[Marxism] # Re: The uselessness of the term "peak oil",

[David Walters]

Just on Australia...first the most immediate fight is against state 
attempts to privatize the energy sector. I think it's in NSW that this 
fight is of particular importance so I wish all of you solidarity there 
who are involved in this.

Secondly,  geothermal. Geothermal has be the most 'beloved' form of any 
energy there is...it's "on demand", 24/7,  can even load follow. 
Everyone likes it. Really. The problem is that 80% of thermal are 
essentially "fossil steam". They tap existing steam or hot water 
reservoirs and they do not replenish.

The "hot rocks" method is not the same as typical geothermal described 
above. It means inject water...LOTS of water, on these hot  rocks and 
hopefully the pressure generated can be mined and used in a standard 
steam turbine. There is a reason it is not used in most places: the 
engineering is expensive, it uses lots of water (as I said above) and 
requires a huge investment with no guarantee a watt of power will be 
produced.

I 'can be' an answer but is not THE answer until it's proven that steam 
generated can actually be used. Until then it's so much speculation, 
albeit one that should be explored.

Thirdly..."carbon sequestration". Good luck with that. No one has done 
on a scale that is required. It's mostly marketing by the big coal 
companies in the US and Australia. Coal prices are rising (as is every 
form of energy generation) and this will double the price of power from 
coal generation and does nothing to eliminate the real deadly aspect of 
coal: particulate laden with heavy metals.

This forum is not to debate the nuclear issues (you've been WARNED). I 
will correct /S. Artesian who argued that nuclear is 'primitive'. The 
only issues right now that are holding up nuclear can be reduced to two 
things: cost, and spent nuclear fuel or what anti-nuclear types call 
"waste". Those the biggees.

David
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