Where indeed?

How about hydrogen and recovered from sea water, via the older and far less expensive catalytic water molecule cracking method. And 24/7 given recent advances, (solar thermal and microwaves) without ever involving naked flame, (never seen dressed flame) that gave this method its undeserved reputation; given oil distilling via hydrocarbon cracking produces far more volatile products.

Yet we place oil refineries relatively close to population centres.

A combination of fluoride and thorium salts allows solar thermal applications to run around the clock. And much of our western seaboard would suit, given the number of sunny days. And enable the continuous production of endlessly sustainable hydrogen for just a few cents per cubic litre.

As opposed to the method used by fossil fuel companies, where the knock a few hydrogen molecules out of methane, (NG) to create the most expensive fuel in the world.

However they have proved ordinary petrol engines can be tuned to run on it.

Any additional heat can be offset by water injection, which injects pure H2o with every sixth power stroke. Which becomes steam and aids the power stroke and the torque.

There's a lot of talk around safely storing hugely compressed hydrogen; however, that could be made mostly unnecessary, if we use it in ceramic fuel cells, which, given an energy coefficient of around 80% will double currently available ranges and allow also endlessly sustainable biogas to be substituted, where hydrogen is not available.

And using this/these gases to make electricity at the point of use, eliminates most of the current wastage, that literally doubles the cost of energy. Rhrosty. T.B.C.

After hydrogen, we have the option of growing our oil, in also endlessly sustainable algae farming, and for just a fraction of the water (seawater or effluent) required by traditional irrigation!

And on arid/desert land not suitable for any other purpose! Some types are up to 60% oil, and absorb up to 2.5 times their bodyweight in Co2 emission; and double that bodyweight absorption capacity/oil production every 24 hours!

A couple of types in current production, produce naturally occurring diesel or jet fuel!

Extracting the ready to use as is, oil products, is as simple as filtering out some of the product not required as seed stock, sun drying it and then crushing the dried material!

The ex-crush material may be suitable as fodder, or the basis of an endlessly sustainable ethanol industry; that needs neither food nor arable land; or energy imputation that exceeds the (dumber than dumb) energy component of the finished fuel!

Then we have diesel trees and turning waste rubber into heavy oil/bitumen substitute products/road surfacing products!

And we may well have a hydrocarbon reserve to our immediate north to rival the entire Middle East!?

We also have some useful plants, which have to include the remarkable salt/frost/drought tolerant native wisteria; which is eminently suitable for marginal grazing land; and produces bio-diesel and animal fodder, all while improving soil fertility/productivity, by fixing nitrogen!

And every household produces enough biodegradable waste to become completely self sufficient in their power needs; if converted to methane then used in ceramic fuel cells.

Finally, G.M. is reportedly trialing a battery that may well extend the range of the electric car out beyond a thousand kilometres, and allow an 80% recharge in around an hour?
Rhrosty.

Rhosty,

How about a few links, please?

But the easy oil is still there! The Saudis have dropped the price to force out the US, not because they don't have more oil on tap. There was an article in one of our national papers yesterday about how wonderful solar was. Problem I live in a suburb which is not allowed to let any more solar systems on to the grid, because the (privatised power generator) couldn't cope.

Is Mise. Try using a search engine and doing your own research.

I spent many years engaged in the mineral/energy industry, as an expert highly trusted analyst.

Who knows, if you do your own research, you might even come up with a few facts I don't know about!?

How to achieve perpetual motion or catalytic assisted cold fusion perhaps, (one and the same thing) and solve the entire energy needs of the entire world?

Try looking for and investigating geo-mineral publications; there's some online!

Where you'll no doubt find out that the total size of the Edmonton reserve is 1.7 trillion barrels and they the Canucks have come up with some new innovative ways of removing it?

As for catalytic assisted water molecule cracking, I found the method referred to and thoroughly explained in some old technical books of mine, that were in vogue during the pre-electrical steam age!

Super heated steam is passed over a platinum catalyst, where it automatically separates into its component parts, H+O and drawn off via two separate pipes.

A little Co2 is added to the steam column, to prevent what might then be an explosive mixture from becoming an explosive mixture and exploding!

However, this was mostly the result of steam age heat being supplied via a naked flame!

Try goggling, water molecule cracking method to produce hydrogen.

I think we can do much better, and given we borrow something from solar thermal technology, inside a safely confined space.

However, I am content to rely on an unusually reliable memory, given getting at the books and quoting chapter and verse for you, would require me getting down on the floor and wrestling with a lot of tightly packed/stored bricabrac.

I can get down there but have absolutely no way of getting back up!
Sincere apologies.
Rhrosty.

The volatility of oil prices was predicted by Campbell, Laherre and
Deffreyes for about 2005 onwards just as it happened.
The tight shale oil production was not predicted and it gave us a
10 year hiatus of which we did not take advantage.
The tight shale oil will continue for the next six months or so as many
wells have been completed and can be placed into production.
However new drilling is falling rapidly.
One problem is "Oils Ain't Ain't Oils" and the tight oil has lower
energy content and not all refineries can use it.
As well it has to be trucked to rail heads as pipeline companies will
not extend to the wells. The result is some operators are getting
less than US$20 a barrel.
The last info I have seen suggests that the Wall St financiers are not
interested in getting back into tight oil. They have been stung and
do not want to get involved again. They may pick and choose.

The upshot is US oil production is expected to start declining either
late this year or next year.

The title "Where do we go from here ?" is very valid.
There is no further source of oil as the shale is the source rocks
where the oil was made. There is nowhere else to go.
Rhosty has a number of suggestions but like solar and wind many of
them are running into catch22 problems.
Some such as solar & wind produce electricity and some liquid fuels.
Providing backups for most of them reduces them to zero energy gain.