| LongmuirG 2005-12-25, 5:21 pm |
| Amanda Angelika wrote:
> ...since petrol costs over 10USD a gallon in many parts of Europe it
> may become profitable to produce hydrogen from water by electrolysis
> sooner than some people seem to think.
Now, Ms. Angelika, enthusiasm is great, but it should be tempered with
insight. Ask yourself -- who is the primary beneficiary of high
gasoline prices in Europe? Step for a hint -- it is not OPEC, nor is
it Big Oil. That's right -- the primary beneficiaries of high gasoline
prices in Europe are European governments, which are claiming over 80%
of the economic rent on oil.
The European consumer is willing to pay about $420 per barrel for
gasoline or diesel. The OPEC government or Big Oil company gets around
$50 for that barrel. Say it costs the equivalent of about $30 per
barrel for transportation, refining & distribution. EuroGovs today are
raking in pure profit of about $340 per barrel in taxes.
If you are right, and (untaxed) hydrogen fuels are economically
competitive with gasoline at this level, who would be the biggest
losers when hydrogen displaces gasoline? That's right, the EuroGovs --
which would lose a huge chunk of tax revenue. So who in reality is
likely to be the main opponent of replacing oil with so-called
"renewable" energy like hydrogen (in deeds now, not in empty words)?
Right again, the EuroGovs!
Since this is the Christmas season, you might like to consider the
injustice of a world where a poor OPEC country, like Algeria or
Venezuela, gets only around $50 for extracting an irreplaceable natural
resource, while a fat EuroGov gets around $340 for absolutely nothing.
If you are of a worrying disposition, you might also like to ask
yourself how long OPEC governments with hungry citizens to feed are
going to put up with this obvious exploitation by European governments.
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