When oil runs out

[Ian G]

At some time in the future when all the oil has gone, I assume we will be using eletricity from wind/solar etc to power most of our homes and cars etc. But what's the options for something like an areoplane? Surely you can't have an electric jumbo jet!

[rekstout]

Possibly a synthetic fossil fuel. Just like we can already create ethanol and plant oils for running cars we could probably synthesise an alternative to kerosene - I must say I would be very surprised if research is not already well underway.

We could always use Hydrogen but that tends to work more like a rocket fuel and is not geared up for turbofan engines and passenger aircraft - more for missiles and the like.

[New Forester]

Jet aeroplanes are horribly inefficient, and waste colossal amounts of precious energy. And jet fuel is not even taxed... There is a limit to how efficiently you can push large lumps of metal very fast through air. Jet planes will become more efficient in the next few decades, but not nearly enough to make them cheap in real terms. Likewise, other energy sources must come from somewhere -- electricity and hydrogen need power stations to make them. Therefore when oil reaches its true price, jet planes will vanish, except for very expensive specialist uses such as the military. If we can't break ourselves of the habit of international travel, we will have to go back to ships -- or turn to airships. Airships use very many times less fuel, but are really not all that much slower than planes, especially as they do not need runways and airports. You could have an international flight landing near your town, and dropping you off right by your Majorcan villa -- no driving, no parking, no waiting. Probably quicker overall, and you could walk about inside the aircraft and not get thromboses in your legs. Oh, and they can run on biodiesel. Some analysts are saying that just about now we have reached the peak volume of oil use -- from here the volume can only go down and the price can only go up.

[DraiodoirX]

Keep in mind Hydrogen is Made/prepare by the electrolysis of water, in other words splitting the oxygen and hydrogen by passing an electric current through the water, so to get hydrogen you need electricity, where will you get that from, Hydroelectric, windmill generators, and solar power...

[blakerica]

alcohol. i doubt we run out of that,hell i hope i don't run out tonight!

[Hawrie]

Probably all of us will have mini electric hovercraft that will take us over long distances........ so we won't need planes anymore!!!