fossil fuels

[nibot]

Supposing that we have already passed the time of peak oil production, my question for you is this: in what year will we see fewer cars on California roads than in the previous year?

At what point will the Interstate Highways be fossil roads, abandoned relics, like the decaying steel towns of Pennsylvania, like the Erie Canal?

When will Phoenix be Detroit?

Or will someone invent the coal-powered car and doom us all? (The plug-in Prius actually burns coal.)

Comments

[chris-acheson.livejournal.com]

I'm not even sure if it makes sense, from an economic-theory point of view-- I think I might be partially responsible for lowering the cost of dirty fuel by not shopping for it? Hopefully my money is actually going towards wind infrastructure.

It does, assuming the power company isn't deceiving you. When you switch from purchasing N units of "dirty fuel" power to purchasing N units of wind power, up to N units of dirty generating capacity may potentially go idle, while N units of otherwise possibly idle wind generating (heh) capacity are put to use. If the power company doesn't find buyers for the dirty power that you're no longer buying, they may have to lower the price. While this does mean that dirty power becomes more affordable, it also becomes less profitable. You're also making wind power more expensive (by outbidding other potential buyers), but making it more profitable to produce as well. Overall, you're marginally incentivising the construction of wind farms and the dismantling of dirty power plants.