Oil Shale, the next alternative

[El_Machinae]

I have been considering moving to Ft McMurry myself >.> I've even my girlfriend sold on the idea (she was born in Edmonton, but don't let her know I told anyone <.<)

Learn how to live minimally. Living in anything other than your car up there is uber expensive. But if you're willing to live like a pauper (living in your van and eating only canned foods), you can make a fortune. And that fortune is transferrable when you're done.

Annex Alberta, IMHO.

Yeah, we know we're pooched in the long-run. "Americans need our living space, and we are freeing the oppressed Albertans!"

 

[sonorakitch]

That's what I've understood. This would put Canada in a very strong diplomatic position relative to the U.S. A mouse and elephant type thing.

Yes, maybe so, but we Americans will still end up with all their comedians!

~Chris

 

[History_Buff]

Yeah, we know we're pooched in the long-run. "Americans need our living space, and we are freeing the oppressed Albertans!"

Ah, but with Calgary growing the way it is, there soon won't be any living space left go around. The City of Edmongary, 2050

 

[carlosMM]

In defence of the oil shale:
In Germany, there is a company successfully using oil 'shale' for an energy source. But it has very special circumstances that make this economically viable. The story is this:

Burnt Lias epsilon, a layered bitminous mudstone, makes the perfect addition to burnt limestone to make portland cement. The energy gained from burning the 'shale' is sufficient to heat the oven to burn the limestone up to roughly half the temp needed, thus, as the shale must be burnt anyways, the energy is used for the other prcesses.

This is the only economically and ecologically viable use for oil shale as a energy carrier.

 

[jalapeno_dude]

In defence of the oil shale:
In Germany, there is a company successfully using oil 'shale' for an energy source. But it has very special circumstances that make this economically viable. The story is this:

Burnt Lias epsilon, a layered bitminous mudstone, makes the perfect addition to burnt limestone to make portland cement. The energy gained from burning the 'shale' is sufficient to heat the oven to burn the limestone up to roughly half the temp needed, thus, as the shale must be burnt anyways, the energy is used for the other prcesses.

This is the only economically and ecologically viable use for oil shale as a energy carrier.

But doesn't economic viability depend on the conditions of the oil market?

 

[emzie]

This is the only economically and ecologically viable use for oil shale as a energy carrier.

With the current technology.

 

[jalapeno_dude]

With the current technology.

Exactly. And shelling out more money for research into a better technology will make more sense as the price of conventional oil refining and drilling continues to rise.

 

[carlosMM]

But doesn't economic viability depend on the conditions of the oil market?

no, not only.
there's also the issue of pollution.

Simply said: wood has a higher burn value than oil shale. Thus, oil shale will not become economically viable unless you look into a future with world-wide desertification - ouch!

 

[ainwood]

This is the only economically and ecologically viable use for oil shale as a energy carrier.

Oil shale or oil sands?

 

[carlosMM]

oil shale, as mentioned in the title, OP, and as I wrote in the quote you give.

Oil sands are something entirely different.

 

[Paradigne]

We don't want to use this yet. We want to use up ALL the oil in the middle east first, THAN we can use out own resources...