Tag Archives: EROEI

Peak soil: Industrial agriculture destroys ecosystems and civilizations. Biofuels make it worse.

Posted on August 31, 2017 by

Alice Friedemann. 2017. Peak Soil.   Last updated: June 4, 2017, first published 2007 [ Formerly titled: Why Biofuels are Not Sustainable and a Threat to America’s National Security.  Shorter versions appear in the following books: Jacqueline Langwith, ed. 2008.  “Opposing … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Biofuels, Biomass, Energy, Peak Biofuels, Soil, Soil | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Robert Rapier on why “fuel from CO2” breakthrough won’t work

Posted on July 26, 2017 by

Robert Rapier. Oct 27, 2016.  Ethanol From Carbon Dioxide Is Still A Losing Proposition. energytrendinsider.com If I told you that I had created a process to extract pure gold from seawater, you might deem it an amazing accomplishment. If I … Continue reading →

Posted in Biofuels, Biomass EROI, Critical Thinking, Far Out, Other Experts | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Minerals: Natural gas from Ugo Bardi’s “Extracted”

Posted on June 29, 2017 by

Bardi, Ugo. 2014. Extracted: How the Quest for Mineral Wealth Is Plundering the Planet. Chelsea Green Publishing. NATURAL GAS.  As figure 1 shows, the average EROEI required to run industrial society as we know it is around 8 to 10.   … Continue reading →

Posted in EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Oil & Gas Fracked | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why studies come up with different Energy Returned on Invest (EROI) results: can it be fixed?

Posted on March 21, 2017 by

[ There are many issues with biofuels beyond their trivial to negative energy return on investment (EROI). In Peak Soil I point out that current industrial farming techniques are destroying topsoil about 15 times faster than pre-fossil fuel economies — … Continue reading →

Posted in Biofuels, Biomass EROI, Charles A. S. Hall | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Why studies come up with different Energy Returned on Invest (EROI) results: can it be fixed?

EROI explained and defended by Charles Hall, Pedro Prieto, and others

Posted on February 21, 2017 by

[ If you found this post interesting, the following posts are even better (more detailed and in-depth): Tilting at Windmills, Spain’s disastrous attempt to replace fossil fuels with Solar PV, Part 1 Tilting at Windmills, Spain’s disastrous attempt to replace … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles A. S. Hall, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Pedro Prieto | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Tilting at Windmills, Spain’s disastrous attempt to replace fossil fuels with Solar PV, Part 2

Posted on January 26, 2017 by

[ Pedro Prieto presented an update on June 20, 2017 at the International Society for Biophysical Economics “Spain’s Solar Revolution Revisited: six years later” here: Pedro-Prieto_ISBPE_2017-Spains-solar-revolution-revisited.pdf.   See the pdf for more information Losses in book overestimated and revised Before / … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles A. S. Hall, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Pedro Prieto, Photovoltaic Solar, Solar EROI | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Tilting at Windmills, Spain’s disastrous attempt to replace fossil fuels with Solar PV, Part 2

Are biofuels a sustainable and viable energy strategy?

Posted on November 9, 2016 by

[In 2000, Melanie Kenderine at the U.S. Department of energy stated that: “This nation has abundant biomass resources (grasses, trees, agricultural wastes) that have the potential to provide power, fuels, chemicals and other bio-based products” (136). That’s a good point … Continue reading →

Posted in Biofuels, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Are biofuels a sustainable and viable energy strategy?

California oil EROI dropped from 6.5 to 3.5 by 2005

Posted on May 30, 2016 by

Brandt, A. R. October 12, 2011. Oil Depletion and the Energy Efficiency of Oil Production: The Case of California. Sustainability 2011, 3, 1833-1854 [ Brandt estimates the energy return on investment (EROI) dropped from ~6.5 in 1955 to ~3.5 fifty … Continue reading →

Posted in EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested | 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

Energy return of ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico oil and gas

Posted on May 24, 2016 by

Moerschbaecher, M., John W. Day Jr. October 21, 2011. Ultra-Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas: Energy Return on Financial Investment and a Preliminary Assessment of Energy Return on Energy. Sustainability 2011, 3, 2009-2026 [Excerpts from this 18 page paper … Continue reading →

Posted in EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Threats to oil supply | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment