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Ask HN: How about small technological solutions to bring oil prices back down?
The prices on diesel are approaching ludicrous. In my mind, this should be an opportunity for a new technological solution to be implemented.
AFAICT, one significant part of the problem is something like:
Huge hulking expensive iron delivery vessels chugging through the water get blown up by inexpensive distant ordinance delivery.
Thus, a general solution could be something like:
Transition to small, cheap and highly numerous delivery vessels to nullify the effectiveness of distant ordinance delivery.
My layperson conceptual solution:
Create synthetic (e.g., plastic, PVC, etc.) eel-shaped self-navigating "vessels" that provide delivery in very high volume (millions of such "vessels") through dangerous waters to be recovered in safe waters.
These could be manufactured into large rolls, à la inflatable packing, and filled using mechanical power (either any simple motor powered by whatever or even human-powered via crank handle).
Drive can be provided by whatever works: time the release of the vessels to go out with a tide current; small sails; solar-powered propellers, etc. Speed does not matter as the quantity can be so high that once the vessels are being recovered the volume being delivered will be massive. (Conceptually similar to the old saw about "never underestimate the bandwidth of a 747 full of tape.")
I really only provide the above to hopefully inspire people who have the talent and means to create something yet better than what we currently have so that we do not arrive at a very real problem of products such as diesel fuel being not only high in price, but largely unavailable, as we may currently be on course to experience.
- toomuchtodo 16d agoMore refineries or electrify, those are the options. No one will pay for the former, everyone is doing the latter as quickly as possible. This simply speeds up electrifying the entire global economy. ~40% of all ship cargoes are oil, coal, and gas. Citations: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740630 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740630 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49658793 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49658793 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49288393 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49288393
- paulnpace 16d agoThis position basically advocates that a substantial part of civilization becomes impoverished. There is not enough capital available to replace everything powered by diesel, let alone all of the other petroleum products.
- toomuchtodo 16d agoOn the contrary, the energy is free from the sun once the panels are up. There is sufficient capital, please prove your assertion that there isn't with citations. The world is on an energy sovereignty trajectory. You will not be beholden to petrostates, you will be beholden to the great fusion reactor in the sky. Solar panel prices have fallen by around 20% every time global capacity doubled - https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/solar-panel-prices-have-fallen-by-around-20-every-time-global-capacity-doubled https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/solar-panel-prices-... Solar panel costs have plummeted from $6 per watt in 2000 to just 12 cents today - https://www.techspot.com/news/113860-solar-panel-costs-have-plummeted-6-watt-2000.html https://www.techspot.com/news/113860-solar-panel-costs-have-...
- AnimalMuppet 16d agoSure. But we would need solar powered trucks, in quantity. (Or electric, same effect.) That takes capital beyond the solar panels. Electric trains are a thing. Stringing catenary over all the mainlines in the US is not cheap. Electric airplanes? Large capital outlay. Electric ships. Electric river barges. Electric farm tractors. There is far more than just putting up solar panels to generate electricity. The electricity may be free once the panels are up. That doesn't mean that we no longer need diesel - not until much more changes.
- paulnpace 16d agoI don't think that user understands what capital is.
- paulnpace 16d agoYou seem to be among those who enjoy replacing old technologies by violently removing them, including impoverishment of those who rely on them.
- dlcarrier 16d agoHuge slow ships are exponentially more fuel efficient and cheaper to build per capacity than smaller and faster ships. That's what dictates their design more than anything else. The most cost effective alternate method, to avoid the churn of government instabilities in the middle east, is pipelines. Any investment into new oil handling methods will probably go there.