Looking to the Future of Energy

With the BP oil spoil still running out of control, we are forced to think about our current methods of energy and if there are future possibilities that give us hope for cleaner, more sustainable sources. For some, methane hydrates could be the answer, while for others it could mean putting us in a worse situation than we are in now.

I was very intrigued when I first learned about this peculiar type of a possible energy source. Methane hydrate is a frozen substance that mostly occurs naturally in the extreme conditions of the ocean floor miles below Earth's surface, though it is less commonly found in permafrost. When brought to the surface, it melts so quickly that there is no efficient way to harness the energy. Watching this highly flammable "ice" burn is even more perplexing. Some believe that this material might be the very cause of the BP oil spill. It is, in fact, what caused the first attempt of placing a massive cement container over the leaking pipe to fail due to the clogging build-up of methane hydrate within the structure.

Why is it considered a possible solution to the energy crisis? It's abundant. There is more methane hydrate on the ocean floor than there is of all the fossil fuels in the world combined. If properly processed, the by-products can be controlled so that the harm to the environment is minimal. The problem is, we don't know a real good way of collecting, harnessing and processing the energy, which leads me to the other side of the equation.

If we were to mess up (again), but this time with a slip-up on the ocean floor involving the drilling of methane hydrate, it could cause large amounts of it to release to the surface. This would in turn cause a huge amount of greenhouse gas to be released into the environment and actually accelerate global warming (not to mention the likely tsunamis from the shifting earth). Some even believe (or used to believe) that large releases of this substance from the ocean floor caused a density change in the water that may have led to the disappearance of ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle.

As for me, it's worth a calculated, careful try, and I feel it could be worth our time and attention. I feel this way especially since time is running out to find an alternate source for fossil fuels and this resource is far more abundant and potentially cleaner than our current methods of energy consumption. The most important thing, either way, is that we all keep looking to the future of the human race and to not focus on the greed of today.

Resources:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/2558946
http://www.bermuda-triangle.org/html/methane_hydrates.html
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/51517
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/05/10/bps-oil-spill-fight-plagued-by-methane-hydrates-a-hazard-of-deep-water/
http://www.commoncurrent.com/notes/2010/05/fire-ice-impact-on-oil-spill-c.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane_clathrate