Life is so busy for people these days, there is little time to think about “energy conservation,” “sustainable living” or “ecological footprints.” Go into your local bookstore and find the section that has energy or environmentally related books and you'll likely find that it’s substantially smaller than the “self-help” (or even the “cooking”) section. Although it’s easy to leave energy and environmental strategy to the government, it’s unrealistic if we hope to sustain the planet in a way that will allow our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren the same natural pleasures we have enjoyed. We all need to be more aware of our planet and its responses to our actions. Granted, there's no way around using resources, but we can learn to be smart about how we use them.
The use of one particular resource has completely and permanently transformed the world and affected more people than virtually all others to date. Formed more than 300 million years ago and first drilled for by Edwin L. Drake in Pennsylvania in 1859, that resource is a thick, black, smelly substance we call crude oil. Since then, Drake’s modest venture has become a vital part of society.
Vital is actually an understatement. Imagine if someone hit a button and everything that was made from petroleum or its byproducts disappeared. Well, there goes most of the clothing you’re wearing, the fertilizers used for mass food production, your toothbrush and shampoo, the plastic bottle that holds most of your beverages, the pen you write with, and if you have an artificial heart, limb, or heart valve – oops, sorry. What would life be like without oil, more realistically? Well, nearly all transportation -- automobiles, freight, ships, and trains -- would stop. Crude oil that has been converted into transportation fuels is used in well over half a billion vehicles worldwide. We also would not have fertilizers and insecticides made from oil, causing a plunge in food production, with those in Third World countries suffering the most. Manufacturing output would drop and people living in cold regions of the country would freeze. Pretty bleak? Although this scenario seems a bit apocalyptic, it is a harsh reality because, after all, it could happen.
Transportation accounts for two-thirds of U.S. oil consumption! Let me say that again. Transportation accounts for two-thirds of U.S. oil consumption! That means the U.S. transportation sector is burning an average of 15.58 million barrels of oil per day. That is nearly 700 million gallons, or 2.3 gallons per day for every man, woman, and child. In the time it takes to read this paragraph, our transportation system will have used more than 595,000 gallons of fuel! If this doesn’t scream, “It’s me, transportation, I’m your energy problem,” then I don’t know what will. If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably heard of the inevitable “oil production peak” or seen predictions about when we are going to “run out of oil.” Though the widely varying opinions are all best guess estimates, they are useful for bringing the fact to the fore, and in prodding us to consider both the consequences and how to cushion ourselves from the dramatic impact it will have.
While world oil use is around 26 billion barrels per year, we are finding less than six billion in new oil discoveries. The global per capita oil production actually peaked in 1979, where we have been producing people faster than we are producing oil. It becomes clear after only a few moments of looking at the figures that supply is not keeping up with demand. This disparity between supply and demand will only continue to grow.
Figure 1. Oil Discovery, Production, Use
Oil is a finite resource, and world oil production will in fact peak someday. Kenneth Deffeyes is a geologist, former friend of the famous M. King Hubbert, and author of "Beyond Oil". Deffeyes writes that on Thanksgiving Day we should “give thanks from 1901 to 2005 when abundant oil and natural gas fueled enormous changes in our society,” because oil will have peaked by then. He goes on to say that by 2019, production will be down to 90 percent of the peak level. Other predictions exist of course. The U.S. Geological Survey, an American Federal authority, is one of the more optimistic of estimates. They published estimates for U.S. and world oil potential in 2000 and from this data analysts from the International Energy Agency and the Energy Information Agency have predicted a world oil production peak around the middle of the 21st century. Even so, 30 or 40 years is not that far away and probably in most of our lifetimes.
Why do we even care about oil production peaking anyway, if it means we have only produced and consumed half of the world’s resource of oil? While we are using the other half, we can develop an alternative, right? Surely we are and will continue to do this - slower or faster depending on recognition of the need. But, when we hit that peak, production will decline - slowly at first, and then more rapidly. Production will not be able to meet demand, and the price of oil will rapidly and continuously escalate. If $2 per gallon is expensive, imagine $8 per gallon being cheap! Goodbye SUVs, hello bicycles. Furthermore, it typically takes 100 years to fully develop and implement a new technology. Most of the alternatives that the general public assumes will be ready to take over are far from widespread in market penetration. At the rate of consumption, and with our alternatives for the lifeblood of society only partially implemented, we will someday come to the point where we cannot depend on this versatile substance to sustain so many pieces of society.
Figure 2. Oil Discovery & Production
So how can we be part of the solution and not part of the problem? For starters, we can learn to love rather than loathe the word conservation. A great way to help is to think ahead. Trip chaining or combining errands into one trip is a good habit to get into. Ride your bike more, or walk. Try out your local transit system. Some public transportation systems are becoming alternatively fueled.
Obviously we cannot eliminate driving. Mobility is one of the most valued aspects of life in the developed world, and the automobile is a great icon of 20th century capitalism. Time is money and we value convenience. But clearly we need to stop standing around saying "duh" or waiting for another magical resource like oil to come gushing out of the ground. We need to begin using, in earnest, the renewable alternatives at hand. There is no one single solution to our energy needs – we need them all, and we need to apply them in creative ways that fit the needs of each individual application. The population has exploded and every country, every state, every locality, is different. We need to capitalize on the resources that make the most sense in each locality or venue. This is why a community approach to implementation is so important.
Biodiesel is a wonderful renewable fuel, far superior to diesel in almost every respect, which can be made from vegetable oil, animal fats, or recycled cooking oils. Although the concept of using vegetable oil for transportation is not new, biodiesel acceptance and use on a wider scale is a fairly new phenomenon. The vegetable oils and animal fats undergo a refining process, leaving the oil with properties so similar to that of diesel fuel that it can be used with modern diesel engine technology without modifications. That’s right folks, you can go to a gas station and pump the fuel right into your existing fuel tank, and your tailpipe will smell like doughnuts or French fries.
Any plant that yields oil can theoretically be used as a feedstock for biodiesel production. As a result, a large variety of options exist. Anything from algae to macadamia nuts to sunflowers to rapeseed to soybeans can be used to make biodiesel fuel. Animal fats left over from rendering plants can also be used. And you know that disgusting stuff left over in the grease traps of restaurants? Well, that can be converted to biodiesel too. Biodiesel has been proven successful in more than 40 million on-road miles in addition to numerous off-road and marine miles. It has also had great success as a home heating oil substitute. The uncertainty and skepticism associated with a new energy alternative is beginning to disappear and many have caught on, used, and fallen in love with biodiesel. Among high profile endorsements are those from Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Darryl Hannah, and Woody Allen.
At this point you must be so excited you can hardly even stand it. Before you get so energized that you leave your computer on, run to your local McDonald’s and ask them for their used fryer oil to fill up with, there are a few things you need to know. Before using, making, or advocating biodiesel, you must know what the industry calls "biodiesel basics".
Sign up for the "Biodiesel basics” workshop.
