Tag Archives: coal

Minerals and War from Ugo Bardi’s “Extracted”

Posted on September 5, 2017 by

Bardi, Ugo. 2014. Extracted: How the Quest for Mineral Wealth Is Plundering the Planet. Chelsea Green Publishing. “Clearly there wasn’t much of an incentive to move an army or a caravan across the mountains and deserts that separated Egypt from … Continue reading →

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Minerals: Coal from Ugo Bardi’s “Extracted”

Posted on June 11, 2017 by

Bardi, Ugo. 2014. Extracted: How the Quest for Mineral Wealth Is Plundering the Planet. Chelsea Green Publishing. True large-scale coal mining started only during the 18th century in Europe, and in particular in England and France. Initially coal was considered … Continue reading →

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Coal power plants depend on railroads to deliver coal

Posted on February 18, 2017 by

[ The extract of a Senate hearing below is mostly spent on testimony by utilities bashing the railroads for not delivering enough coal due to a disaster in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming area, where coal dust infiltrated the stone … Continue reading →

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Germany’s “Energiewende” may need to be rescued with nonrenewable coal power

Posted on November 10, 2016 by

[ Below is my summary of The Energiewende is Running Up Against Its Limits (October 24, 2016) by Jeffrey Michel at the Energy Collective. Wealthy, well-educated Germany has tried harder and longer than most nations to make a transition to renewables. … Continue reading →

Posted in National Super Grid, Renewable Integration | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Hall and Lambert: EROI of different fuels and the implications for society

Posted on May 27, 2016 by

[ Excerpts from the Hall, Lambert, and Balogh EROI paper. You may want to read the original paper here since I’ve left out charts, figures, and text.  In my opinion, EROI is important because it is  due diligence – society ought to … Continue reading →

Posted in EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dennis Coyne predicts world coal production peak in 2025-2030

Posted on April 5, 2016 by

See Coyne’s article at: Dennis Coyne. March 11, 2016. Coal Shock Model. peakoilbarrel.com [ The IPCC has not invited geologists to estimate fossil reserves, and sides with the “no limits to growth” economists.  The IPCC believes that too expensive or … Continue reading →

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Coal plants are causing water shortages in China

Posted on March 25, 2016 by

Wong, E. March 22, 2016. Report Ties Coal Plants to Water Shortage in Northern China. New York Times. China’s consumption of coal, a major contributor to climate change and the country’s horrific air pollution, is worsening a severe water shortage … Continue reading →

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USGS says Powder River Basin has 40 years of coal reserves, not 250

Posted on February 29, 2016 by

[ The Powder River Basin (PRB) in Wyoming and Montana supplies 42% of coal in the United States, mainly to generate electricity across the nation.  So far 11 billion tons of coal filling 95 million rail cars have been removed. … Continue reading →

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U.S. taxpayers lose billions from Powder River Basin bad lease deals and undervalued coal

Posted on December 3, 2015 by

According to the Center for American Progress: For decades the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has run a fundamentally noncompetitive leasing program, which has been a boon to industry. Since 1990, 96 of the 107 coal-lease sales held by the … Continue reading →

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New Alaskan strip coal mine for China, there go the salmon

Posted on November 28, 2015 by

McGrath, M. 2015-11-25. The Alaska fishing village taking on ‘Godzilla’. BBC News Image copyright Pete Niesen [See original article for details, what follows is reduced and most pictures removed] Alaska is a vast wilderness of natural beauty. But it also … Continue reading →

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