Let's get one thing straight- filling up your car these days is an extremely unpleasant process. With the collapse of the US dollar and associated quantitative easing, tensions in the middle east, and the US Government's refusal to open up domestic oil reserves for drilling, the price of oil, and therefore the price of gas (or petrol for non US readers) is going through the roof.
Since the start of 2011 global oil prices have risen the best part of $25 a barrel, and this shows no sign of stopping. All over the world motorists are feeling the pain at the pump, while concomitant increases in food prices due to oil being a massive input in modern agriculture is being felt by everyone.
We may argue amongst ourselves about the cause of rising fuel prices- some argue it is due to Peak Oil and declining supply, others due purely to an explosion in the supply of money since the 2008 recession, some because of greedy speculators. However, one thing everyone can agree on is that fuel prices are rising, and will continue to rise in the foreseeable future.
How high they will go is anybodies guess. My personal opinion is that we will see at least a doubling of petrol/gas prices in the next year or so- for US residents we are talking $8-9 a gallon, and for nations like the UK closer to $20 a gallon. This is not scaremongering and I am not one of those "peak oil crash fetishists" who jump for joy every time gas prices increase as they worship the onset of an apocalyptic post-oil scenario. No, I am merely trying to warn anyone who wants to hear that due to a combination of factors beyond our control our transportation and food costs are going to get much higher in the near future.
"Therefore, whoever wishes for peace, let him prepare for war."
Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus
This famous quote from the Roman writer Vegetius was used thousands of years ago to describe how we must prepare for hardship in order to survive it. It is this kind of attitude that will enable us to overcome rising energy prices and the effect they bring- "therefore, whoever wishes for cheap energy, let him prepare for expense"
On this blog we are going to be looking at VIABLE alternatives that you can use yourself to power your car and your home. One such alternative that is of particular interest is "biodiesel", which is made from used vegetable oils or algaes and can be used in diesel engined vehicles with little or no modification.
How do you make biodiesel? This basic question is going to be answered in full detail in the coming days as we examine how to make petrol and diesel at home, as well as how to build DIY energy generation at home.
Whether you believe in concepts such as Peak Oil or Global Warming is entirely up to you, however we are all faced with the reality that is associated with rising energy and transport costs. By learning simple skills such as how to make bio diesel at home you can help prepare yourself and your family against the coming inflationary crisis. There are hundreds of little steps that can be taken to help you save your money in these austere times, without having to have a major and unpleasant backwards shift in your standard of living.
Don't be caught short when the price of gas really starts exploding- learn about making biodiesel and other fuels at home by regularly reading this blog, or even subscribing to it via RSS. Please also tell your friends and family, or share a link on Facebook. Comments are more than welcome too, but please keep language civil.
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