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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (1812)	8/18/2005 4:14:34 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24211

Running on Empty: America's Energy Security by Staff With oil prices topping $60 a barrel and global demand for oil projected to increase in the coming years, can the United States maintain its standard of living, and its security, in the face of potential dangers to the world’s oil supply? On the next America Abroad, “Running on Empty: America’s Energy Security,” we examine the sources of instability, the possible consequences of a disruption in America’s supply of oil, and the plausible alternatives to America’s dependence on foreign oil. Join Ray Suarez and correspondents Garrick Utley, Marvin Kalb, Margaret Warner and Steve Roberts for this one-hour program, coming in mid-August. Participants in the program include: * James Woolsey, former CIA director * Dr. Daniel Yergin, Chairman and Cofounder of Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) * Amb. James Akins (ret.), former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia * Frank Jungers, former president of the Arabia American Oil Company (ARAMCO) * James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Defense * David Goldwyn, President of Goldwyn International Strategies * Dr. Gal Luft, Executive Director, Institute for Analysis of Global Security * Lawrence Goldstein, President, PIRA Energy Grou * Robbie Diamond, President, Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) A list of stations that have notified us of airtimes is listed below. Please check back frequently for updates; they are uploaded as soon as we receive them.... [EB: Go to the original article for airtimes, as well as links to listen to the program segments.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [EB: From a press release:] As oil prices top $65 a barrel and Americans brace themselves for continued price hikes at the pump, leading energy experts and former high-level government officials discuss the nation's precarious dependency on foreign oil in the face of ever-growing demand, terrorist threats and instability in the Middle East. Running on Empty: America's Energy Security is produced by America Abroad Media and anchored by veteran journalist Ray Suarez, with reports from correspondents Marvin Kalb, Steve Roberts, Garrick Utley and Margaret Warner. The one-hour international affairs program will begin airing on public radio stations nationwide on August 17, 2005 (check local listings at www.americaabroadmedia.org/). "We import now 60 percent or so of our oil, whereas we imported about 30 percent back in the 1970s," says former CIA Director James Woolsey. "You do have a sense of deja vu about some of this, but it's a lot worse now." "The United States Congress just passed the first comprehensive energy bill in several years, and yet many critics argue that the bill did little to address the risks posed by America's dependence on oil," says Aaron Lobel, executive producer of the program and president of America Abroad Media. Running on Empty: America's Energy Security examines the history of America's 140-year relationship with oil, how the United States responded to the 1973 oil embargo, and how to better protect our nation against another energy crisis. America Abroad Media is a non-partisan, independent media organization dedicated to informing and educating the American people about international affairs and facilitating cross-cultural discussion about international issues and America's role in the world. Founded in 2001, America Abroad Media productions include: America Abroad, an international affairs public radio program distributed in the United States by Public Radio International (PRI) and internationally by National Public Radio (NPR) Worldwide; AAM Television, which brings together students from America and around the world with senior policymakers and experts to discuss important issues in international affairs; and AAM YouthSPAN, a global videoconferencing project that facilitates thoughtful discussion and direct interaction between U.S. students and their counterparts around the world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editorial Notes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Go to the original article for airtimes, as well as links to listen to the program segments. Several interviews and a transcript of the program are downloadable from the the original article. Main page for America Abroad Media is americaabroadmedia.org. -BA Published on 17 Aug 2005 by America Abroad Media. Archived on 18 Aug 2005. energybulletin.net

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (1812)	8/18/2005 11:26:12 AM
From: Skywatcher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24211

World running out of time for oil alternatives By Anna Mudeva 37 minutes ago The world could run out of time to develop cleaner alternatives to oil and other fossil fuels before depletion drives prices through the roof, a leading Dutch energy researcher said on Thursday. Ton Hoff, manager of the Energy Research Center of the Netherlands, said it could take decades to make alternatives affordable to the point where they can be used widely, although high oil prices were already stimulating such research. "If we run out of fossil fuels -- by the time the oil price hits 100 dollars or plus, people will be screaming for alternatives, but whether they will be available at that moment of time -- that's my biggest worry," Hoff said. "That's why we need to use fossil fuels in a more efficient way to have some more time to develop these alternatives up to a level where the robustness is guaranteed and their price has come down ... This could take decades for some technologies." Stubbornly high oil prices have renewed worldwide interest in sustainable energy sources, such as solar, wind and biomass as well as biofuels. But the world currently covers just some two percent of its energy needs with renewables as high costs and mixed policy initiatives hinder a wide-spread usage. "The high oil price makes people at least think about alternatives ... For us it's a definitely a stimulus to work even harder than before," Hoff said. LOWERING COSTS ECN, one of Europe's leading energy research institutes, is working to improve or develop new technologies to boost efficiency and lower the costs of power production from wind, solar and biomass, he said. ECN researchers are trying to raise the energy conversion efficiency of solar panels to above 20 percent from the current 17 percent, while reducing costs. "In 10-15 years, I expect that solar energy conversion could be in competition with electricity produced from coal," Hoff said. He believes the Netherlands has the potential to cover a large part of its power needs with solar energy. ECN is also researching to increase the size of wind power turbines from the 3 megawatt a turbine produces now to 5 or 6 MW. This could be done by raising the height to 100 meters from 70 now and enlarging wings span to 120 meters from 90, he said. ECN is also part of the $225 million "Global Climate and Energy Project" led by the U.S. University of Stanford and financed by General Electric, Toyota, Schlumberger and ExxonMobil. The project aims to crack new technologies on fuel cells, which make electricity from hydrogen and emit only water vapor, energy production from biomass and separation and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). The greenhouse CO2 gas is released when burning fossil fuels and is blamed for global warming. Under the project, ECN will develop a new type of membrane reactor, which will separate CO2 during the process of producing hydrogen from fossil fuels, Hoff said. The CO2 could later be stored by companies in depleted gas or oil fields. Hoff and other researchers say a transition to the so-called hydrogen economy could take decades as the cost of building new hydrogen-burning cars and power plants and storing CO2 are huge. To test hydrogen usage in real life, ECN is in talks with the northern Dutch island of Texel to install hydrogen-based facilities, which would supply electricity to homes and offices. "The idea is to see the pitfalls, fix them ... and prepare for the future. My hopes are that this will stimulate the usage of this type of new technology because it is extremely important to have it in real life rather than in laboratories," Hoff said.