusion can be value judged as good or bad, however, and as with most value judgements, the determination of good or bad is a matter of opinion. No one considers the energy which is released by the sun to be “bad” and it is considered the touchstone of “renewable” energy. When the nuclear reaction is started and controlled by man, though, some consider this to be unnatural and “bad”. As with any value judgement, the individual is free to have any opinion they like and guide their life accordingly. When that opinion is inconsistent with a successful society, then the costs must be weighed carefully in their application to public policy. If the energy released is used for generally accepted positive ends, then that use is generally accepted as “good”. If the energy released is necessary to the functioning of the society, the use is more “vital”.

Pro’s of nuclear energy
* Fuel is inexpensive
* Energy generation is the most concentrated source
* Waste is more compact than any source
* Extensive scientific basis for the cycle
* Easy to transport as new fuel
* No greenhouse or acid rain effects

Con’s of nuclear energy
* Requires larger capital cost because of emergency, containment, radioactive waste and storage systems
* Requires resolution of the long-term high level waste storage issue in most countries
* Potential nuclear proliferation issue

Nuclear energy already provides about 20% of electricity for America. There has been some good discussion about alternative energy options and someone pointed out (which I agree with) that there should be no single source of alternative energy, but multiple sources to ensure that we are not dependent on just solar, or just wind, or just nuclear. Each one of these sources can fill a need in our energy consumption.

Learn more about nuclear energy

You can read some FAQ’s about nuclear energy that John McCarthy put together. And to learn more about nuclear energy in general, visit the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Motive Industries has been turning heads when they entered their vehicle called the Motive “Switch” into the Auto X Prize Competition.

Motive Industries is based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and is leading the charge with the design, engineering and prototyping of transportation products.

The Motive Switch is a battery exchange hybrid electric vehicle (BEHEV).

Motive Industries is a design, engineering and prototyping firm located in Calgary, Alberta Canada, led by Nathan Armstrong. Armstrong has spent 10 years in the transportation industry. He is joined by Darren McKeage, a vehicle designer, in the overall design of their entry. McKeage is completing his Masters in Automotive Design at Coventry University in England. They are working on the creation of a four seater 2×2 coupe hatchback electric drive vehicle, designed to have some mild off-roading capabilities. The team is partnering with a number of schools and universities in Canada, and is using both US and Canadian teams for construction.

The Motive Switch is a 2 + 2 sporty vehicle that’s getting a lot of attention with it’s design. It will have an onboard generator that’s supposed to recharge the battery that powers the vehicle. How the gasoline generator and battery pack work together will be interesting. They’re trying to find a solution to the battery running out of juice and leaving someone stranded for a couple of hours while the battery recharges.

With a bright group of engineers working on this project, it will be interesting to see how the vehicle develops.

Motive Industries

We’ve seen the price of oil drop more than $10 over the last two days.

President Bush

On Monday, Bush lifted the legislative ban on offshore drilling when he gave his speech on the White House lawn. Now it will be up to Congress to approve lifting the ban before anything can happen.

But the move, by itself, will do nothing unless Congress acts as well to lift its own drilling ban. There are two prohibitions on offshore drilling, one imposed by Congress and another by executive order signed by the first President Bush in 1990.

This may or may not happen in Congress, but it will put more presser on them to do something in regards to energy.

Ben Bernanke

Also on Monday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said that slowing growth and inflation have risen.

Yesterday’s 4.4 percent drop in New York crude oil futures was the largest since March, as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said that risks to U.S. economic expansion and inflation have risen.

“The enormous jumps in oil prices and other commodity prices are, to some extent, due to real factors out of the control of the Federal Reserve,” Bernanke said before the House Financial Services Committee today. “The Federal Reserve cannot create another barrel of oil, it’s the global supply and demand.”

Unexpected Supply Increase

Yesterday, reports came out that there was more oil than expected in inventories:

Crude oil futures fell more than $4 a barrel in New York after a surprise increase in U.S. inventories and as a slowing U.S. economy sapped demand for energy.

Even though the prices at the pump hasn’t changed, it’s amazing what big news this is. This is another reason why we need to be developing alternative energy sources so we’re not so dependent on a commodity produced by foreign nations.

A barrel of oil closed at $134.60 on Wednesday.

UPDATE DECEMBER 8, 2008 VENTURE VEHICLES HAS CHANGED THEIR NAME TO PERSU MOBILITY

Venture Vehicles based out of Los Angeles, California has entered the Auto X PRIZE competition with their revolutionary 3-wheel, fully enclosed , tilting vehicle. The unique 2-passenger vehicle is projected to achieve 100 miles per gallon, accelerate from 0-60 in about 7 seconds, and have a top speed of over 100 mph. With this vehicle, you will “Fly the Road”.

This is one cool vehicle that I believe will do very well in the U.S. I believe it has the style, the technology, and the right price to become very popular with consumers and run the road.

From the Progressive Auto X PRIZE website:

Venture Vehicles, led by Ian Bruce, is creating a three-wheeled hybrid with two tandem seats called the VentureOne. The vehicle will lean into turns, providing increased stability and control. While it is technically a motorcycle, it is fully enclosed, and uses standard wheel and pedal driving controls. Their goal is to receive over 100 MPG while maintaining an acceleration of 0-60mph in less than seven seconds.

The Venture One is very similar to the Carver One with it’s tilting technology developed by Carver Engineering. Venture Vehicles has developed the Venture One to feel like a sportscar, but act like a motorcycle.

Though not a motorcycle, the Venture One tilts into curves just like a motorcycle but is stabilized by the DVC™ technology (Dynamic Vehicle Control) developed by Carver Engineering.

They are planning to come out with a hybrid Venture One, plug-in hybrid Venture One, and an all electric Venture One. The HEV and the PHEV are both expected to get over 100 mpg while the all electric Venture One will have a range of 120 miles per charge. They’ll have an initial price target between $20,000 and $25,000.

The Venture One is planned to roll out in 2010 in California and then other parts of the country while they set up their retail and service infrastructure.

You can check more out about the vehicle at Venture Vehicles Blog and Forums or another site called Fly the Road Club

This is a promo for the Carver, which is the vehicle that the Venture One is based off of:

Venture Vehicles

If you’ve seen T. Boone Pickens plan that he laid out earlier this week, then you have to be excited that he’s doing something to promote more alternative energy, specifically wind power, so we’re not dependent on foreign oil.

I’ve been an oil man all my life, but this is one emergency we can’t drill our way out of. But if we create a new renewable energy network, we can break our addiction to foreign oil.

Pickens want’s to replace the 22% of energy that we use natural gas in our overall energy consumption and replace it with wind power. Pickens is already planning the world’s largest wind farm in Pampa, TX. Wind energy could supply 20 percent or more of the nation’s power.

Fueling these plants with wind power would then free up the natural gas historically used to power them, and would mean that natural gas could replace foreign oil as fuel for motor vehicles, he said.

As many people know, T. Boone Pickens has made his fortune in the oil and gas industry. He still has it in his best interest to sell oil and gas. This is why he wants to take the 22% of natural gas that would be removed out of the overall energy consumption and put it into transportation fuel. This is where his plan is wrong.

We do not want to replace one non-sustainable energy source with another. If we did, we would eventually have the same problems with natural gas that we have with oil today. Even though natural gas is less expensive than gasoline or diesel now, there would be a rise in demand pushing prices higher and we would be still incur times of shortages, price spikes, and all the other forces of economics.

From the Pickens website about the plan:

According to the California Energy Commission, critical greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas are 23% lower than diesel and 30% lower than gasoline.

That’s still not good enough. With more vehicles on the road every year, we need vehicles that are emissions free.

To put his plan in place, we would have to overhaul the infrastructure at gas stations so they could supply natural gas to vehicles. At this large of an expense and time, it would be much more wise to replace the pumps with electric outlets designed for electric cars to recharge.

I admire T. Boone Pickens and what he has done throughout his life. I appreciate how he is trying to position himself as “the man” to go through for anything in regards to energy and he has invested millions of dollars into alternative energy. It’s capitalism at it’s best, and I love it. But his plan to reduce our dependency on foreign oil is not the best one, but it’s getting people to talk about the issues and I think that’s great.

What we need to do is take the best part of his plan, which is building the wind farms to produce electricity for the overall energy consumption, and restructure the natural gas plan on how to build an infrastructure to provide electricity for plug in hybrids and electric vehicles. Since wind can only produce so much energy, we would need to get this extra energy for the vehicles from other alternative sources such as solar energy.

Pickens Plan

With gas prices rising, more and more people are biking to get to work, go to the grocery store, or visit friends and family.

Increasingly, people who used to view bicycles as playthings or exercise tools now see them as workhorses. So they’re outfitting them with fenders, racks, bags — anything that will make them more functional.

So, pull out that old bike out of your garage and get pedaling! You’ll be glad you did.

Here are just a few benefits of biking:

1. You’re going to save money on gas
2. You’re going to become more healthy
3. You may be able to reach your destination faster
4. Your stress levels will be reduced
5. You’ll get better muscle tone, bone mass improvement, and clearer skin

Here are 40+ benefits of bike commuting

Both drivers and bikers need to learn how to share the road. Fortunately, biking has been a big thing in Austin for quite some time so everyone’s already used to it. The other areas around the country will need to learn how to get along so everyone will be safe.

Who says you can’t have a “green” vehicle and still drive a truck or SUV? Phoenix Motorcars believes you should be able to do both with their line of electric trucks and SUV’s!

The most recent company that I’m following in the Progressive Automobile X PRIZE competition has all of the elements to become a leader in the electric vehicle industry. America loves bigger vehicles, but with gas at $4 a gallon, bigger vehicles are losing steam and many Americans can’t afford the cost of a truck or SUV.

Phoenix Motorcars is based out of Ontario, CA and is lead by President and CEO, Daniel Elliott. From the Auto X PRIZE competition website:

Phoenix Motorcars was founded in 2001 to provide zero-emission fleet vehicles. They power their vehicles with a lithium titanate battery pack. Recharging is done with a 220V outlet, taking 6 hours for a full charge, or using a special charger, 10 minutes for a 95% quick charge. The estimated range is 130 miles, though they are working on developing a battery pack capable of 250 miles. The current battery packs have a life expectancy of 250,000 miles. Dan Riegert and Dana Muscato founded Phoenix Motorcars in July of 2001.

So, as America thirst for those larger vehicles, Phoenix Motorcars will position themselves to succeed with their electric trucks and SUV’s!

The Phoenix SUT gets 126 MPGe on electricity and with operating vehicles already in place, the Phoenix SUT is ahead of the curve on some of the other competitors in the Auto X PRIZE competition.

The Phoenix SUT and SUV runs off a a lithium titanate battery called the NanoSafe^TM developed by Altairnano that is supposed to last up to 12 years.

All electric vehicles will be the most prominent of alternative vehicles in the future. As the technology progresses, more consumers will be getting off of gasoline based vehicles and move to all electric.

Phoenix has already started shipping out their vehicles and you’ll have to get on the waiting list to get your own. Check out more of the Phoenix SUT:

Phoenix Motorcars

Gas prices in the US have been relatively cheap for a long time. There are many other places around the world that have been paying over $4 a gallon for gas for many years. Now that the US has reached an average of over $4 a gallon, here are some gas prices from around the world. For the country’s that use the metric system, the prices have been converted relatively from liters to gallons.

The main factor in price disparities between countries is government policy, many European nations tax gasoline heavily, with taxes making up as much as 75 percent of the cost of a gallon of gasoline.

Gas Prices Around The World

Highest gas prices

Eritrea - $9.58
Norway - $8.73
United Kingdom - $8.38
Netherlands - $8.37
Monaco - $8.31
Iceland - $8.28
Belgium - $8.22
France - $8.07
Germany - $7.86
Portugal - $7.84

In many oil producing nations the government owns the oil companies and keeps prices low to benefit their citizens.

Lowest gas prices

Venezuela - 12 cents
Iran - 40 cents
Saudi Arabia - 45 cents
Libya - 50 cents
Swaziland - 54 cents
Qatar - 73 cents
Bahrain - 81 cents
Egypt - 89 cents
Kuwait - 90 cents
Seychelles - 98 cents

Source