Author Archives: energyskeptic

Revolutionary understanding of phsics needed to improve batteries – don’t hold your breath

What this Department of Energy document shows is that we can’t make the necessary REVOLUTIONARY breakthroughs to electrify cars until we understand the physics of batteries, and points out that “battery technology has not changed substantially in nearly 200 years.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Batteries | Comments Off on Revolutionary understanding of phsics needed to improve batteries – don’t hold your breath

United States Energy: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

United States Energy Information Administration FAQ Coal Does EIA have county-level energy production data? Does EIA have projections for energy production, consumption, and prices for individual states? Does EIA publish coking coal prices? From what country does the U.S. import … Continue reading →

Posted in An Overview | Comments Off on United States Energy: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Electricity Energy Information Administration (EIA) Frequently Asked Questions

Energy Information Administration (EIA) Frequently Asked Questions about Electricity n 2013, the United States generated about 4,058 billion kilowatthours of electricity.  About 67% of the electricity generated was from fossil fuel (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), with 39% attributed from … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Grid | Comments Off on Electricity Energy Information Administration (EIA) Frequently Asked Questions

Patzek: CTL coal-to-liquids from FT Synthesis is NOT likely to happen

This is a liquid fuel crisis – diesel to be exact – to keep tractors, trucks, trains, and ships moving. There’s not enough coal or water to make even a small percent of the FT-CTL diesel fuel we need from … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal to Liquids (CTL), Tad Patzek | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What we knew about the energy crisis back in 1977

A friend of mine found this yesterday in one of her folders from college.  If seems like even more Americans are ignorant and blindly techno-optimist today than they were 40 years ago.  The last item of how we might proceed … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice | Comments Off on What we knew about the energy crisis back in 1977

American Physical Society: has the Battery Bubble Burst?

Aug/Sep 2012. Has the Battery Bubble Burst? Fred Schlachter. American Physical Society. APS News Vol 21, number 8. Phys.org Three years ago at a symposium on lithium-air batteries at IBM Almaden there was great optimism. The symposium “Scalable Energy Storage: … Continue reading →

Posted in Batteries, Transportation Infrastructure | Comments Off on American Physical Society: has the Battery Bubble Burst?

Charles Hugh Smith: How To Find Shelter From The Coming Storms?

How To Find Shelter From The Coming Storms? by Charles Hugh Smith Some basic suggestions for those who are seeking shelter from the coming storms of global financial crisis and recession. Reader Andy recently wrote: “I look forward to your … Continue reading →

Posted in Expert Advice | Comments Off on Charles Hugh Smith: How To Find Shelter From The Coming Storms?

David Fleming. 2007. The Lean Guide to Nuclear Energy. A Life-Cycle in Trouble

This is an easy to read 56-page primer on how nuclear reactors work, how ore is mined, nuclear fuel created, why there’s likely to be a supply crunch, and much more. I’ve extracted a small part of this article  and … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear Power Energy | 2 Comments

Michael Klare: Twenty-First-Century Energy Wars

Twenty-First-Century Energy Wars by Michael Klare, originally published by Tomdispatch Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, South Sudan, Ukraine, the East and South China Seas: wherever you look, the world is aflame with new or intensifying conflicts.  At first glance, these upheavals appear … Continue reading →

Posted in War | Comments Off on Michael Klare: Twenty-First-Century Energy Wars

David Korowicz: Catastrophic shocks through complex socio-economic systems

David Korowicz. 2013. Catastrophic Shocks through Complex Socio-Economic Systems. The globalized economy has become more complex (connectivity, interdependence, and speed), delocalized, with increasing concentration within critical systems. This has made us all more vulnerable to systemic shocks. This paper provides … Continue reading →

Posted in David Korowicz, Stages of | 1 Comment