In reply to Wesley Bruce's message of Sun, 17 Jun 2007 12:28:07 +1000: Hi, [snip] >Good post Robin, I disagree on some points but a good post. We will see. >I hope fusion will save the day as you do but its wise to consider the >options. >A few points: >1. If earth quakes could not dislodge oil and natural gas from the >ground significantly why does anyone think CO2 will be as easily dislodged.
Partly because the only way to get the CO2 down there is to drill down from the surface creating a hole in the cap-stone. This provides a weak point that is likely to fail during an earth quake. You might counter that we would notice this while drilling for gas. However gas production doesn't last forever. IOW frequently the production period of any given well is less than the mean time between serious quakes, so the chances of the two occurring simultaneously may not be very high. CO2 repositories OTOH have to last "forever", so sooner or later they are bound to coincide with a major quake. Furthermore, methane is lighter than air, so when it does escape, it tends to rise up until it eventually mixes with the air and slowly oxidizes. CO2 is heavier than air, so it will hug the surface. >2. The wave power cables I'm talking about are true power system cables, >facilitation for university and private projects, not a power link to >Tasmania, same technology. The governments meager contribution to wave >power. Perhaps there's a delay I'll look for the site data. Thanks. [snip] >My somewhat sarcastic post is based on the simple idea that solutions >exist, putting all our eggs in one basket is a bad idea, even cold >fusion is a risk if it becomes our only solution. Maybe, but that would only happen over the long term anyway, as at present the many options available will all get tried, and some will make enough headway to provide a mix of options for a while. Eventually the best options will prove themselves as survivors. >I agree the coal miners can work elsewhere and the coal companies can >invest elsewhere. But some has them convinced that both the miners and >the shareholders are too stupid to do anything but dig up dirty black >stuff. The PM is also concerned about the balance of payments. Coal is >the stable part of our balance of payments. I actually wrote to them pointing out that Australia could become a major exporter of Solar derived energy, with a bit of a push from government, but who listens to me? ;) As you know, we have vast tracts of desert country that would be ideal for Solar, and are good for little else. We could easily supply the entire planet with energy if need be. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk The shrub is a plant.
