Blood and oil
October 15, 2004 9:53 AM   Subscribe

The Risk of an unending series of Oil Wars, whoever wins the white house, I hope he reads Michael Klare's latest book: Blood and Oil: The International Security Implications of Growing U.S. Dependence on Imported Oil. Newer articles: Growing militarization of our oil dependence, Transforming the American Military into a Global Oil-Protection Service.
posted by samelborp (17 comments total)
 
Oh, oh. Can I play?

This book has a PDF for free DL.
Or at least used to have it there. So look here.

Oh, and if you DL it....look at page 100 for either a good dismissve laugh or a shudder.
posted by rough ashlar at 10:22 AM on October 15, 2004


Oh, keep in mind the idea of 'gonna fight for our raw material' WRT a middle east fight goes back to AT LEAST the CIA and the Carter Administration.

America could 'grow' its way out of this problem. Biodiesel from algae (with a theroritcal max of 20,000 gallons of Biodiesel per acre), the new 5MW wind machines having a $0.02 kWh cost, and perhaps the method at Blacklight Power where you take the energy out of the electron energy band.

But the Government won't allow 179 deductions for solar panels (as that would actually cause growth in the PV market and shrink the big power companies influence) so its your kids/grandkids off to war for cheap energy!
posted by rough ashlar at 10:30 AM on October 15, 2004


Weren't those wind machines costs referring to the premium paid for the power over conventionally supplied electricity, rather than the final per-kWh price?
posted by infowar at 10:42 AM on October 15, 2004


Noppers. The direct cost of electricity at nominal output would be 1.91 cents/kWh

One hast to keep up and not repeat last years 'X is crap' crap.

An example of someone who wasn't keeping up - Senator Warner who wanted this as law:
LANGUAGE OF THE AMENDMENT:

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Army shall not process or otherwise act on any application (including an application pending on the date of enactment of this Act) submitted under section 10 of the Act of March 3, 1899 (30 Stat.1151, chapter 425) for any wind energy project to be located on the outer Continental Shelf until such time as Congress provides to the Federal Government express authorization (including authorization to establish requirements for competitive bidding, compensation to the United States for any land use rights granted, and promulgation of environmental and other standards to govern the aurthorization) to grant interests in land of the outer Continental Shelf for use for wind energy projects.



The wind in the ocean people haven't been willing to take some of the power they generate at each wind turbine to rebuild and get good coral reefs. At least not yet.
posted by rough ashlar at 10:52 AM on October 15, 2004


I'm no expert but the link you supplied said we wold need to increase the amount of power generators 33% to get the .25 rate.

Do not get me wrong, I'm an advocate of natural energy production. I'm not happy that my state has let NSP out of their commitment to generate x% of electricity via wind generation.

I'm also curious about the hydro argument. Back in the '80s when I was debating such tings hydro power was the most ecologically expensive "renewable" energy source since the environmental impact required to build hydro electric dams was so large.

Another argument I've read stated it is difficult to "store" electricty so generating power via solar collectors in a sparesly populated desert wasn't efficient. I think it is a valid question to ask how one gets the power from where it is generated (via waves, sun or wind) to where it is needed most in a cost effective manner.
posted by infowar at 11:14 AM on October 15, 2004


"With wind turbine costs now at about $0.90/W installed, and amortization over 30 years at 6 % the direct cost of electricity at nominal output would be 1.91 cents/kWh."

Says to me: Buy a new turbine. Put it in. Over 30 years the cost to generate power becomes $0.02 kWh.

Another argument I've read stated it is difficult to "store" electricty so generating power via solar collectors in a sparesly populated desert wasn't efficient.

Easy to 'store' that energy if you have the solar energy gathered by algae and the Algae stores it as fat to harvest later. The algae can be fed off of the organic waste stream....stuff like fecal material. Sewage.

Why try to store electrical power when you can make oil?
posted by rough ashlar at 11:33 AM on October 15, 2004


I thought we were going to run out of oil in fifty years -- right? Got discussed on MeFi a few months back.

When are we going to see the unending wars for rice or for potable water?
posted by alumshubby at 11:47 AM on October 15, 2004


When the algae takes up all the potable water, of course.
posted by weston at 12:02 PM on October 15, 2004


I heard the author on Fresh Air a while back and just got the book from the library. Good read, and I plan to read more of his books. He makes good points about the shift (or re-shift) to concentrating on the countries with the remaining natural resources. Can anyone recommend any books about depleting fresh water resources from a geopolitical standpoint?
posted by TomSophieIvy at 12:12 PM on October 15, 2004


whoever wins the white house, I hope he reads Michael Klare's latest book
Well, I bet W won't read it. Get it? Cause he's dumb? Hello? *tap, tap, tap*
posted by mikrophon at 12:28 PM on October 15, 2004


When the algae takes up all the potable water

Actually the algae grows in brackish water. Or Seawater. Or it can use sewage.

You coulld use potable water, but Potable water would have to have Nitrogen to it, and that would make it non-potable.

Make your Algae pits under glass and you could have a big Solar water purification still.
posted by rough ashlar at 12:28 PM on October 15, 2004


Can anyone recommend any books about depleting fresh water resources from a geopolitical standpoint?

"Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict" by Michael T. Klare.

Water Wars, the book

Someone is concerned as I saw a citiation about the small wells in India and China drawing down the Aquifer at a rate that is alarming. A water crisis could occur in as little as 10 years in India/China.
posted by rough ashlar at 12:36 PM on October 15, 2004


Cheney gave a speech in 1999 at the Institute of Petroleum in which he acknowledges that oil production will peak in 2010. The Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas [ASPO] have updated the depletion model and find that oil production will peak in 2008!
posted by roboto at 3:10 PM on October 15, 2004


It's boringly, teeth gnashingly predictable :

Energy (oil) shortages fuel international conflicts and economic hardship - turmoil ! war !

I can hardly wait.
posted by troutfishing at 3:48 PM on October 15, 2004


What will we do?

Who will oil the machines that watch over us all with loving grace?

How can I pay with plastic if there's no more plastic?
posted by ahimsakid at 9:32 PM on October 15, 2004


ahimsakid - we'll just have to start mining the garbage dumps and landfills for old plastic to recycle.

Plastic and bits of metal pulled from garbage heaps will become the new currency - or the new gold which backs government notes.
posted by troutfishing at 7:16 AM on October 16, 2004


Probably a good time to at very least, completely pay off your credit card and other debt, if you can. And never run any more of it up again. Of course if enough people do that it will also affect the banking and financial systems, as they operate on endlessly extended debt.

In good news, looks like we don't have to worry about the Singularity much! :D
posted by zoogleplex at 10:28 AM on October 16, 2004


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