What will replace oil wells-?

...a quick analogy.

Watt is power
Volt is flow
Amp  is current or pressure

Watts = V (volts) x I (amps)

or I = Watts/V 
or V = Watts/I

Think of a stream leading to some falls where there is a water wheel or turbine. The wheel will put out power or work, or Watts.
 The water flows with a constant flow rate in gal/min or ft^3/min, this coincides with voltage, eg. 120 volts. This value does not change throughout the flow.
 Before the water reaches the waterwheel, the stream narrows. In order to keep the same flow rate, the water must speed up. This velocity is the current. The faster this current, the more power you can produce.
  Now think about a wire that has been hit with a nail. Now there is a notch taken out of the wire. Now the electrons traveling through the wire have to travel faster through this part of the wire that has been narrowed. this causes friction and overheating.
 So a certain size wire can only carry so many amps at a given voltage over a certain distance before it either over heats or the internal resistance stops the flow.
 So both amps and volts can contribute to more power. If you install a 50 W vs. a 100 W lightbulb in a socket, the voltage is the same but more current has to flow to the 100 W bulb, and it's flow will be twice as fast. If you stick your finger in the socket, the more amps the bigger the jolt or wallup from the increased, moving mass of electrons.
   

Thomas,

It seems to me that anything that can run off of grid-supplied electricity could also run off of a PV system.  My small PV array generates 30 amps.  Increasing the size of my system by 10X would yield 300 amps, and increasing it by another 10X would yield 3000 amps.  The Exeltech MX series of inverters can be stacked to provide 60KW at 208VAC 3 phase.  Strategies could be employed to overcome the high motor-starting current, and other challenges.  Conservation and energy-efficient equipment would be a big help of course. 

John D

My only concern here is for my children’s future. If solar panels and wind-powered systems can take the load needed to run our industrial complex then I’m one happy camper. But being a pessimists I have my doubts. If we become complacent and rely on a technology that can not meet our future needs then we have gone down the wrong path. I think solar and wind have their place in the energy grid but my bet is they can never meet the energy demands we now take for granted. Having said that I must ask is there an alternative-?

I say there is and it is geothermal. When I research geothermal heat mining I find experts saying that this approach is unworkable because magma is just too hot to handle. This may have been true in the past but now I think we need to rethink this energy resource in a big way. In 2005, total worldwide energy consumption was 500 EJ (= 5 x 1020 J) (or 138,900 TWh) with 86.5% derived from the combustion of fossil fuels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_resources_and_consumption


Fossil fuels are finite and when this runs out I seriously doubt that wind and solar will replace it.

“I look forward to a new breed of electric cars, and other advances that will help move us away from fossil fuel.”

I do tooooo

Thanks for your reply

Thomas

Why not turn it all off?
What law is there that states; If we have a thing, then we must utilize it.
Chances are you may have access to a knife, does that mean you are suppose to cut everything in site?
That would appear as adolescent mischief, teenage angst, wouldn't it?
How is what we are doing with man made energy any different?
Just because we know how to utilize it doesn't automatically mean we have to utilize it.
I think that what scares people the most about turning it all off (man made energy in general) and putting it away, is that, without having to see the facts and figures we all just seem to know that this action would start a process of about 4.5 billion people dieing over a period of about 100 years and quite frankly, what to do with all those dead bodies. Especially if it where done "cold turkey" and not a long drawn out process over the 100 years. Think about the impact all those dead bodies would have on the environment. Think about the impact on the environment they are having, living. We all know what the problem is. We all know what the solution is. Coming up with new types of energy to to replace the old is like sharpening that knife.

"plenty of room for all, and them some."
Are you sure about that ?

The physical space problem is the easiest. It is just a little more density per sq mile.
But we have a problem of feeding the world's current population.

We also have an energy problem. Even without any more population growth, as the developing nations make progress, their per capita energy use is going to go up dramatically. Currently China's per capita use is skyrocketing.

We in the US, have the one of the most abundant food supplies in the world. We also consume a substantial portion of the world’s energy.

How much of your food and energy use are you willing to sacrifice, to provide a more equal distribution around the world ? (a: for the current population, b: for an increasing pop.)

I agree with you that first and foremost on one’s mind is to take care of you and yours first. Making yourself energy independent is a very worthwhile endeavor and I applaud anyone who takes this path.

Unfortunately being a city dweller I don’t have that many options.

One doesn't have to be a devout Christian to understand the words of Christ as written in the Gospel of Matthew. With these words Christ speaks to all people and all religions, through all time. For those that don't understand the connection in my last post within this thread.
The occurrence of an additional 4.5 billion people over the past 108 years is "the house built on sand." The "sand" is all of these energies we believe that we cannot live with out. I believe that the human race would survive without those energies, just not all 6.5 billion of us.

"What will replace oil wells?"
Taken out of context it appears as a simple and honest question but in review of this thread, I feel that it was a baited question used to draw us into a debate about harvesting the natural energy of geothermal and turning it into electricity. There is no guilt to be laid here for "baiting." If there was then I would be as guilty because I have done the same in the past.

Even though it may not be what the majority of us would like to see in the future, I still think that in the near future, the powers that be will proclaim that they have found a way to "safely" harvest methane hydrates from the oceans floor and derive a "natural" gas from it for use as a means to "free us from dwindling supplies of crude oil and coal." I am not saying that renewables will not have a place in the future. There is no doubt about that but there is a doubt about how affordable renewables will be when compared to methane hydrates as an energy source for 6.5 billion, or more, people in the future. After all, the "powers that be" have to maintain there monopoly, don't they? Without it they cannot control the world. Who is "they," you ask?
http://www.asis.com/users/stag/thewar.html
Believe or not!

I know that I'm probably feeding a can of worms here, but this one tickles me .  What if all the hubbies told their wives.......sorry dear, you can't use the washer anymore, because we are abandoning the addiction to electricity, and you will have to wash them by hand on a scrub board down at the lake. (which is frozen over and laden with runoff contaminants).  The dryer is also a thing of the past, so you will have to hang them out on the clothesline and wait until spring for them to dry.  Forget our electric geothermal heating unit.....we will just dress for the cold and try to keep the water lines from freezing inside the house.  I will shut off the solar panels and wind turbines, since we no longer have any need for electricity, and we will cook our meals over a campfire in the garage with the limited wood that I managed to gather this spring with my gas powered chainsaw. Forget the TV set.......we will find other ways to keep abreast of news, and find other ways to entertain ourselves.  I hope that all the hubbies have a dog house, because you will have to sleep there, and take the dog along with you to keep you warm.  Hmmmmm, its a three dog night. Hey, this is fun........return to primal living conditions?  Might as well face reality.........electricity and appliances are here to stay?  No offense intended to anyone, but I couldn't resist.   Electricity is not an evil......we just need to generate it in a responsible manner.

Thomas Allen Schmidt posted an article that said:

“There are two factions, God’s people and Satan’s people.”

One of these factions lives in Israel, can you guess which one that is-?

Our transportation system needs an engine power system like we now have on trains. Fuel cell, biofuel or natural gas runs a generator that powers electric motors that drives our transportation system.

& I agree, this is not the forum to discuss religion

Your detailed explanation of how a train’s power system works was great. Clearly you have an understanding of power systems that is way over my head. Thanks for taking the time to lay it out for layman like myself.

Biomediation seems to be the new frontier in energy management. Biomediation is an organic process where algae absorbs the co2 pollutant, gives off oxygen as a byproduct and then the algae is then turned into plastics and or burned as a fuel. When this process is perfected coal and natural gas will no longer be polluters.

Bugs are used in a biomediation system

http://www.infolink.com.au/c/Enware-Australia/Bugs-are-used-in-a-biomediation-system-n760718

The world is unfolding as it should. The human race was doing just fine before we started using oil and it will do even better when we stop using oil.

Mankind is a very resourceful creature. When the time comes we will find the solutions. And yes, it was a catchy phrase and thanks for your thoughtful reply.