Perpetual Innovation

Category: oil

  • The Energy Roadmap – The Edison of our Age: Stan Ovshinsky … Who killed the Electric Car?… a who dun it of history.

    Ovshinsky is compared to Edison as a prolific inventor… He hold patents on NiMH batteries. His solar cells power the MIR space station.
    Good question on Cobasys and the restrictions on next-gen batteries by the patents held within the company.!:-) The batteries that have become so critical in the next generation of batteries, electric cars, etc. are subject to patents by Ovshinsky (and the Cobasys company).
    Cobasys is a 50/50 joint venture with Chevron/Texico and Ovonics. Ovonics has the Stan Ovshinsky inventions and GM now has a big ownership stake in that company.
    So let’s see, a BIG oil and a BIG auto have a BIG stake in the very batteries that make an electric car viable.
    Look at “Patent encumbrances” at Wikipedia. The discussion on “Who Killed the Electric Car?” seem far truer than I ever imagined. This whole topic requires a lot more reading. But before picking up the thread again, I want to watch the movie.
    Anybody out there have big ideas (substantiated by facts, I hope) on the issue.
    Keywords: electric car, EV, oil, auto, battery, patent, patent encumbrances, inventor, Ovshinsky 

    See similar blog over in www.SustainZine.com. 

  • The Energy Roadmap – The Edison of our Age: Stan Ovshinsky and the Future of Energy [Video Interview Part 1]

    The Energy Roadmap – The Edison of our Age: Stan Ovshinsky and the Future of Energy [Video Interview Part 1]:

    Ovshinsky is compared to Edison as a prolific inventor… He hold patents on NiMH batteries. His solar cells power the MIR space station.

    Good question on Cobasys and the restrictions on next-gen batteries by the patents held within the company.!:-) The batteries that have become so critical in the next generation of batteries, electric cars, etc. are subject to patents by Ovshinsky (and the Cobasys company).

    Cobasys is a 50/50 joint venture with Chevron/Texico and Ovonics. Ovonics has the Stan Ovshinsky inventions and GM now has a big ownership stake in that company.

    So let’s see, a BIG oil and a BIG auto have a BIG stake in the very batteries that make an electric car viable.

    Look at “Patent encumbrances” at Wikipedia. The discussion on “Who Killed the Electric Car?” seem far truer than I ever imagined. This whole topic requires a lot more reading. But before picking up the thread again, I want to watch the movie.

    Anybody out there have big ideas (substantiated by facts, I hope) on the issue.

    Keywords: electric car, EV, oil, auto, battery, patent, patent encumbrances, inventor,

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  • Reduce Oil Dependence Costs

    Reduce Oil Dependence Costs: “Nearly 40% of the oil we use is imported, costing us roughly $300 billion annually. Increased domestic oil production from shale formations and improved fuel economy standards have decreased oil imports over the past few years, but the U.S. Department of Energy projects that we will continue to rely on imports for 35% to 40% of our petroleum needs in the future.”

    This is interesting. The rate of oil imports is dropping like lead. We are down dramatically form 13m Barrels per day in August 2006 before the Great Recession to only about 6m in 2013. See stats here: http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MTTNTUS2&f=M

    Several oil Execs have commented that we should be North-America energy independent about the end of this decade. US independence should probably happen within 10 years, (Assuming that the US gov let’s us start exporting.)

    How did the Department of Energy get this so very wrong?

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  • The Energy Quiz | ExxonMobil

    The Energy Quiz | ExxonMobil:

    Try the energy Quiz from ExxonMobil:  exxonmobil.com/quiz
    It has 4 categories related to energy: people, sources, uses and savings. There are 5 questions in each section.

    Interesting that the actual quiz lives here: http://corporate.exxonmobil.com/en/company/advertising-campaigns/energy-lives-here/quiz
    Under the advertising campaign.

    I didn’t do well on the quiz. And you probably won’t either. I do take issue with at least one of the 5 questions in each category. I don’t like how they state projections as fact. (Make sure not to over think it.)

    BUT this is a very cool quiz and provides very nice information for people to think about.

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  • Ceres Monthly Newsletter – Flaring of Gas/NatGas

    Ceres Monthly Newsletter:
    Ceres Monthly Newsletter – Flaring of Gas/NatGas
    This report starts to document the amount of gas (nat gas) that is flared in the production of oil/gas.

    In the US we can’t get the nat gas to market, so it is imply flared in many cases. The oil (wet particulates) are much more valuable so that is shipped by pipe if possible, but by truck or train if not.

    One statement from a CEO in the oil patch has commented that half of the nat gas produces in the US is being flared. Safety, of course is critical. But this is a humongous waste of energy and environmental waste as well.

    Check out the article and then look at the report here: http://www.ceres.org/resources/reports/flaring-up-north-dakota-natural-gas-flaring-more-than-doubles-in-two-years/view

    Basic economics is one approach to this issue. If NatGas were more valuable, then there would be very little flaring. Right now it is about $3.50 (per … unit) in the USA. So Nat gas is a byproduct of the production of oil unless it can be readily distributed to market (pipeline).  But for the world markets, NatGas is very valuable, let’s say $10. If we can bridge the gap from domestic only to world, then the price would jump and the flaring would, well, burn out. 🙂

    The key is liquefied natural gas (LNG). Not coincidentally, LNG is the trading symbol of Chaniere Energy, one the the leading players in infrastructure for exporting LNG.

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