Category Archives: Energy

Tilting at Windmills, Spain’s disastrous attempt to replace fossil fuels with Solar Photovoltaics

Posted on December 17, 2014 by

Book review of “Spain’s Photovoltaic Revolution. The Energy Return on Investment”, by Pedro Prieto and Charles A.S. Hall. 2013.  Reviewed by Alice Friedemann, www.energyskeptic.com Olmedilla, Spain 60MW Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant. Source: SolarNovus Large Solar Installations around the world. Finally, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Debt, Electric Grid, Energy, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Photovoltaic Solar, Solar | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Who Lives, Who dies in a never-ending energy crisis. Book review of Nothing to Envy. Ordinary Lives in North Korea

Posted on April 6, 2014 by

Who lives, Who Dies in a Never-Ending Energy Crisis a book review by Alice Friedemann of: Barbara Demick. 2010. “Nothing to Envy. Ordinary lives in North Korea”. North Korea and Cuba were the first countries to lose oil, the lifeblood … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Energy, North Korea | 1 Comment

Catton’s “Bottleneck: Humanity’s Impending Impasse”

Posted on April 4, 2014 by

Book Review of  Bottleneck: Humanity’s Impending Impasse, by William R. Catton, Jr. Reviewed by George Mobus Below are some excerpts (some paraphrased) from from this review: In Catton’s book, Bottleneck: Humanity’s Impending Impasse, Catton doesn’t mince words: we can’t evade … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Rate of Change | Comments Off

Energy in Food System. March 2010. USDA

Posted on April 4, 2014 by

Energy Use in the U.S. Food System 2010. P. Canning et al. USDA. Economic Research Report Number 94 Another great review of this article is Beyond Food Miles by Michael Bomford, a research scientist and extension specialist at Kentucky State … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Energy, Food | Comments Off

Matt Simmons “Twilight in the Desert” Saudi Arabia oil: how much left?

Posted on March 1, 2014 by

Once the large fields peak in Saudi Arabia oil shocks will reverberate throughout the world Best up-to-date status of oil fields in Saudi Arabia. Ghawar is in decline, but 2 new fields filled in, once they’re in decline, there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Flow Rate, How Much Left, Oil Shocks, Reserves Lower than stated | Comments Off

Muscle Power

Posted on March 1, 2014 by

Steven Vogel   Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle    W. W. Norton Reviewed in June 2004. Natural History Magazine Today we have machines for making people move in place: run, walk uphill, push pedals back and forth or up and … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Energy, Muscle Power, What to do | Comments Off

Book review of “Prime Movers of Globalization: the History & Impact of Diesel Engines & Gas Turbines”

Posted on February 26, 2014 by

Alice Friedemann’s book review of: Vaclav Smil. 2010. Prime Movers of Globalization. The History and Impact of Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines. Smil makes the case that civilization is based on the billions of engines that make global trade, power … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Peak Oil, Railroads, Roads, Transportation, Where to Be or Not to Be | Comments Off

Review of “The Bet: Paul Erlich, Julian Simon, and our Gamble over Earth’s Future”

Posted on January 6, 2014 by

Alice Friedemann book review of “The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earth’s Future” by Paul Sabin Kind of scary that Bill Gates recommends this book. But then again, to get really good at something, you don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy | Comments Off

Book Review of “Wheel of Fortune. The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia”

Posted on December 28, 2013 by

Alice Friedemann’s review of “Wheel of Fortune. The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia”, by Thane Gustafson. 2012. Update July 2013: Former Soviet Union peak oil and gas has excellent graphs of Russian oil and gas production and where … Continue reading →

Posted in Arctic, Books, Energy, How Much Left | 1 Comment

Book review of “Too Hot to Touch: The Problem of High-Level Nuclear Waste”

Posted on November 8, 2013 by

A book review by Alice Friedemann of: Too Hot to Touch: The Problem of High-Level Nuclear Waste by William M. Alley & Rosemarie Alley. 2013. Cambridge University Press. Introduction to Nuclear Waste Disposal After Yucca Mountain was thrown out as … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Nuclear, Nuclear, Nuclear Power | 4 Comments