Burner Trouble- global warming and climate change from a personal perspective
Water wars, oil wars, climate change, global warming, A personal view
Los Alamos scientists propose turning CO2 into gasoline
Author: martin20 Feb
Apparently it’s not rocket science to do this but it would require a lot of power so they are proposing creating a nuclear-powered gasoline generation plant that would convert carbon dioxide into gas.
Just one more technology solution to throw into the mix. This one becomes viable when gas at the pump hits $4.60/gallon. The national average cost a year ago was $2.26, today its around $3.20 but oil closed above $100/barrel yesterday for the first time so that $4+ number could happen this year.
The economics of alternative energy sources get a lot more compelling as prices rise, just as do those of public transportation.
One Response for "Los Alamos scientists propose turning CO2 into gasoline"
This could make a huge difference. Before, there were no plausible means of producing motor fuels that didn’t raise the CO2 levels. Biofuels won’t do the job, and there’s no guarantee that portable hydrogen storage will ever be achieved or that batteries will ever achieve the kinds of energy densities required.
Martin and Kubic make a convincing case and, if they’re right, we really could avoid the worst consequences of global warming.
I wonder if they might be overstating the capital costs. To meet the world’s electricity needs the installed electrical capacity has to satisfy peak demand, which means most of the time there’ll be idle equipment. Why couldn’t that idle equipment generate the energy and hydrogen needed for motor fuels?
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