Skyrocketing Energy Demands Predicted

Demand For Energy, CO2 Emissions, Both Could Be 50 Percent Higher By 2030; Fossil Fuel Dependence To Remain High

(AP)  Despite persistently high oil prices, global energy demand will grow by 50 percent over the next two decades with continued heavy reliance on environmentally troublesome fossil fuels, especially coal and oil, the U.S. government predicted Wednesday.

The projections by the Energy Department's statistical agency said that without mandatory actions to address global warming, the amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide flowing into the atmosphere each year from energy use will be 51 percent greater in 2030 than it was three years ago.

"Fossil fuels ... are expected to continue supplying much of the energy used worldwide," the Energy Information Administration report predicts, in spite of the growth of renewable energy sources, especial wind and biofuels.

"Global energy demand grows despite the sustained high world oil prices that are projected to persist over the long term," said the report. Oil could cost as little as $113 a barrel or as much as $186 a barrel in 2030, the analysis concluded.

The report provided both high and low price scenarios because of the uncertainties of projecting future long-term energy prices. Given current oil prices, the report says world oil prices appear on a path that more closely resembles the higher price scenario of $183 a barrel oil in 22 years.

Still, the report predicted continued growth of petroleum use in transportation and heavy coal use to produce electricity.

The report assumes in its analysis no additional measures to curtail carbon dioxide emissions to address climate change.

The expected growth in energy demand is especially dramatic in developing countries, led by China, that are expected to have continued strong economic growth over the next two decades.

For example, the use of coal worldwide is expected to increase at a rate of 2 percent a year. China alone will account for nearly three-fourths of that increase, the report said.

The world's demand for liquid fuels - mostly oil - will continue to grow to 113 million barrels a day by 2030, nearly a third more than is consumed today.

Unconventional oil such as oil shale and biofuels such as ethanol should grow to nearly 10 percent of total liquid fuels. Still, with continued demand for conventional crude oil, the OPEC cartel is expected to increase production at a pace that will keep its 40 percent market share, the report predicts.

It also projects:

-Electricity production from nuclear power plants growing by one-third with the addition of 124 new nuclear power plants by 2030, as many as 45 of them in China, 17 in India, 18 in Russia and 15 in the United States.

-Natural gas "will replace oil wherever possible" especially in industrial uses, causing demand to grow for the fuel, which has less of a greenhouse gas impact than other fossil fuels.

-A growth in the demand for liquefied natural gas, or LNG, with production concentrated in the Middle East and Africa.

-A 2.1 percent annual growth in renewable energy for electricity generation, but mostly because of increases in the use of hydroelectric power in developing countries.

[tburzio]

The day we run out of oil is the day that 2/3 of us die.

[aerhed]

Please look up PROJECT WAGON WHEEL, PLOWSHARE, AND GASBUGGY. After you''ve googled these, tell me how benevolent the oil companies are. Notice how far ahead they plan their evil deeds. Can you believe they have any consideration for anyone or anything?

[aerhed]

Dude, if we dig/drill all the coal, shale, and oil, where will you put your house? On a tailing pile? Did you know that an oil company lowered a PLUTONIUM BOMB 10,000 feet into the PINEDALE ANTICLINE on the GREEN RIVER MESA, which is winter graze for the WORLD''S LONGEST MULE DEER MIGRATION? It was called the WAGON WHEEL PROJECT. It didn''t work because the pressure collapsed the bomb. IT''S STILL THERE BECAUSE THEY COULDN''T PULL IT OUT OF THE HOLE! Believe me folks I couldn''t make this up if I tried. Please look it up!

[messenger9]

Funny because here in the USA gasoline consumption is down from last year yet the price keeps on increasing. If the price was based on demand then when demand is down and the price rises doesn''t that show the price is not based on demand but stupid projections like this?

Right now I pay almost 100 bucks to fill up my empty tank. Like many other Americans, I do not waste gas driving around anymore.

Tip : driving around 50mph will give you better gas mileage. I never go over 50 and always accelerate slowly. It really helps. Coasting up to a stop light as far as you can also helps. I laugh at all the foolish SUV''s that pass me.

[hypnotoad72]

$150 barrels by week''s end. :rollseyes:

[ubrew12]

cyberus said: "I have issues not with Nuke plants but nuke plant waste, until we figure out a way to either better utilize the fuel rods,"

I''m pretty pro-nuke, but basically, they are God''s gift to terrorists. Also, nuke power is the most expensive power out there, bar none. Also, I have a sneaking suspicion that nuke and fossil power find support among neocons BECAUSE they both require fuels. Control the fuel, control the people. Renewable fuels are basically free, their cost is the cost of construction only. Build it, and after 20 years, the energy is free. That''s the way its been for hydro-power in the U.S. for 40 years now. Free energy! The very concept sends pangs of fear into neocons everywhere.

Also, renewable energy plants use an energy source SO low in power density that bombing them is only a great way to uselessly use up your bomb making materials.

[cyberus-2009]

----
Proposed wind farms get stopped because they are either eyesores & nobody wants to look at them or some birds died running into them.
Proposed tidal energy plant get stopped because either nobody wants them on thier beaches or because of claims of damage to the ocean environment.
----
Response:I agree, NOT IN MY BACKYARD is preventing most development of clean alternative energy generation in this country.

-----
Masive solor farms in the southwest get shut down because there is some kind of rare lizard lives there.
----
Response:As much as I hate to say it ... we need to start looking at how thing impact animals rather than simply shutting down projects. If a solar panel simply means the lizard is going to have to move to a different rock 10ft away to sun itself oh well.
-----
And nuclear always get a bad reputation even though Europe is quite happy with thier safety and are fast tracking dozens more of them. But, here in the US you get dozens of people chaining themselves up in protest against one.
The longer the radical environmentalists tie things up the longer we will be dependant on oil & coal.

Posted by Questionnews
-----
Response: Ok here is where we differ, I have issues not with Nuke plants but nuke plant waste, until we figure out a way to either better utilize the fuel rods, or reprocess them the amount of very very long term radioactive wastes produced is worrisome to me.

[Syndicate]

ITER goes online in 9 years.

[questionnews]

I agree. We should start mass building nuclear reactors in the south. If one happens to blow up, the collateral damage would be minimum compared to other areas of the country.

Posted by jlagat at 03:20 PM : Jun 25, 2008

And it would help the opossum hunter if thier targets glowed in the dark.

[jlagat]

One of our biggest challenges is getting past the radical environmentalists & thier lawyers in order to begin building the alternative energy infrastructure.

Proposed wind farms get stopped because they are either eyesores & nobody wants to look at them or some birds died running into them.
Proposed tidal energy plant get stopped because either nobody wants them on thier beaches or because of claims of damage to the ocean environment.
Masive solor farms in the southwest get shut down because there is some kind of rare lizard lives there.
And nuclear always get a bad reputation even though Europe is quite happy with thier safety and are fast tracking dozens more of them. But, here in the US you get dozens of people chaining themselves up in protest against one.
The longer the radical environmentalists tie things up the longer we will be dependant on oil & coal.


Posted by Questionnews at 02:14 PM : Jun 25, 2008

I agree. We should start mass building nuclear reactors in the south. If one happens to blow up, the collateral damage would be minimum compared to other areas of the country.

[questionnews]

I believe our only hope for making a change in all of this is to vote in an entire new Congress. Then maybe they will start working for us.

Posted by EdgarDebbins at 03:04 PM : Jun 25, 2008

What? And waste all that kickback & bribery money that we have invested in these people. How can you expect corporations to buy a whole new group of people. That would double the cost they have budgeted for buying congress and would hurt the bottom line.

[edgardebbins]

I believe our only hope for making a change in all of this is to vote in an entire new Congress. Then maybe they will start working for us.

[lewiston14]

What is the point of having a no profit business go through all that work for nothing. Much more easy to stay in an AC''ed office and hedge fund next months price. What the oil companys got in profit this last quarter is chump change compared to the 165 billion YOU just gave Bush for the next 3 months.

[fstop100]

The source of all our energy needs to be not for profit companies. If our government wasn''t so crooked and stupid it could supply all our energy without private companies like Exxon ripping us off.

[fstop100]

Maybe we will find fuel on Mars.

Marvin won''t rip us off

[lewiston14]

You don%u2019t need to be a fortune teller to know energy demand will go anywhere other then up unless a major war wipes out > of the population.

[questionnews]

One of our biggest challenges is getting past the radical environmentalists & thier lawyers in order to begin building the alternative energy infrastructure.

Proposed wind farms get stopped because they are either eyesores & nobody wants to look at them or some birds died running into them.
Proposed tidal energy plant get stopped because either nobody wants them on thier beaches or because of claims of damage to the ocean environment.
Masive solor farms in the southwest get shut down because there is some kind of rare lizard lives there.
And nuclear always get a bad reputation even though Europe is quite happy with thier safety and are fast tracking dozens more of them. But, here in the US you get dozens of people chaining themselves up in protest against one.
The longer the radical environmentalists tie things up the longer we will be dependant on oil & coal.

[rf35]

The short version of the story...

Prediction: Nothing will change except the air will be dirtier and you can expect to get poked even deeper at the gas pump.

[kennedy7955]

The UK is said to be planning on building wave farms off the coat. 2 wave farms, each 100 square miles has been predicted to provide all the electricity that Britain will need. What is the US doing? Maybe start a war with Iran? Dear Mr. Bush, war is not an energy policy.

[kennedy7955]

and still we have no *** energy policy.