Well, it looks real.
TDP is said to be 85% efficient - that is, only 15% of the energy it produces goes to fuelling the process. The initial estimate of the cost of the oil from the Missouri plant is $15 (\ufffd9) a barrel. The "lifting" price - how much it costs to get oil out of the ground - is very cheap in the Persian Gulf, around a dollar a barrel, while from Gulf of Mexico, North Sea or Alaska the "lifting" price is $8-12. So a price of $15 a barrel for this technology is high but Appel predicts his prices will come down to $10 in a few years, making them comparable with a medium-size oil exploration and production company. "The oil that comes out is very light," says Appel. "It is essentially the same mix as half fuel oil, half gasoline."If the 85% conversion efficiency is right, it's just a matter of time.
The ~$1 "lifting" price in the Persian Gulf is interesting too. Some here asked about that recently. That mean's the Saudis can drop the oil price easily to thwart the development of alternate "oil" sources. That explains the $10/barrel oil Saddam used to sell to Syria too.
Serious global warming, here we come!
