Category Archives: Infrastructure

Why is modern concrete falling apart?

Here’s more information from Courland’s book “Concrete Planet” and other information I found on the web since I wrote Enough energy after Peak Oil to rebuild and repair concrete infrastructure? It appears there’s very little testing of projects later on … Continue reading

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How long will concrete last if it isn’t maintained?

As energy grows scarcer and is devoted to growing food and other life-support services, our infrastructure will crumble. Bob Holmes. 12 Oct 2006. Imagine Earth without people. NewScientist.com Lack of maintenance will spell an early demise for buildings, roads, bridges … Continue reading

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A Century from Now Concrete Will be Nothing But Rubble

Photo: road abandoned since 1984 in the Florida Keys Concrete is an essential part of our infrastructure. And it’s all falling apart, as Robert Courland’s 2011 book Concrete Planet makes clear. The Romans built concrete structures that lasted over 2 … Continue reading

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China Water issues

China is one of a few and often only place making products from computers to furniture, as well as the components of most products, so if China collapses, the ripple effects will be felt elsewhere. On the other hand, if … Continue reading

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Solar Infrastructure: Materials, Land, and Energy required

To replace just one year of world oil use (1 cubic mile) you’d need to mine, fabricate, deliver, and build 91,250,000 Solar panels every year for 50 years (Goldstein). A PV plant that could produce 5.5 TWh of power (what … Continue reading

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Oil Built Our Infrastructure back when it was Cheap and Abundant

Most of our infrastructure was built many decades ago, when the energy returned on energy invested (EROEI) of oil was 100:1, and now it’s down to roughly 30:1 in the gulf, and much less elsewhere (at 10:1 civilization collapses). What … Continue reading

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Hurricane Vulnerable Gulf area Supplies Over Half our oil, One-third of our Natural Gas

Energy infrastructure is very vulnerable to hurricanes in the gulf region, which: Produce or imports 60% of the country’s supply of crude oil Supplies a third of U.S. natural gas supplies Generates half of the United States refined products supplies … Continue reading

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Lack of Cybersecurity

Attacks on basic infrastructure are up 1,700% since 2009. We live past the age of 50 mainly because of infrastructure such as clean water delivery systems and sewage treatment, as well as essential electric and nuclear power generating plants, the … Continue reading

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Ethanol is Explosive

Oil and natural gas can be cheaply distributed by pipeline, but ethanol must move by very expensive truck or train. 6 Feb 2011. Ohio train derailment prompts evacuations. CNN. 7 Oct 2011. Freight Train Derailment in Illinois Prompts Evacuations.   Associated … Continue reading

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Climate Change and Infrastructure

Matthew Wald. 25 July 2012. Weather Extremes Leave Parts of U.S. Grid Buckling. New York Times. From highways in Texas to nuclear power plants in Illinois, the concrete, steel and sophisticated engineering that undergird the nation’s infrastructure are being taxed … Continue reading

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