Neither Republican nor Democrat asked:


sources: like solar panels to convert water to hydrogen to fuel our cars - we have the technology, just don’t want to spend the money to convert over. So what is the break off point: $10/gallon, $20/gallon?
do you think the oil companies know what that point is and won’t allow the cost to reach it so they can keep their stranglehold?

OTTO

6 Responses to “At what point will the cost of gas make it more affordable to start using some of the other alternative energy”

1. Greg on October 25th, 2009 11:54 am

   PERCY

   Ummm… the DOE is piloting ethanol from switchgrass, not science fiction.

   This price spike isn’t going to last, but there’s a strong argument for renewable production anyway because almost half of our trade deficit is due to oil imports.

2. The Green Pimp on October 26th, 2009 1:29 pm

   SAM

   Using electric cars and nuclear plants to power them makes your fuel cost 4 cents per equivalent gallon. Tell lots of people.

3. Andrew M on October 27th, 2009 4:26 am

   PAT

   It will happen much lower than that. With the inevitability of rising prices, and the dangerousness of sending money overseas, allowing foreign nations that much control over us, and basically sending our money to nations that use that money to fund terrorism, the research and development money and conservation measures, long blocked by the influence that Big Oil money has wielded in Washington, will be brought to bear.

   The point of profitable return on alternative technology will get lower and lower as the technology improves. They’ve already increased, many times over, the energy output of solar cells, to the point where they are on par, in terms of energy cost with building a new coal plant.

   I think we’ve already reached the break off point where we WANT to go to other sources, so now technologies that are new or have been ignored will quickly gain on our outmoded status quo.

   The huge breakthrough that will happen in ethanol production will be when they figure out cellulose fermentation - then the stalks and wood product and paper waste will be able to be broken down into starches that can be converted to ethanol - basically waste from current agriculture will be used, so there would be ethanol production without putting a hit on the food production, and not requiring additional farming.

4. Puller58 on October 27th, 2009 1:52 pm

   RUDOLPH

   Do your own thing. You wait for the oil companies, and you’ll get cobwebs.

5. Noelle on October 30th, 2009 5:03 am

   MERLE

   Well the U.S. is already developing ethanol from corn as another fuel source. I guess now it’s just getting the car manufactures to have their cars run on ethanol. The only prob is that corn is used for food so it’s like do we sacrifice fuel for food or food for fuel.

   Gas at $10 or 20 is not uncommon world wide anyway. But of course we are still fighting for the oil that we probably wont be using in the next few years. If it was up to me thought i would have been using solar power and other types of fuel like you were saying because really we do have enough money (that of course is going to different apparently more important places).

6. Sacra Veritas on November 2nd, 2009 11:56 am

   WAYNE

   Well it would probably be around $50,000 to $100,000 to equip my van with solar panels, so gasoline would have to be much much higher. The point that I believe is overlooked on the alternate fuels debate is that there are no alternates that can be used in our cars in place of gasoline. It would require a conversion, or in many instances, a complete redo. Only the wealthy have the money to do that. Alternate energy sources are probably 10-20 years away.

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