Water-Starved California Slows Development NY Times article. I live in Southern California and have been through a few droughts. I visited my Grandmother in 1975 when it got down to water rationing in the SF Bay area. Santa Barbara was building a system for converting salt water to potable water. Now we have less Colorado River Water and from the Owens Valley. And more people moving in. And farming gets water at super cheap prices, while cities can't get it. So why are we growing rice in California with a water shortage?
And for some reason, Walnut Valley Water District has issues returning my call to get a high efficiency Toilet. And they still have up a flyer from May 17th on their front page, as of today, June 6th. And the site says best viewed with IE and Windows 98, or higher!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Oil Production, Demand, Technology, and Prices
Oil Skyrockets in Biggest One-Day Gain Ever, Almost $11 because of the idea of using oil as a dollar hedge, if the dollar increases in value. The idea was supposed to be if the dollar went up, oil would go down.
Nobody is understanding the price of oil. India is subsidizing it, but recently has decided to reduce their subsidizing. So has Taiwan, China, Malaysian, and Taiwan. So do many countries in the Middle East. With the high Euro, Europe has not had their prices increase as much as the US, but they still have increased.
Many of the deposits of oil are in countries that are or have nationalized their production. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Venezuela, Russia, etc. The effect of shafting their foreign partners is reduced interest in investing. So you want me to invest so you can just reap the reward if their is a payoff? Hmm...
The cost of opening new fields is going up and taking longer. An interesting fact is old oil fields still have at least 50% of oil in them, the issue is the technology necessary to get more oil out is not available yet. The amount of oil that can be taken out of a field has been increasing.
So where is the price of oil going? Nobody knows. I believe technology will provide alternatives to oil that make sense, the question is how soon. Every year solar comes down in price, as does wind, and even Ethanol. The question is when will they be competitive? And if the price of oil crashes like it did after Carter left office, will development of alternate energy get stopped again? I hope not.
Nobody is understanding the price of oil. India is subsidizing it, but recently has decided to reduce their subsidizing. So has Taiwan, China, Malaysian, and Taiwan. So do many countries in the Middle East. With the high Euro, Europe has not had their prices increase as much as the US, but they still have increased.
Many of the deposits of oil are in countries that are or have nationalized their production. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Venezuela, Russia, etc. The effect of shafting their foreign partners is reduced interest in investing. So you want me to invest so you can just reap the reward if their is a payoff? Hmm...
The cost of opening new fields is going up and taking longer. An interesting fact is old oil fields still have at least 50% of oil in them, the issue is the technology necessary to get more oil out is not available yet. The amount of oil that can be taken out of a field has been increasing.
So where is the price of oil going? Nobody knows. I believe technology will provide alternatives to oil that make sense, the question is how soon. Every year solar comes down in price, as does wind, and even Ethanol. The question is when will they be competitive? And if the price of oil crashes like it did after Carter left office, will development of alternate energy get stopped again? I hope not.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
SUV 24 MPG W/O Hybrid!
Ford begins production of the Flex that gets 24 MPG by using 6 speed transmission. If they can get that type of mileage from an SUV with that type of transmission, what's possible on smaller car? And even better mileage is promised in the future when a turbocharged direct injection is added.
Thanks Instapundit for the link!
Thanks Instapundit for the link!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Crops - Possible Improvements
Supply and demand. Increased demand with same supply, means higher prices usually. Which then increases supply. With the huge increase in food prices, what are ways supply may increase? Monsanto Seeks Big Increase in Crop Yields is one way. Better seeds that may double yields for cotton for example. Another is opening up new areas for farming. The challenge with that is infrastructure for areas outside of developed countries. Africa due to European influence is against bio seeds. A lot of research and improvement is also possible in staples, such as Yams, Bananas, etc. that are eaten in the third world. Rice, Wheat, and Corn have gone through yield improvements.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Kyocera Updates
Kyocera fully converted to 180 micrometer solar wafer thickness
Key Points:
1. Fully converted to 180 mm, industry average is 200-260 mm. This means they need less silicon in their cells.
2. They have suppliers lined up so they can double production by 2011.
3. In 2010, they will have in mass production a cell with 18.5 efficiency.
Key Points:
1. Fully converted to 180 mm, industry average is 200-260 mm. This means they need less silicon in their cells.
2. They have suppliers lined up so they can double production by 2011.
3. In 2010, they will have in mass production a cell with 18.5 efficiency.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Myths about getting better gas mileage debunked
Myths about getting better gas mileage debunked from the LA Times. Which disagrees with this article Here are some tips on how to conserve gasoline this summer.
Per the LA Times article because of the onboard computer, many things such as a dirty fuel filter, air filter, etc. have a limited impact on mileage.
Per the LA Times article because of the onboard computer, many things such as a dirty fuel filter, air filter, etc. have a limited impact on mileage.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
New Fuel Standards
New fuel standards advancing lighter cars, hybrids, PRO: Motorists should blame the Bush administration for its 'pump ..., and Government's the real cause of gas price hike. Some interesting letters to to the editor My American Dream: No Gas Pumps
The first article just says auto makers have until 2020 till get higher gas mileage. Second and third could have been so much better.
There was no mention of hybrid SUV's, and their low sales rate. The cost difference ($600), and how this would fall as more were produced. Some thing like each time you double production the cost goes down 10% as the operation becomes more efficient, learning curve, etc.
I am surprised that Toyota has not come out in the US with a hybrid van, they have been selling them in Japan since 2001. It's also amazing how fat vans have become, the new luxury vehicle, compared to 20 years ago.
The first article just says auto makers have until 2020 till get higher gas mileage. Second and third could have been so much better.
There was no mention of hybrid SUV's, and their low sales rate. The cost difference ($600), and how this would fall as more were produced. Some thing like each time you double production the cost goes down 10% as the operation becomes more efficient, learning curve, etc.
I am surprised that Toyota has not come out in the US with a hybrid van, they have been selling them in Japan since 2001. It's also amazing how fat vans have become, the new luxury vehicle, compared to 20 years ago.
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