Category Archives: Energy

the posts in this category used to be in “Energy in A Nutshell” at my former web site.

EV cars and utility scale energy storage batteries are not likely to materialize

Posted on September 21, 2020 by

Preface.  Clearly there’s not enough minerals and metals to shift from fossil fuels to electric vehicles and utility scale battery storage, due to peak critical elements, peak platinum group elements, peak precious elements, peak rare earth elements, and peak everything … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Batteries, Battery - Utility Scale, Peak Lithium | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

How much oil left in America? Not much

Posted on September 18, 2020 by

Preface. If you think we have no worries because we can get arctic oil, think again. We can’t because icebergs mow drilling platforms down in the ocean. On land, massive amounts of expensive new drilling rigs, roads, rail lines, platforms, … Continue reading →

Posted in How Much Left, Peak Oil | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Reforestation can cause rivers to disappear

Posted on September 6, 2020 by

Preface. We’ll need a lot of forests in the future when wood once again becomes our may source of energy and infrastructure as it was before fossil fuels. But care needs to be taken on where trees are planted. Alice … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Deforestation, Wood | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Will life after peak oil be like the middle ages?

Posted on September 2, 2020 by

Preface.  Winston recreates what life was like from the 5th to the 15th centuries — from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance. Energyskeptic.com shows why hydrogen, wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear, fusion, and other alternatives … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Agriculture, Biomass, Life Before Oil | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Wave, tidal, ocean current, in-stream, & ocean thermal power

Posted on August 27, 2020 by

Preface. This is mostly a review of the 2013 National Research Council’s report on harvesting marine energy from waves, tides, temperature differences, currents, and run-of-river.  But as new projects come and go, I add them into this long post.  None … Continue reading →

Posted in Waves & Tidal | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Golden Age of Russian Oil Nears an End

Posted on August 15, 2020 by

Preface.  One huge factor in Russia’s future oil decline not mentioned below is how incredibly corrupt and inefficient Russia’s oil and gas companies are, as Rachel Maddow describes in her book “Blowout”. A few quotes: The Russian oil and gas … Continue reading →

Posted in How Much Left, Peak Oil | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Natural Gas is essential for energy storage

Posted on August 12, 2020 by

Preface. In a 100% renewable energy storage system mainly dependent on wind and solar, there needs to be a tremendous amount of energy storage for up to six weeks when there is little wind or sunshine. The only storage now … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Gas Energy Storage | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Far out #3: Sugar power

Posted on August 9, 2020 by

Preface. No, you object, sugar in the gas tank will destroy the engine. Not true. Snopes.com says that won’t happen because sugar doesn’t dissolve in automotive fuel or caramelize, and so it does not turn into the debilitating gunk this … Continue reading →

Posted in Far Out | Tagged | Comments Off on Far out #3: Sugar power

Limits to growth: Oil & Gas Fracking sand

Posted on August 6, 2020 by

Preface.  Economists don’t believe in “Limits to Growth”, but good grief, if sand can grow scarce for fracking of oil and gas, and everything else for that matter (see more peak sand posts here), then surely other important stuff has … Continue reading →

Posted in Limits To Growth, Oil & Gas Fracked, Sand | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Escape to Mars after we’ve trashed the Earth?

Posted on August 3, 2020 by

The idea that we can go to Mars is touted by NASA, Elon Musk, and so many others that this dream seems just around the corner.  If we destroy our planet with climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, soil erosion, aquifer … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Extinction, Far Out, Human Nature, Planetary Boundaries, Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments