Category Archives: Energy

Matt Simmons “Twilight in the Desert”

Posted on March 1, 2014 by

Once Ghawar and other large fields peak in Saudi Arabia, oil shocks will reverberate throughout the world   Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy August 6, 2005 Matthew R. Simmons, President Simmons & … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Flow Rate, How Much Left, Oil Shocks | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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. The main thesis of this book is that Russia will collapse again. Soon.  Unless Russia drills offshore and in the Arctic … 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 | 4 Comments

Déjà vu – Lessons learned from the “Peak Oil” crises of 1973 & 1979

Posted on October 22, 2013 by

A book review by Alice Friedemann of: Howard Bucknell III.  1981.  Energy and the National Defense.  University of Kentucky Press. About the author: Bucknell was once the director of the energy and national security project at Ohio State University.  At … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Energy | Comments Off

The Race to Adapt, a book review of Klare’s “The Race for What’s Left”

Posted on October 6, 2013 by

A book review by Alice Friedemann of Michael Klare’s “The Race For What’s Left: The Global Scramble for the World’s Last Resources”  Coltan mining We’re about to invade the last areas on earth to drill for oil and mine ore … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Expert opinions, Important Minerals | 2 Comments

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

Posted on August 17, 2013 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. This … Continue reading →

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

Hirsch predicts Oil Shocks by 2017, panic, and stock market crash

Posted on July 13, 2012 by

I believe oil shocks could lead to a FAST CRASH Robert L. Hirsch was the author of the first US government report on peak oil in 2005, which recommended taking action to mitigate Peak Oil at least 20 years before … Continue reading →

Posted in By People, Energy, Oil Shocks, Peak Oil | Tagged , , | Comments Off