Reply to: Doomed I tell yer!

[TimberWolf]

Dunno, solar tech is increasing apace (was reading an article this morning about nanotubes doubling their capacity at low light) - also ememebr that you don't need enough power to power it in real time, just enough to charge up your batteries while you are in work.

You can't get better than 100% no matter how much the technology improves, there's only so much energy in sunlight and only for so long in the day. If it were that good and you carried high capacity batteries it might be better to charge the batteries from the mains (or panels at home) rather than carry large solar panels around that would also have to be optimally aligned to the Sun.

[BoredBloke]

I'm going to get a camel instead of a horse. It'll last a bit longer when the water runs out.

Ahh the old Petrol vs Diesel argument now applied to Horse vs Camel. I wonder if the A3 camel will still be for hair dressers?

[TheBigYinJames]

A solar powered car seems unlikely in the UK.

Dunno, solar tech is increasing apace (was reading an article this morning about nanotubes doubling their capacity at low light) - also ememebr that you don't need enough power to power it in real time, just enough to charge up your batteries while you are in work.

[Spacecadet]

And feet.

you can pick those up for free in canada

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7458468.stm

[Bagpuss]

Honda unveiled its Hydrogen hybrid yesterday; also the technology for solar panels that will produce Hydrogen is already there & just needs ramping up /industialising. So it looks like we are getting pretty close

Sort the Hydrogen storage issues out and who needs petrol?

The oil industry, which still seems to operate like an episode from Dallas

[Troll]

It makes previously uneconomical sources of it more viable now, so the tail-off won't be as dramatic as some doom-mongers predict. We're seeing the seeds of our 'weaning off' process starting petrol consumption in the UK is down 20% on last year (for instance) and we have electric/hybrid cars which we didn't see 10 years ago. Once peotrol gets too dear, things we wouldn't drive now (30mph solar cars for instance) will start to look like a viable alternative.

The weaning-off is going to be painful, though. But it needs to be done.

Honda unveiled its Hydrogen hybrid yesterday; also the technology for solar panels that will produce Hydrogen is already there & just needs ramping up /industialising. So it looks like we are getting pretty close

Sort the Hydrogen storage issues out and who needs petrol?

[TimberWolf]

My brother is a geophysicist and works in oil exploration. Say there is so much of the stuff that there really is no chance of us running out until way past all of us are gone. Enjoy the party but give the book to the grand kids as it may be of use to them.

It will never run out, but when will it stop being cheap? Bearing in mind less less direct sources say oil production has peaked while demand is rising.

[TimberWolf]

If only there was some way of harnessing the energy of that big yellow shiny thing in the sky or if only we lived near a force of nature that seemed to provide great tides of energy twice a day. Life would be so much better.

....Wanders off dreaming

A seconds worth output from the Sun would provide all the energy we need for a million years. Or something like that.

[ferret]

I've been reading this recently ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Oil-Sho...3694539&sr=8-1

Yes, we're all doomed.

My brother is a geophysicist and works in oil exploration. Say there is so much of the stuff that there really is no chance of us running out until way past all of us are gone. Enjoy the party but give the book to the grand kids as it may be of use to them.

[Pondlife]

If only there was some way of harnessing the energy of that big yellow shiny thing in the sky or if only we lived near a force of nature that seemed to provide great tides of energy twice a day. Life would be so much better.

....Wanders off dreaming

[TimberWolf]

It makes previously uneconomical sources of it more viable now

Yeah, that's another way of saying 'more expensive'.

We're seeing the seeds of our 'weaning off' process starting petrol consumption in the UK is down 20% on last year (for instance) and we have electric/hybrid cars which we didn't see 10 years ago. Once peotrol gets too dear, things we wouldn't drive now (30mph solar cars for instance) will start to look like a viable alternative.

Yeah, we're seeing changes but they all seem to be heavily subsidised (effectively by oil).

A solar powered car seems unlikely in the UK. Let's say you could build a car that's as energy efficient as a bicycle (unlikely). Electric bikes with 200 Watt motors provide a modest performance, about what your legs could provide for any distance, a third of a horse power. With solar radiation in the UK you'd be lucky to receive 100 Watts per square metre on average, and with collecting efficiency of perhaps 20% gives you 20 watts per square metre. You'd need big aerodynamic solar panels that might be better employed as sails.

[TheBigYinJames]

Horses. They are going to go up in price.

Especially in France when the beef runs out.

[Moose423956]

Horses. They are going to go up in price.

And feet.

[DiscoStu]

Horses. They are going to go up in price.

I'm going to get a camel instead of a horse. It'll last a bit longer when the water runs out.

[DimPrawn]

Horses. They are going to go up in price.