From making the parts that go into solar generators. If oil becomes too expensive to sell, they'll evolve or perish. Their interest is in making money, and they'll go where demand goes.
I expect you're right.
I've heard (from the famous somewhere or other) that one reason Big Energy was reluctant to get into wind and solar was that it was much harder to control. With oil, if you own the oil fields, the refineries, and the distribution centers you've pretty much got it locked. Even if it turns out I have a couple hundred barrels of crude in my back yard, getting it to the point where it makes my Saturn go is pretty involved and probably not worth one person's effort.
If I have a way to turn my roof into an effective solar generator--one that handles all my home and travel energy needs--well, that seems harder to lock down. Silicon's pretty ubiquitous, so hundreds of smaller solar cell manufacturers could get in on the game. It could become more like nurseries, where every wee town could have two solar cell sellers competing as well as a few solar-Lowes that have market share all over the US, rather than Exxon vs. BP, where there are under a hundred or so companies world wide.
I believe in 2007 there will be some tighter limits on sulfer in diesel fuel which will help diesel engines meet emissions regulations. I'll bet combined with higher gas prices, that this will bring a lot more diesel cars to the market in the U.S.
That's why I've already decided the next car will be diesel. Once the emissions standards equalize with Europe's, the super-efficient European engines will come into the American market. And super-efficient means upwards of 40mpg on a family sedan, twice what the current cars get.
Thanks, Theo. That does seem to be the other good option. I have the site up now.
After all, New Orleans has been attacked by God. WAR ON GOD!!!!
Waiting for the televangelists to make sodom and gommorah comparisions.
Caligula invaded the ocean?
As long as he did it by himself, I mean, rather than made a bunch of shmucks march into the sea on his say-so. I'd far rather die a totally wasteful death on some random battlefield, unknowing of the waste, than die a totally wasteful death that was lapping right up at my ankles for anybody with the brains of a starfish to assess.
Waiting for the televangelists to make sodom and gommorah comparisions.
They're holding out hope for an earthquake in SF before Sunday
From the AP:
The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port did NOT suffer major damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina. And a port official says the flow of oil could resume within "a matter of hours" once its power supply is restored.
Really good news, since that means they'll probably be operating by next week.
I'm waiting for Bush to invade the ocean, like Caligula.
Well, at least he doesn't need to install his horse in the Senate, since there are a couple in charge of it already.
Or at least parts of horses.
I'm waiting for Bush to invade the ocean, like Caligula.
Actually controlling the ocean is pretty tough and there aren't a lot of good targets. Maybe we'll attack something else. Canada would work. It's close by and look at all that coastline, they have to be working with the ocean, plus they have a bunch of our oil in the Alberta oil sands.
They've got these huge tubine farms out in Minnesota (Buffalo Ridge, which you can see not far from the family farm. ) HUGE. They're clearly visible from a plane huge. I think my head would explode if I was up close to them.
