Author Archives: energyskeptic

Only a fifth of Earth’s land has little human influence

Preface. Humans have basically taken over the best land on the planet, the places where we aren’t ruining it are really cold, high or dry areas of land, such as arctic landscapes, mountainous areas or deserts. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author … Continue reading

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Deforestation, Limits To Growth, Overpopulation | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Escape collapse on a DIY floating island

Preface. Build your own sustainable floating compound. At Freedom Cove, food preparation takes up a large part of the day. Without a refrigerator or freezer, the couple catch fish and grow almost all the food they consume in a large … Continue reading

Posted in Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Electrify ships with batteries?

Preface. You’d need 100,000 metric tons of batteries taking 40% of cargo space to go from Asia to Europe in 31 days on an 18,000 TEU container ship, and it is hard to imagine how or how long it would … Continue reading

Posted in Ships and Barges, Transportation What To Do | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Megadrought invades the West

Preface. Mother Nature has had enough and is biting us back. Climate change will increase the chance of a Southwest megadrought that lasts longer than those in the past. Keep up with the latest drought news at the U.S. Drought … Continue reading

Posted in Drought & Collapse | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Megan Siebert at REALgnd.org “What to do”

Preface. This is what I saw on December 12, 2020. To see a more up-to-date list go to the Real GND website: https://www.realgnd.org/recommendations If you’d like to know how to fund these measures, then go here. To take action, go … Continue reading

Posted in Advice, Birth Control, Population | Tagged | 11 Comments

Millions in danger of floods on Mississippi and Missouri

Preface. Here’s something for you young folks considering “where to be” after energy collapse. Flooding is a huge consideration. My great grandfather was a doctor in Oklahoma who saw many lose their homes and farms from floods and die from … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Floods, Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Where do we come from, who are we, and where are we going?

Preface.  This is a book of review of The Social Conquest of Earth, in which E. O. Wilson answers these questions.  Although tribes have invented thousands of creation myths since paleolithic times, Wilson finally has written a book explaining our … Continue reading

Posted in Critical Thinking, Evolution, Natural History, Religion | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Where do we come from, who are we, and where are we going?

Offshore wind turbines: Expensive, risky, and last just 15 years

Preface: The Department of Energy high wind penetration plans require a lot of offshore wind. But is it possible, affordable, or wise to do this? Corrosion leads to a short lifespan of just 15 years. To reduce maintenance, offshore windmills … Continue reading

Posted in Offshore | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: The Fall of the Roman Empire: A new history of Rome and the barbarians

Preface.  Most historians see the fall of the Roman Empire as due to the invasion of barbarians from the North, partly pushed towards Italy by the brutal Huns.  These lands had never been conquered by Roman armies because they were … Continue reading

Posted in Collapse of Civilizations, Roman Empire | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Renewable costs don’t include transmission & energy storage backup from Nat Gas & Coal plants

Preface. Wind and solar advocates don’t include transmission and backup costs in their net energy and cost calculations. But without fossil backup, the electric grid will come down due to lack of storage. There is almost nowhere left to put … Continue reading

Posted in Electric Grid & EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Energy Storage, Solar, Solar EROI, Wind, Wind EROI | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments