Stop Drilling For Oil In the US? or Prepare for a Methanol Economy?

by : Brandon Wirtz

Nick Athens wrote today that the US could increase the value of its oil fields by stockpiling domestic oil, while Scientic Blogging is talking about the move to a Methanol Economy.

I don't entirely disagree with Nick.  We should be investing in Oil.  I'd be in favor of auditing it in the ground and backing the US Dollar on a Crude Standard.  But what if we do move to a Methanol Economy? Is it possible that Crude will devalue against a more eco-friendly cheap fuel? 

It would seem that we can't entirely escape the use of Petroleum Products there are just some things you can't make from Methanol or other "grown" fuels.  Primarily because all of the alternative fuels are Corrosive.  Try as we might the move to alcohol as a fuel will mean the days of taking your car engine to 500k miles or rolling it over at a million will not happen and even the fairly common 150k mile engine will be a thing of the past.

I don't buy in to a hydrogen economy at all.  Hydrogen in Cars scares me.  I have seen Oxygen tanks explode, and we all know how the Hindenburg turned out.

Personally I like Solar.  There are a lot of roofs and while electric car ranges won't get me cross country learning to deal with 200 mile a day travel limit. 

Methanol Economy wasn't just on my mind, there are a lot of related posts today.

Is alcohol the energy answer? - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com

Hydrogen economy or methanol economy? at Seeker Blog

 

Oh and someone who agrees with me on the whole Hydrogen as Vapor (clever pun eh?)

ThePolitic.com ยป The Myth of the Hydrogen Economy

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