'Japan said Tuesday that it had extracted gas from offshore deposits of methane hydrate — sometimes called “flammable ice” — a breakthrough that officials and experts said could be a step toward tapping a promising but still little-understood energy source.'
Going off of the video we watched today about innovative research could help our economy in many ways check out this article! A possible new energy source. This could be a possible alternative to oil and gas reserves. The article mentions that Japan invested millions to research and explore these reserves and have finally found this powerful energy source... experts predict lasting Japan 100 years of their natural gas needs.
There are still questions about environmental issues that could result from this new source. But what do you think? A step in the right direction? Doesn't this show that researching and developing new ideas will help an economy?
Japan's Energy Find
I really do think that this is a positive step in terms of resources. Humans will always need more resources because its what we rely on to get us through everyday life. This will positively help Japans economy because they will be more independent in terms of resources. Which means there export to import ratio will be either larger or smaller, depending which way they lean right now.
ReplyDeleteAlways cool to hear about new innovations. Especially in the world of energy. I like to think that there are hundreds of little discoveries to be made. Although none present any sort of long term alternative to fossil fuels, I believe they are part of the answer. We can keep switching to these little alternatives to at least buy us time to find a long term solution. As the Universe of Energy at EPCOT says, "There is one form of power that will never run out. Brain power"
ReplyDeleteThis is a great discovery, especially for the country of Japan. If this energy source could be used and has let harmful affects on the environment, then that is also a big win. Every country should have a R&D sector where new innovations can be discovered. It can help the economy and millions of people worldwide with new discoveries like this one.
ReplyDeleteTravis, the Universe of Energy at EPCOT is awesome, especially because it has both Ellen and Bill Nye in it. Plus animatronic dinosaurs.
ReplyDeleteIf we keep finding cleaner and cheaper forms of energy, it could both get us out of our great stagnation and help (or at least not hurt) the environment. A global system for taxing pollution is still necessary, but this is definitely good news.
This is definitely a step in the right direction. It seems a bit early to tell whether "flammable ice" will be a viable and efficient form of energy, but its encouraging to see how many resources Japan is putting into finding alternative forms of energy. As Phillip mentioned, such innovations can both boost an economy and benefit the environment.
ReplyDeleteResearch will always help economy, it might take time but it will always bring a good return to investment at macroeconomic level. The breakthrough is exciting but its too early too call whether it would replace the existing energy sources. Given its efficiency and the existing amount, flammable ice is prospective but like I said it's long way from being a dominant energy source.
ReplyDeleteI think this innovation will be a good push for Japan economy. For a long time, Japan has been a leading innovation in the world. I hope "flammable ice"- this greener energy will help boost the economy and reduce the pollution.
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