Oil Shale

mcclatchydc.com — Getting shale oil out of the ground would require much more energy than drilling for conventional oil does, and the result would be more greenhouse-gas emissions. Most companies had abandoned above ground processing for "in situ" — in place — processing, in which electricity is used to heat the underground rock slowly, while a "freeze wall" is built around the area to keep water out. Then wells are drilled to pump the oil. Either way, the greenhouse gas emissions would be higher than conventionally produced petroleum-based fuels. They'd probably be roughly the same if nuclear power were used to convert the oil shale.

Read Full Article »