Author Archives: energyskeptic

Ward-Perkins “The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization”

[ This is a book review of Ward-Perkins “The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization“. What sparked my interest in reading several books on the decline of Rome was when James Howard Kunstler  (KunstlerCast 278) interviewed me about … Continue reading

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EROI of Canadian Natural Gas. A peak was reached despite enormous investment

[ Although I’ve extracted much of this paper, it is not complete—there are missing equations, figures, tables, and text– so see the paper for details (it is available online).  I’ve rearranged the order of the paper.  The conclusion is just … Continue reading

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Drinking water and sewage treatment use a lot of energy

[ Water treatment (drinking and sewage) use tremendous amounts of energy. Some of the statistics from this document “Water & Wastewater Utility energy research roadmap” below are: In 2008 municipal wastewater treatment systems (WWTP) in the United States used approximately … Continue reading

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Nicole Foss: Negative interest rates and the war on cash

Nicole Foss, September 4-8, 2016, theautomaticearth.com Part 1 is here: Negative Interest Rates and the War on Cash (1) Part 2 is here: Negative Interest Rates and the War on Cash (2) Part 3 is here: Negative Interest Rates and … Continue reading

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The effect of high energy prices on small business

Preface. This hearing is about how the unaffordable prices of energy are affecting ordinary people.  Chairman Tipton at one point says that “I do not think that Americans truly realize the significant amount of energy that is necessary to be … Continue reading

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Electric Cars and Biofuels switch dependence from foreign oil to domestic water and weather risks

  Figure 1. Energy/Water Nexus Amy Hardberger, Matthew E. Mantell, Michael Webber, Carey W. King, Karl Fennessey [ This Senate hearing covers a lot of ground. I found the most interesting testimony to be the intersection of water and energy, … Continue reading

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Current energy security challenges 2009 U.S. Senate hearing

[ Here are a few quotes from this 2009 Senate hearing on “Current energy security challenges”: Eric Schwartz, member, Energy Security Leadership Council: “Air transport, long-haul freight shipping, and heavy-duty trucks are not likely to be candidates for electrification…. Despite … Continue reading

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How Much Oil is Left?

The Power of Exponential Growth: Every 10 years we have burned more oil than all previous decades Preface. There is a lot of oil left. The problem is, most of the remaining oil is unconventional, which needs a lot more … Continue reading

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U.S. House meeting on terrorist threats to energy security

[ Even though this hearing was over a decade ago, the issues are still the same.  Nothing has changed. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation, 2015, Springer] House 109-70. July 27, … Continue reading

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The dangers and costs of importing Liquefied natural gas (LNG). U.S. Senate Hearing 2005.

                      [ Before fracked (tight) natural gas came along, natural gas prices spiked sky-high and the U.S. Congress began looking at how new LNG import terminal construction could be expedited, … Continue reading

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