Energy Reality

Total global energy consumption continues to rise.  Renewable energy is a very low percentage of the total energy supplied.  Liquid fuels (oil) provides 95% of the transportation energy requirements, 2% from natural gas, and 3% from renewable energy.  The reason for this is that oil has a very high energy content.  Ethanol, on the other hand, has about 1 unit of energy consumed to produce 1 unit of energy content and the fresh water consumed makes it a bad choice all together.  This energy content of ethanol explains the lower gas mileage we experience when using an ethanol blend.  Also, it gums up my scooter carburetor.  That cost me some money to find that fact out when it wouldn’t start.

Wind energy infrastructure requires a backup system such as natural gas.  Wind can stop at any moment and you must have a reliable backup, probably natural gas generators.  Solar output needs sunlight.  Watch out for those pesky clouds.

Most green energy jobs are currently lawyers and lobbyists.  Think about it.

Until Our Heavenly Father opens up a true alternative to petroleum, oil is king of the energy complex.  The American infrastructure is geared to oil and transforming to a “green” economy will be costly.  At a time when our economy is on unstable footing, where will the money come from?

At this writing, natural gas looks like it will be in strong demand for the foreseeable future.  Can it stay this cheap for long?

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