Author Archives: energyskeptic

The Texas electric grid outage

Posted on November 10, 2021 by

Preface. In February of 2021, millions of Texans and Mexicans lost electric power in a hard freeze. Oxer (2021) on the March 2 Power Hungry podcast, said that if the Texas grid had blacked out, it would have taken until … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Grid instability, Pedro Prieto | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Biocoal from food waste and sewage

Posted on November 7, 2021 by

Preface. This probably doesn’t have a net energy gain because of the energy to move waste and sewage to a common facility, and then transport these wastes from numerous places to the factory where biomass is converted to coal using … Continue reading →

Posted in Biomass, Coal | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The 10 states with the most farms

Posted on November 4, 2021 by

Preface. Of course there are many considerations: how climate change will affect farming in each state, the cost of the farmland, and other ecological factors discussed in the book by Hall & Day’s “America’s Most Sustainable Cities and Regions: Surviving … Continue reading →

Posted in Real Estate | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Wanted: Math geniuses and power engineers to make a renewable grid possible

Posted on November 1, 2021 by

Figure 1. OPF solution of original seven-bus system with generator at bus 4 Preface. The U.S. electric grid produced 64% of electricity in 2019 with finite fossil fuels, and another 20% from nuclear power. Since fossil fuels and uranium are … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Grid & EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Grid instability, Renewable Integration, Smart Grid | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Wanted: Math geniuses and power engineers to make a renewable grid possible

Reducing pesticides with crop diversity

Posted on October 29, 2021 by

Preface. Pesticides are the main cause of the insect apocalypse, which reverberates up the food chain, leading to loss of biodiversity and extinction. And pesticides are made out of oil, which probably peaked globally in 2018, and pesticides only last … Continue reading →

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Coming Food Crises from Drought

Posted on October 26, 2021 by

Preface. As climate change heats the planet, and groundwater depletes from aquifers that won’t be recharged until after the next ice age, it’s clear that food crises from drought (and many other problems) will be upon us soon. As long … Continue reading →

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Riskiest counties in the U.S.

Posted on October 23, 2021 by

Preface. I suppose that if you’re trying to figure out where to survive peak oil, the hazards might be something to consider. This isn’t the greatest tool in the world. To use it, select a county in the Counties tab … Continue reading →

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Material and other limits to scaling wind up to 24 GW by 2050

Posted on October 11, 2021 by

Preface. Here are just a few of the many important points made in this excellent paper: Research showing no constraints on the materials needed to build wind turbines “dismiss potential physical constraints and issues with natural resource supply, and do … Continue reading →

Posted in Wind | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Book Review: Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight & Loose Cultures Wire Our World

Posted on October 8, 2021 by

Preface.  A must-read book for those who want to understand themselves, their family and friends, their culture and the world.  A new framework that gives clearer vision, rather than muddying it up by giving false understandings like astrology or seeing … Continue reading →

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How corporations used evangelists to gain wealth, power, and undo the New Deal

Posted on October 5, 2021 by

Source: Republican Jesus Preface. This is a book review of One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America by Kevin Kruse (2016), followed by excerpts from the book.  Much of this introduction is my take on what this … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Corruption & Finance, Distribution of Wealth, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment