Liquid coal: A cheaper, cleaner 21st century fuel?

yahoo.com ^ | 12/17/2006 | Steve James

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

...a patent is valid for only 17 years.

Good point.

[RobRoy]

Currently in my Seattle suburb, gas is $.25 more expensive now than on election day.

[Diplomat]

Nuclear power is not a feasible solution for the transportation sectors energy needs. If you do not believe me, try driving an electric car or that matter an electric truck, or better yet an electric plane.

Alternate fuels really mean alternative fuels for an internal combustion engine or like application.

[LeGrande]

Everyone seems to be missing the point. The bottom line is cost. Oil is the cheapest source of energy to run automobiles on.

The Saudi's total cost of pumping crude is less than $2.00 a barrel. True in most of the rest of the world it's around $10-15 a barrel, but the point is that is simply isn't economical at this time to jump into alternative energy and it won't be for quite a while.

No alternative energy source is going to be price competitive for 20 plus years. Our best strategy is to drain the middle east fields as fast and as cheaply as we can.

[VOA]

bump

[Diggadave]

Ah! I see your point. Trouble is, who is going to pay Exxon Mobil an extra 2 cents on the gallon to subsidise solar (which is barely profitable with tax rebates and subsidies)?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

...which is barely profitable with tax rebates and subsidies...

I think that is definitely part of the problem. Solar never took off as expected.
Or was this foreseen as a possibility and Mobil knew they could afford to usurp it and sit on it until it became profitable by the death of oil? Again...just me being cynical.

[Diggadave]

well, part of the problem is that with energy costs actually historically low, there is no incentive for people to use them. That doesn't help any corporation in a position to sell them, since there is not a visible, ready or expanding market to sell them to and it would be hard to persuade investors to back the company if it was seen to be selling unwanted products.

That said, innovative companies can create a market ahead of consumers, as demonstrated by Toyota. The Big 3 decried Toyota's efforts with hybrids, but Ford has to license their technology to jump on the band wagon as Toyota take their money to fund further developments.

I love the idea of using a geo-thermal system at home, to help heat & cool my house, but according to this article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16191419/) I would be expending about $30,000 (and that's just set-up costs) on a system that might save me about $1500-1800 a year (assuming oil & gas prices rise during the same period).
It just isn't viable, unless I install it in a house I am going to live in for 15 years.

Without the incentive of saving money (not exactly everyone's favourite game), solar and other technologies look like nice but VERY expensive ideas.