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The Department of Energy's Solution to
Dependency on Foreign Oil
Did you know The Department of Energy has already conducted an 18 year study
on a "solution" to foreign oil dependency which is economically feasible, practical,
and workable.
And with their solution the Department of Energy (DOE) shows that:
1) It can eliminate our dependency on foreign oil.
2) It can improve energy security and national security for our nation.
3) It can also leverage our limited supplies of fossil fuels while this program is
being ramped up.
4) It can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
5) And it can help reduce air pollution and related public health risks.
To begin with, energy security is the number one driving force behind the
DOE’s Solution to foreign oil dependency. The U.S. transportation sector is at
the heart of this security issue because 98% of the transportation sector in the
United States relies on petroleum mostly in the form of gasoline and diesel fuel.
Even minor hiccups in the supply of oil could have crippling economic results
and at the same time be detrimental to the security of our nation.
Recently we have seen our allies hesitant to back us because they too are
dependent on foreign oil and are fearful of having their own oil and gas
supplies cut off.
And with the threat of the development of nuclear weapons in the Mideast, we
have also found our diplomatic negotiations and our diplomatic threats falling on
deaf ears because these countries know they hold the trump card, the control of
the oil reserves and the flow of oil from the Mideast that we are so dependent on.
And since these countries don't really want the price of a barrel of oil to fall
below $100 per barrel, they know all they need to do is simply reduce their oil
production levels to ease downward pressures of the price of oil. OPEC nations
could soon control many market economies because they will control virtually all
of the oil export market.
If OPEC decides to increase the price of oil, this will set up a positive feedback loop
since oil is used directly or indirectly in everything. As the cost of oil increases,the costs
of everything else increases too.
So what is the Department of Energy's Solution to dependency on foreign oil?
It is Biodiesel From Algae.
High oil-producing algae can be used to produce biodiesel, a chemically modified
natural oil that is emerging as the exciting alternative for diesel engines. It can
be used in our existing diesel engines and it does not require altering the existing
fuel distribution infrastructure that other alternative fuels would demand.
One of many benefits of making biodiesel from algae is that it's a renewable source
of fuel that does not require converting our precious cropland from food production
to energy production. Making biodiesel from algae only requires carbon dioxide,
water with nutrients, and sunlight for growth.
At the same time, it is so very important to remember that we are not just replacing
transportation fuel. Our dependence on oil goes much deeper than just transportation
fuels. All plastic products, many of the materials used to make the clothes you wear,
the carpet you walk on, plus hundreds of the other products we take for granted are
made from petrochemicals.
Oil's many uses are so intertwined within our culture and should be taken into consideration
when deciding on an alternative source of fuel, and algae technology has the ability to produce
these petrochemicals.
Times, circumstances, and the price per barrel of oil have changed.
In 1996 when this DOE research and report was completed, cheap imported oil averaged
$20 per barrel and was considered abundant and at that time biodiesel from algae was
not considered cost effective and further development was not pursued.
However, times, circumstances, and the price per barrel of oil have changed and
now biodiesel from algae has become a very economically feasible solution
to foreign oil dependency.
We are already beginning to hear $100 per barrel projections, with $5.00 per gallon gas being projected for 2012. Why not start creating the "solution" to our dependency on foreign oil and
at the same time create a product which will become highly marketable to the world.
Diesel will be in demand for many decades to come, so why not have a "renewable" source
of diesel which can compete and eventually replace the depleting fossil fuel which OPEC
controls.
In a 327 page report the DOE lays out the basics of how this can be accomplished. And since
the time the report was completed in 1996, there have also been remarkable improvements
in temperature control, and control of airborne contaminants by using vertical closed loop
high density algae biodiesel bioreactors instead of algae ponds recommended in the study.
(To see the remarkable improvements in algae technology in action, view the video link below.)
(And to get a free copy of the DOE's 327 page report on Biodiesel From Algae technology, follow the link at the bottom of this report.)
Algae technology is also unique in its ability to produce a useful, high-volume product from
waste CO2 which also promotes the reduction of the basic cause of global warming.
Put quite simply, microalgae are remarkable and efficient biological factories capable of
taking a waste (zero-energy) form of carbon (CO2) and converting it into a high density
liquid form of energy (natural oil).
Instead of cap and trade, algae technology could be used to profitably recycle CO2
from smokestacks, fermentation, and geothermal, thus completing the thermodynamics
of producing energy. Not only do we produce the energy we need, we also responsibly
take care of the waste product (CO2) that is the result from the production of this energy.
Algal biodiesel is one of the only avenues available for high-volume re-use of CO2
generated in power plants. It is a technology that marries the potential need for
carbon disposal in the electric utility industry with the need for clean-burning
alternatives to petroleum in the transportation sector.
At the same time It can help reduce air pollution and related public health risks.
One of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) primary goals is to reduce public
health risks associated with environmental pollution. Biodiesel can play an effective role
in reducing emissions of many air pollutants, especially those targeted by EPA in urban areas.
These air pollutants include particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC),
sulfur oxides(SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and air toxics.
Hurricanes and Flooding threaten the destruction of Offshore Oil Production.
With the threat of global warming and detrimental climate changes that could intensify
hurricanes and threaten the destruction of our offshore oil production, it is only wise
to invest into a form oil production that can be set up on land away from the threat of
devastating hurricanes and flooding.
Where and How? It's been projected that we can produce enough biodiesel to replace all petroleum transportation fuels and totally eliminate our dependency on foreign oil by converting 1/10th of the state of New Mexico into the production of algae biodiesel.
And switching to algae biodiesel production would demand the least amount of transitional time,
effort, and costs because we can use our existing diesel engines and existing fuel distribution
infrastructure instead of having to create a new distribution infrastructure that would be needed
with other alternative fuel options.
The time to act is now. Let's start creating the "solution" to our dependency on foreign oil and at the same time create a renewable energy product which will become highly marketable to the entire world.
Related Links:
For a Video showing biodiesel algae production in action follow this link:
View Video
To get your free copy of the comprehensive DOE's ASP research report on Biodiesel from Algae that describes the research that was conducted between 1978 and 1996 follow this link:
Click Here