The Nightmare Ends | Green Energy News

August 6, 2010 – Vol.15 No.20

THE NIGHTMARE ENDS.
by Bruce Mulliiken, Green Energy News

I feel confident in saying this: The beast is dead. Stabbed in its heart by a pipe full of drilling mud and cement, the static kill of the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico is considered a success by BP. The U.S. EPA says there’s still more oil cleanup to do. It will take years to assess the damage done to the shoreline – particularly the marshes – and the ecosystems of the Gulf.

Will the disaster that began with the wreck of the Deepwater Horizon bring an end to offshore oil drilling? Think not. If anything the reverse will be true: There’ll be more drilling in deep ocean waters, not less. Perhaps not in the US, at least for awhile, but elsewhere in the world the spill, the cleanup and the long, but successful, efforts to kill the blown out well off US shores, will embolden more companies to seek oil in places once considered impossible. Here’s why:

The disaster turned into a learning experience for BP and other oil companies which were watching. From the beginning the blowout seemed preventable. Oil companies will be more careful in the future with drilling technology, such as the apparently faulty blow-out preventer. Oil companies will no longer rush jobs that appear dangerous: the Macondo well was troublesome, a nightmare all along. And, if disaster strikes again a mile or more down in the ocean, the technology and ability to cap a blown-out well at those depths is now available. Through trial and error (mostly error in the beginning) BP, perhaps with help from US government scientists, was able to develop and deploy the three-ram capping stack which, like a big shutoff valve, was able to finally stop the flow of oil into the Gulf.

BP and other companies can now say, “See, we can fix a blowout in deepwater. Let’s move on to more drilling.” If the same kind of blow-out were repeated, they could have it fixed in days, not months.

The oil spill and cleanup will be forgotten by most people within a matter of weeks, with the only reminders being along the Gulf coast itself and during election season. “Drill Baby Drill!” the call for more oil drilling in the US, could haunt presidential aspirations. Images of the burning Deepwater Horizon and oil-soaked pelicans will see to that.

The oil companies are among the richest on the planet. They’ll be moving forward at full speed ahead with more drilling, no matter what the consequences. (Global warming be damned!) Oil won’t be replaced real soon either, unless something comes along that’s better, cheaper, more profitable and easier to obtain. As the saying goes, “The Stone Age didn’t end for lack of rocks.” It ended because something better came along.

Oil may not be running out and may not have peaked, but it is getting more and more difficult to get. Difficult means expensive. Further, demand for oil rises almost daily. In countries such as China and India where cars continue to replace bicycles, oil demand growth is skyrocketing. Demand and the difficulty in extracting oil will keep upward pressure on prices in the long run.

Fortunately, car companies probably won’t be going back to the days of yore ignoring fuel economy. Car companies have learned their lesson: petroleum can’t be the only way to energize vehicles. The flow of low cost petroleum is unreliable and peaks in price can kill car sales. Car companies can’t build a future based on an unreliable source of fuel. Ever greater fuel efficiency and ever greater use of alternative fuels will help car companies weather nearly any storm, with the exception of a failed banking system.

The development of alternative fuels and vehicle technologies is as great as ever. General Motors’ commitment to extended range electric vehicles (also known as series hybrids) has been proven once again in its investment in Bright Automotive. Bright is developing an extended range electric commercial van which technically is very similar to GM’s Volt platform. The Volt extended range platform is a good way to move customers away from total oil reliance, giving drivers the freedom to drive long distances while also letting them drive without emissions by plugging in at home.

Elsewhere on the planet the extended range platform is already being tinkered with. Startup company Leo Motors of Korea says it has developed a Zinc Air Fuel Cell Generator (ZAFCG) that could be used in place of the liquid-fueled internal combustion engine generator (genset) used in an extended range electric vehicle. The ZAFCG would supply electricity to drive the vehicle once the battery ran out, but without any emissions.

If anything the Gulf of Mexico spill will convince more people that oil is not the only source of fuel. Car companies are increasingly ready to offer alternatives.

--- Leo Motors Develops Zinc-Air Fuel Cell for EV Range Extender.

--- General Motors and Bright Automotive Announce Partnership, Funding.