Category Archives: 2) Collapse

The collapse of the financial system, breakdown of supply chains, blackouts, end of being able to make computer chips, and so on are symptoms of the underlying cause: LESS OIL AVAILABLE TO DO MILLIONS OF ESSENTIAL TASKS. Whether the house of cards goes from the financial shock of a natural disaster or from debt and corruption, blockage of the Suez canal, Export Land Model, or (nuclear war) — there is certain to be a series of dislocations that ultimately bring population down to 1 billion or less, and given past collapses, take about 20-30 years. Let’s hope there are some islands of sanity and that you, dear reader, are living on one of them!

Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS)

Posted on October 13, 2019 by

Preface. This is the only commercial way to store energy now (CAES hardly counts with just one plant and salt domes to put more in existing in only 5 states). Though of course hydropower is only in a few states … Continue reading →

Posted in Dams, Energy Production, Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The 10 countries with the most endangered species in the world

Posted on October 10, 2019 by

I don’t know whether to go to these countries to see these beautiful creatures before they’re extinct, or to spend my money on countries like Costa Rica and Tanzania that have set aside a quarter or more of their land … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Deforestation | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The carbon trap by Paul Chefurka

Posted on October 1, 2019 by

Preface. We are caught in the carbon trap — we utterly depend on fossils that don’t have an electric replacement. Someday people will figure this out the hard way, but Chefurka compassionately points out that there is no one to … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumption, Human Nature, Interdependencies, Other Experts | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Can concentrated solar power be used to generate industrial process heat?

Posted on September 25, 2019 by

Preface. In the comments section, Ray Universe pointed out an excellent article, The bright future of solar thermal powered factories, about solar collectors and what they can do. Some important points: A large share of energy consumed worldwide is by … Continue reading →

Posted in Concentrated Solar Power, Energy | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Concentrated Solar Power can only exist in deserts and use too much water

Posted on September 22, 2019 by

What follows is my summary of: Bracken, N., et al. 2015. Concentrating solar power and water issues in the U.S. Southwest. U.S. department of energy, National renewable energy lab. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and … Continue reading →

Posted in Concentrated Solar Power, Electricity | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Saudi oil infrastructure at risk from drone attacks

Posted on September 19, 2019 by

Preface. This NYT article was published 4 months ago, and its warning just came true. Quite prescient! Drones make it pretty easy to anonymously attack the thousands of miles of pipelines across the Arabian peninsula, oil tankers, pumping stations, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Oil & Gas, Peak Oil | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why technology can’t solve all of our problems

Posted on September 13, 2019 by

I have many posts about energy contraptions that have had hundreds of thousands of breakthrough stories in the media, yet here we are, without powerful enough batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, and so on to replace fossil fuels despite the exciting … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Thinking, Transportation | 5 Comments

One million plant & animal species at risk of extinction

Posted on August 31, 2019 by

As usual, no mention of birth control or carrying capacity. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, 2015, Springer and “Crunch! Whole Grain Artisan Chips and Crackers”. Podcasts: Practical Prepping, KunstlerCast 253, … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Extinction | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Global wildlife populations have fallen 60% in just 40 years

Posted on August 28, 2019 by

Below is a summary of the World Wildlife Fund report. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, 2015, Springer and “Crunch! Whole Grain Artisan Chips and Crackers”. Podcasts: Derrick Jensen, Practical Prepping, … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Extinction | 1 Comment

Why did people vote for Trump?

Posted on August 22, 2019 by

Before the election, it was widely known that Trump was a gangster who bragged about grabbing women’s asses, lied constantly, went bankrupt 4 times, and much more. So how could people have voted for him? To find out I read … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Thinking, Politics | Tagged , , | 7 Comments