Thursday, September 18, 2008
Hey buddy, want some cheap gas?
While I haven’t written here in a few weeks, it isn’t because I’ve been doing nothin’. Back in August I got reacquainted with a website called GasBuddy.com. It’s a social networking and information site focused on the local price of gas.
Each state has a unique version and when you register you can participate by entering the prices of local retail gas and diesel fuel in your area. There are also gas related news article links that provide opportunity for commentary that ranges from blah to spirited.
Forums for a variety of subjects are available, a log book where you can track mileage on your personal vehicles, resources for researching historical gas and crude oil prices and much more.
The primary benefit is being able to access readily available, up to date information on local gas prices, or if traveling, the prices in the areas you will be going through or to.
Recently the site has closed a contest where you “purchased” entries from points accumulated as you post prices, read articles, participate in polls and comments. You just daily check the site, post and every few days redeem points for contest entries.
The prizes, which have yet to be rewarded, are four $250 gas vouchers awarded to winners determined by random drawing from the entries. Not bad for posting some info and keeping yourself aware of the economics of oil and gasoline.
If you have yet to visit the site, check it out. But I must warn you, it can get addicting and end up taking anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour of more of your day. So use a bit of discipline and get only involved as you can afford.
"We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea and
we owe each other a terrible loyalty." - G. K. Chesterson
Labels: crude oil, gas, websites
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Gas Buddy
Just joined GasBuddy.com. Interesting way of keeping track of gas prices, getting current and historical data on gas and petroleum prices and viewing what other folk are saying about stuff relating to fuel costs, petroleum drilling/exploration, politics relating to petroleum, etc.
There's some tools for keeping track of you own fuel purchases that automatically calculate your mileage. The forums, like most ever where, are all over the map with opinion, but that's good too. Keeps you in touch with a variety of opinion and thought.
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We all work together to keep the data current. You get the benefit of other folks eyes and they get the benefit of yours. It's a community thing, everyone doing a bit to help each other find the best prices. In today's fuel price climate, that's good stuff.
I also added a widget to my desktop via Yahoo Widgets for GasBuddy so every day I have the latest prices in my area. Cool tool.
"We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea and
we owe each other a terrible loyalty." - G. K. Chesterson
Labels: community, fuel prices, gas, websites
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Is there a single solution?
In my previous post on this topic I talked about the need to expand the development of petroleum-based answers to the energy problems facing America. Today I want to take a look at alternative solutions.
Certainly alternative fuel vehicles, including hybrid, electric and fuel cell, are important resources to develop. But transportation only accounts for about 28% of US energy consumption. A comprehensive plan will address energy consumption in industry (33%), residential housing (21%) and commercial buildings (18%) as well.
The greatest hurdle to overcome in electric car technology has to do with the batteries. For decades auto manufacturers have used the tried and true lead-acid battery. It’s rechargeable, relatively long lasting and inexpensive to produce. But the greatest downfall of lead-acid batteries is their weight.
One of the latest technologies on this front is the zinc-air battery. These use oxygen in the air to react with cathodes to produce electricity. They have a high power to weight ratio, are safe and environmentally responsible. Several companies are working on moving the technology to the automobile arena.
Fuel cell technology is rapidly improving. Used for some time in a variety of exotic, static and military applications, in recent years researchers have working hard to develop technologies for automotive application. The intent is to either fully replace the petroleum fueled vehicle or to replace batteries in hybrid vehicles.
Hybrid vehicles are coming on strong and while they are relatively new, the technology is rapidly improving. Combining improved battery technology with small, efficient gas engines and powerful electric motors, hybrid vehicles look to have great prospects for long range, fuel-efficient vehicles.
Just about everyone has heard of solar power or wind power. Both seem to have great potential for generating large amounts of electricity using the right technologies.
When we hear "solar," most of us think of solar cells, i.e. photovoltaic, energy production. The technology with the greatest potential for producing electricity though is in Concentrating Solar Power (CSP). This technology produces electricity by concentrating the suns heat to generate huge amounts of steam that in turn is used to power electricity generating plants.
It’s estimated that arrays of these concentrating plants covering a combined area of only 100 by 100 miles square could generate enough electricity to supply the electrical power needs of the whole United States (Listen to an NPR story on this). One company, Arusa, is building a 177 megawatt plant in southern California to power 120,000 homes while Abengoa is building similar plants in Europe and South America.
Tidal generators are another up and coming technology using the action of waves and tides to generate electricity. While most of these have no direct application to transportation, they can relieve some of the environmental burden and produce electricity to charge electric vehicles.
Nuclear energy has been used around the world to produce electricity for decades. France, for one, has 59 nuclear plants producing 75% of its electricity, exporting much of that.
On the other hand, the US’s 100 nuclear plants produce only 20% of total electricity generated. After the Three Mile Island incident in 1979 plant construction came to a screeching halt. Now, nearly 30 years later, we are beginning to revisit nuclear energy. But the environmental lobby continues to roadblock plans along with the need to overcome lingering public fears whipped up by the media.
The technology has improved way beyond TMI and the US has never build any plants using the same technology as those in Chernobyl. Another recent development is the change in some of the leadership of the environmental lobby. Patrick Moore, a founder of Greenpeace, is now promoting nuclear power as an important part of solving the climate problem.
These are only some of the better-known technologies under research and development. Anyone of them has potential to impact the US energy need, working together they can provide a comprehensive solution to our current and future energy needs. But they require time for further development and to explore their potential affects on our economy and society, both pro an con. When we rush new technologies out too often the impact of unintended consequences is missed. By taking time to fully vet the technology we can hopefully anticipate and discover ways to diminish those negatives.
The greatest asset we have as a nation is our ability to innovate and develop new answers to the problems that trouble us. Our greatest enemy is jumping to quickly to a quick fix without dealing with the root problem. That is the nature of politics and while it didn’t used to be, is becoming the cry of the American people.
As a society we must begin to again take the long view to the challenges that face us. The “microwave mentality” works fine for cooking, but for serious problems we need to put it in the oven and let it “slow cook.” We must find full, comprehensive solutions that use every asset and resource available to us. The stakes are too high to do otherwise.
My next and final post in this series will discuss the impact of economic policy on the price of crude oil fuel at the pump.
Further reading: A Blind Man's Guide to Energy Policy
Interested in holding your politicians "feet to the fire?" Follow the link below to American Solutions where you can join others petitioning Congress to act now to expand use of our domestic resources.
"We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea and
we owe each other a terrible loyalty." - G. K. Chesterson
Labels: battery technology, concentrating solar power, crude oil, csp, fuel prices, gas, hybrid, nuclear power, oil, politics, solar power, technology, tidal generator, wave generator
Friday, May 30, 2008
Let them know how you really feel......
I received an email from "The Freedom Project" making available a petition/protest to Congress regarding the current energy debacle. I wrote as follows:
Respectfully...
- "Please forget the Fed gas tax "holiday." It's merely political pandering and will in the long run produce more bad than good. The only reason for it is for politicians to be able to say, "I did something."
Do something real, pass legislation to expand exploration to areas now restricted. This is a National Security issue. We MUST be able to have control of our energy supply, otherwise we are at the whim of every third world dictator and despot.
For me, while the cost at the pump hurts, what hurts more is the loss of security for my family and my grandkids. We must regain control of our energy supply, otherwise their future WILL be owned by every country who sells us energy.
Do something real, open exploration in areas now restricted. Do something real, support expansion of research in Shale Oil production, i.e. Raytheon's new technology.
Do something now, stop diverting corn to ethanol and incentivize a change to switchgrass. Do something now and provide substantial support to research and implementation of new energy sources like Concentrated Solar Power.
Don't talk about it, study it, demonize oil companies or any number of non-productive "political" responses. The problem is not the oil companies nor is it even the foreign oil suppliers.
Look in the mirror. Had Congress addressed this problem decades ago instead of "studying" it, we would not be here. Instead Congress gets in bed with those whose agenda runs counter to the good of the nation and her people.
Then, testing the political winds a concentrated effort is made to do...nothing.
Do something now, pass "real" legislation to address the problems, or get out of the way to allow some who will the opportunity to do so.
Thank you."
If you want to add your "two cents worth," Visit The Freedom Project.
"We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea and
we owe each other a terrible loyalty." - G. K. Chesterson