Author Archives: energyskeptic

Peak coal 2013-2045 — most likely 2025-2030

Posted on January 16, 2017 by

Preface.  The amount of coal reserves is far less than what the IPCC has assumed in their models, where they used RESOURCES, which is coal that can’t be economically and/or technologically obtained.  Typical economists, they assume humans are so smart … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal, Peak Coal | Tagged | Comments Off on Peak coal 2013-2045 — most likely 2025-2030

Ugo Bardi: The Hill’s Group report

Posted on January 13, 2017 by

[ The Hill’s group consists of energy insiders, and I must admit I was impressed by the predictions they said their model had already gotten right, such as the drop in oil price when everyone was expecting the price to … Continue reading →

Posted in Ugo Bardi | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Ugo Bardi: The Hill’s Group report

Peak Uranium by Ugo Bardi from Extracted: How the Quest for Mineral Wealth Is Plundering the Planet

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

Preface. This is an extract of Ugo Bardi’s must read “Extracted” about the limits of production of uranium. You can find plenty of material saying there is are a lot of uranium reserves and resources  left elsewhere (EMD 2019). The … Continue reading →

Posted in Peak Uranium, Ugo Bardi | Tagged , | 5 Comments

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

Posted on January 10, 2017 by

[ 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 →

Posted in Collapse of Civilizations, Roman Empire, Supply Chains | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Ward-Perkins “The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization”

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

Posted on January 7, 2017 by

[ 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 →

Posted in EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Natural Gas, Peak Natural Gas | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Drinking water and sewage treatment use a lot of energy

Posted on January 4, 2017 by

[ 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 →

Posted in Sewage treatment, Water Infrastructure | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Drinking water and sewage treatment use a lot of energy

Nicole Foss: Negative interest rates and the war on cash

Posted on January 2, 2017 by

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 →

Posted in Scams | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The effect of high energy prices on small business

Posted on January 1, 2017 by

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 →

Posted in Congressional Record U.S. | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The effect of high energy prices on small business

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

Posted on December 29, 2016 by

  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 →

Posted in Drought, Energy Production, Hydropower, Transportation, Water Infrastructure | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Electric Cars and Biofuels switch dependence from foreign oil to domestic water and weather risks

Current energy security challenges 2009 U.S. Senate hearing

Posted on December 26, 2016 by

[ 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 →

Posted in U.S. Congress Energy Dependence, U.S. Congress Energy Policy | Tagged , | Comments Off on Current energy security challenges 2009 U.S. Senate hearing