So just last night I heard yet another debate about how all the US oil importers are radical Muslim countries, and how in the near future we might be held hostage to their price demands as oil gets more scare and our global political position weakens. I’m sure you’ve heard all the arguments before, and the range of possible solutions. But, have you ever heard that, in fact, the vast majority of our oil does not in fact come from Muslim countries at all? I’ve done my research, and it turns out that most of our oil comes from our direct neighbors! Here are the top 5 US oil imports by county. 1 – Canada Our friendly neighbors to the north, are also number one in the list of US oil importers! Would you have guessed it? Canada imports 1.9 million barrels of oil a day, most of which come from its tar sands. The obvious advantages of Canada as an importing country are the low transport costs, zero cross-border tax and the strong relations between the two countries.
Continue reading »

As we all know, the US is a huge importer of oil, and many of the oil producing countries that it imports from are not the most savory. Some of them have terrible human rights records, some have extremist governments, and some are just downright dangerous and unstable – and that is what this article is about. I have taken a look at all the major oil exporting countries to the US, and come up with the top 3 that are as far away from Norway as you can get, if you know what I mean…
Continue Reading »

2) Reserves’ home countries try to get a bigger cut.
Back in the day, when prices were low, countries with plentiful oil reserves like Venezuela and Russia offered the big oil companies some pretty good deals. Now they’ve gotten quite stiff and want a bigger cut of the profits. Contracts and tax regimes are being adjusted so that the more profits oil companies make, the higher percentage the reserve country gets. Saudi Arabia and Russia are wary of letting any of the big oil companies on their soil at all now. The CEOs of these companies are tearing their hair out trying to find easier ways to foreign reserves. They complain that it is constantly getting more and more difficult to reinvest the profits they make into worthwhile ventures.
Continue Reading »

Big oil companies are certainly not winners of popularity contests among the general public, but many are still worried about their success. In the end, their success equals gas for your car, which you really do need. However, it is getting more and more difficult for them to be successful in the current global circumstances because of tougher competition, big technical challenges, and hostile foreign governments. Here are 3 reasons why big oil companies may be in trouble, even though now they are rolling in the cash:
Continue Reading »

With ever-growing environmental problems and the soaring prices of oil, it is clear that alternatives to our current fuel are desperately needed. Some alternative fuel vehicles have already been invented, and others are well underway. Here are 5 possible alternate fuel vehicles of the future:

1) Solar power
This is one of the simplest alternative fuel vehicles. The way a solar-powered car would work is via solar panels installed on top of it. The only problem is that the amount of energy current solar panels can generate would not be enough to run a car. At the moment they can only be used as a supplementary power source, but engineers are constantly striving for improvement.
Continue Reading »

2) Helioculture
This is another one of the extreme new alternative energy sources, which will involve sunlight and greenhouse gases. Microorganisms are at the center of the process, which will secrete a chemical similar to ethanol when exposed to the sun and CO2. The resulting fuel would be perfect for running a vehicle, for example. SolarConverters, which are flat large panels, will be used to cultivate this reaction. There is already a commercial-scale operation underway that will be producing 20,000 gallons of oil on every acre annually.
Continue Reading »

3) Untapped resources are constantly discovered.
It is a complete myth that there are only a few sources of oil that are available for the West. Oil is being discovered constantly in many countries, with Russia being the leader of new discoveries. The reason that oil giants don’t want you to know this is that they obviously make more money from the oil myth. If something is available in abundance, it is harder to make a profit from it. Also, it is easier to propagate this myth and say that we are dependent on foreign oil rather than admit that we have enough of our own, in which case, the prices would have to be much lower.
Continue Reading »

Peak oil refers to the end of petroleum extraction, and simply – running out of oil on the planet. This is talked about more than any other environmental issue in the world. But more and more people are starting to wonder: “Is peak oil a myth?” We think it is, so we’ve come up with 5 reasons why the peak oil myth is not a myth at all.
Continue Reading »

3. Plastic Cups.
It’s amazing that they’ve finally found something good about these horribly polluting, wasteful things. It turns out that the polystyrene in plastic cups (and plastic dishes in general) could make a good addition to fuel in diesel engines (of course, some minor modifications will be required). The good news is that it is a quick process to melt polystyrene into biodiesel, but it needs to be in just the right quantities. Otherwise, with concentration too high, the emissions could be toxic.
Continue Reading »

Since potential oil shortages are spelling pending doom for the average driver, the need for alternative car fuels is ever-growing. Here are some possible kinds of alternative fuel for cars that may be used in a nearer future than you think.
Continue Reading »