Forums → WEPR → Should we use OIL?
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do you think we should use oil,well i dont we are hurting our mother earth.pleaase donate money i am but it no making a difference but we nedd a lot of more people to help us and we have ethanol know come on we can change this world
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I agree with ninjacube. Oil is a necessity, I don't think we will ever stop using it. the problem is that we need to cut the use of oil at least in half. I have no idea how to do this other than research alternate fuels, which we are already doing, but right now, it's rediculous
Hydrogen: We have abundant supply of hydrogen
And where is this abundant supply? Sure, there's a lot of hydrogen on earth, but it exists as compounds bonded to other elements and it requires a significant amount of energy to break that hydrogen bond. Hydrogen cannot be considered a fuel in itself because the amount of energy that needs to be invested in order to free up that hydrogen is greater than the amount of energy released when it is combusted within the appliances that hydrogen enthusiasts wish to develop. It's essentially a form of energy storage - and not a terribly efficient one.
Hydroelectric: Same as Solar and Wind, it doesn't really produce a significant amount of power.
Not true. Hydroelectricity is the main source of energy in my province. The issue is one of location. Not every place has access to rivers. It also can't be expected to be *the* solution for the same reason that nuclear cannot - it's great for household applications, but not for transportation.
Is anyone here conservative?! We have to use oil for many purposes. The only reason global warming is real is because the sun has been warmer, and just barely gas usage.. If we actually DIG in our country for oil more, the prices will go down A TON! But no, liberalism is saying that oil shouldn't be used. BLAH BLAH BlAH! Those electric cars, once you take out their battery and replace a new one, the stuff coming out of the battery is very bad for the environment. We should definetely reconsider what it would do. Plus, I'm waiting for global warming to kick in, because this hasnt been a nice summer. Also, about 85 or more tornados were in kansas in june. I dont think that shows much warming. plus, A poll said that the pollution and "global warming" hasnt changed since 2000. And also, I saw a picture that said [in a global warming book] that we havent searched past greenland or in antarctica. tell me, how do we know that the ice caps are melting?
@cowdude
Oil is very resposible for global warming it releses green house gases which trap in heat and then warm the planet. Also global warming dosen't just refer to the heating up of our planet it is is refering to a overall change in climate so GW(global warming) might have something to do with those tornados. Lastly
I saw a picture that saidI didnt know pictures said anything...
I say that we should make a push for hydrogen but until we can fully posses and protect ourselves from the explosive powers of it we should stick to oil or someother fuel source.
The problem with alternative fuels is that the government is too greedy and too uptight to fund researching. They'd much rather help the big business make EVEN MORE money
Thepyro222, have you any idea how much money our government has put into alternative fuels? I would do a little research and that might enlighten you to the truth so that you can speak and be informed.
NinjaCube, oil has already failed us. It failed us when prices started skyrocketing. More than that, it has failed us since we started using it and destroying our eco-system. And oil will run out. In the end, almost everything does. Currently we have around 80 years of useful oil supplies left. After that, as oil gains scarcity, the price will rise and it will lose usefulness. That is, if we don't kill ourselves first.
You have listed many different alternative energy sources, and I agree with you that most of them are not very useful. But on some of them you should check your sources. Hydroelectricity is a renewable, eco-friendly, and above all powerful energy source. I agree to some extent that Hydro electric would not be able to totally replace oil. Totally. I bet it can get close.
I'd like to introduce a relatively new renewable energy source called an Ocean Thermal Energy Converter (OTEC). It can reduce the Co2 emissions as well as reducing the amount of Co2 in the atmosphere. Th cold water it produces can be used for aquaculture. And there is no waste, besides a net Co2 output that it will draw back in. The system operates using water from the surface and water from 1000 feet below surface level. This water is at a 20C difference, and when compressed together will produce steam, pushing pistons to power the plant. Kind of like a Hydro motor.
How does it reduce the Co2 emissions, and the Co2 already in the atmosphere? It reduces the Co2 emissions by the reduction of fossil fuel burning. It also generates biomass in the form of algae which absorbs Co2 from the water and atmosphere to live. A downside of OTEC plants is they can only be built at a certain latitude, off the coast of Hawaii, the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba etc.
A plan to use these plants would be to, over the next 80 years, have a steady growth of OTEC plants, converting the United States gradually from oil to OTEC produced energy.
Thoth, I'm not sure whether I've heard about OTEC before. I'd certainly like to hear more about that. At this rate, you're going to have quite a list of research requests..
Well we do need Oil for cars and everything and the cars that run with sun could be very expensive,
I have a great idea, why don't we walk everywhere!(lol)
That works great for people in the city since their job is in the city most likely. However, people like my parents work 20-30 miles away. I don't see either of them fit to basically run a marathon anytime soon.
We don't NEED oil, we need alternatives.
-Ethanol was a bust because it KILLED the agriculture economy in terms of corn prices, and there would be no way to produce enough ethanol to power vehicles around the US alone.
-Hydro is a good though because it is harmless, reusable, and cheap; the only issue is producing engines to run on water (which is expensive)
-Solar is a free power-source that we have been technologically able to utilize for a long time now (solar power appliances).
Currently hybrid vehicles are the "temporary alternative" - this is because they still use gasoline.
We don't NEED oil, we need alternatives
Yes we do. We don't have any alternatives, so we need it. If we did not need it, then that would mean that we could ditch it right now and be able to have transportation ok. But we can't do that, so until we get to alternatives, we do need oil.
Also, alternatives might not be the best. Example: corn. While it cuts down emissions while used in cars, you uses just as much emissions to be made. Because what are the going to use the run the factories, oil. What else can they use. (They will use oil along side electricity).
And yes i know, wind power. But the small amounts of wind that are not that powerful can only do so much.
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