Category Archives: Energy

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

EROI downward spiral

Posted on June 7, 2013 by

Stephen Leeb. June 2013. Dangerous times as energy sources get costlier to extract. Forbes. Remember the term “peak oil”? With all the oil now available from oil shale, tar sands, and other new sources, many analysts assume that the old … Continue reading →

Posted in EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested | Leave a comment

Flow Rate by Kurt Cobb at Resource Insights

Posted on April 28, 2013 by

Sunday, April 28, 2013 http://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-only-true-metric-of-energy_28.html The only true metric of energy abundance: The rate of flow Okay, I’m going to give you the shortest course ever in energy abundance: Energy abundance depends entirely on the RATE of energy flow. Let … Continue reading →

Posted in Rate of Flow | Comments Off

Oil can never be replaced with alternative energy

Posted on April 28, 2013 by

People who think that wind, solar, biofuels, hydrogen, batteries, and so on will save us simply don’t understand how much energy is contained in oil and other fossil fuels, how much we rely on it, how it is at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Oil | Comments Off

Peak Oil Acknowledged by Middle Eastern countries — they’re scared

Posted on April 16, 2013 by

Very interesting reflections on a peak oil conference in the Middle east of the countries that export oil.  I think it must mean we’re past peak, don’t believe “the near future”. Peak Oil as seen through the eyes of Arab … Continue reading →

Posted in How Much Left | Comments Off

Renewable Energy can’t supply more than 30% of electricity without revolutionary battery breakthrough

Posted on April 13, 2013 by

Wind and solar are too intermittent to comprise much of electric grid power now, according to Steven Cu, former US energy secretary.  In 2010, Chu said, “Without technological breakthroughs in efficient, large-scale energy storage, it will be difficult to rely … Continue reading →

Posted in Batteries | 1 Comment

Why aren’t there Battery Powered Airplanes?

Posted on March 21, 2013 by

  A 200-seat airplane weighs about 115 tons at take off. About a third, or 38 tons of that weight is the kerosene fuel. The other 77 tons are the passengers, their luggage, and the airplane itself. An electric, battery-powered … Continue reading →

Posted in Batteries, Energy | Comments Off

Who killed the Electric Car? The Battery Did It.

Posted on March 20, 2013 by

Despite billions of dollars spent on battery since the first battery was created in 1800, there is still no battery in sight that could power cars because batteries depend on electro-chemical processes, resulting in little power density and short life … Continue reading →

Posted in Batteries, Energy | Comments Off

Oil Statistics

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

Source: 6 Aug 2012. Lou Gagliardi. Energy Stock for the Short Term. Cabot Wealth Advisory.

Posted in Oil | Comments Off

Methane Hydrate News

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

15 March 2013. Jesse Jenkins. Japan Taps Methane Hydrates: Pondering the Explosive Implications. TheEnergyCollective.com

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Net Energy Cliff Will Lead to Collapse of Civilization by 2030

Posted on March 12, 2013 by

Source: 22 June 2009. David Murphy. The Net Hubbert Curve: What Does It Mean? theoildrum. This is the scariest chart I’ve ever seen.  And also the most important.  I put it on my refrigerator to remind myself what the future … Continue reading →

Posted in 2) Collapse, An Overview, By People, Energy, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Fast Crash, Stages of | 1 Comment