Author Archives: energyskeptic

Carbon capture could require 25% of all global energy

Posted on December 8, 2019 by

Preface.  This is clearly a pipedream. Surely the authors know this, since they say that the energy needed to run direct air capture machines in 2100 is up to 300 exajoules each year. That’s more than half of global energy … Continue reading →

Posted in CO2 and Methane, Far Out | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Himalayan glaciers supplying water to a billion people melting fast, Andes too

Posted on December 5, 2019 by

Preface. The Himalayan glaciers that supply water to a billion people are melting fast, already 30% has been lost since 1975. Adding to the crisis are the 400 dams under construction or planned for Himalayan rivers in India, Pakistan, Nepal, … Continue reading →

Posted in Caused by Scarce Resources, Climate Change, Dams, Peak Water, Planetary Boundaries, Water, Water Infrastructure | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Himalayan glaciers supplying water to a billion people melting fast, Andes too

Billionaire apocalypse bunkers & other hideouts

Posted on December 2, 2019 by

Source: Cohen L (2018) A Survival Condo in a Missile Silo? It’s a Thing. Zillow Preface. There are many reasons why people might want a bunker, but peak oil, peak food, peak everything for that matter were not mentioned in … Continue reading →

Posted in Where are the rich going | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

How safe are utility-scale energy storage batteries?

Posted on November 28, 2019 by

This 2 MW battery, installed by the Arizona Public Service electric company, exploded in April 2019 and sent eight firefighters and a policeman to the hospital (Cooper 2019). At least 23 South Korean lithium-ion facilities caught fire in a series … Continue reading →

Posted in Batteries, Lithium-ion, Safety | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on How safe are utility-scale energy storage batteries?

Scientists on where to be in the 21st century based on sustainability

Posted on November 22, 2019 by

Preface. The article below is based on Hall & Day’s book “America’s Most Sustainable Cities and Regions: Surviving the 21st Century Megatrends”. Related articles: Hess, P. 2016. These will be the best places to live in America in 2100 A.D. … Continue reading →

Posted in Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , | 30 Comments

Microbes a key factor in climate change

Posted on November 19, 2019 by

Preface. The IPCC, like economists, assumes our economy and burning of fossil fuels will grow exponentially until 2100 and beyond, with no limits to growth. But conventional oil peaked and has stayed on a plateau since 2005, so clearly peak … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Scientists Warnings to Humanity | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

America loves the idea of family farms. That’s unfortunate. By Sarah Taber

Posted on November 13, 2019 by

Preface. As declining fossil fuels force more and more people back into being farmers, eventually 75 to 90% of the population, it would be much better for this to happen with family farms than gigantic mega-farms with workers who are … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming & Ranching | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Bodhi Paul Chefurka: Carrying capacity, overshoot and sustainability

Posted on November 10, 2019 by

Preface. This is a post written by Bodhi Paul Chefurka in 2013 at his blog paulchefurka.ca here. I don’t understand his ultimate sustainable carrying capacity based on hunter gatherers. Why will agriculture go away? But the rest of the article … Continue reading →

Posted in Overshoot, Paul Chefurka, Population | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Gravity energy storage

Posted on November 7, 2019 by

Preface. This is interesting, but not commercial. And as my book “When trucks stop running” explains, trucks are the basis of civilization, and can’t run on electric batteries or overhead wires. Even if they could, I explained why a 100% … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Storage, Research | Tagged | 9 Comments

Peak stainless steel

Posted on November 4, 2019 by

Steel and nickel aren’t on the critical mineral list, but nickel ought to be, since this study shows that there is a significant risk that stainless steel production will reach its maximum capacity around 2055 because of declining nickel production, … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure & Collapse, Mining, Peak Critical Elements | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments