Author Archives: energyskeptic

Spermageddon: Sperm is declining around the world

The rate sperm concentration is falling globally from samples collected from 1972 to 2000 (orange) and since 2000 (red) Source: Davies 2022 Preface. I’ve been seeing this issue in science news for years now. Scientific data has accumulated long enough … Continue reading

Posted in Extinction, Limits To Growth | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Spermageddon: Sperm is declining around the world

Thorium nuclear bombs and reactors have too many challenges

Preface. The energyskeptic website and my books explain why we can’t run transportation, mining, agriculture, concrete, blast furnace steel and other essential sectors that are highly dependent on fossil fuels with electricity, biofuels, hydrogen, coal-to-liquids or anything else. So a … Continue reading

Posted in Thorium | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Thorium nuclear bombs and reactors have too many challenges

Who Killed the Electric Car & more importantly, the Electric Truck?

Preface. Who cares about electric cars? Civilization ends when trucks stop running. Trucks can’t run on batteries because they’re too heavy, with 63 times less energy density than diesel. If all U.S. transportation were to be electrified, the existing electric … Continue reading

Posted in Automobiles, Batteries, Critical Thinking, Electric & Hydrogen trucks impossible, Electrification, Transportation, Transportation Infrastructure | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Who Killed the Electric Car & more importantly, the Electric Truck?

President Carter’s energy solutions 1977

Preface. The speech below is one of the reasons Carter was not reelected. Reagan’s “Morning in America” was far more appealing. Another reason he wasn’t reelected was because the Reagan administration prevented the hostage crisis in Iran from being resolved … Continue reading

Posted in Energy Policy & Politicians, Expert Advice, President Jimmy Carter | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Peak Menhaden

Preface. This is a book review of: Bruce Franklin’s 2007 The Most Important Fish in the Sea. Menhaden and America. Island Press. I’d never heard of menhaden until my husband, who grew up in Florida, mentioned them. Just half a … Continue reading

Posted in Fisheries | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Peak Menhaden

Hemp for paper, textiles, the war on drugs, and more

  Hemp product categories include: Clothing & Accessories, Health & Wellness, Food & Drinks, Pet Supplies, Beauty & Skincare, Farming & Gardening, Home & Office supplies, Automobiles, Industrial. Source: Top 50 Hemp Products You Can Get Online Preface.  If you … Continue reading

Posted in Farming and Ranching | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Hemp for paper, textiles, the war on drugs, and more

Why towns have a hard time adding EV, solar, heat pumps

Preface.  This article from IEEE does a good job of explaining how and why it is incredibly expensive for cities to cope with with L2 chargers, EV, solar, and heat pumps by zeroing in on Palo Alto, where there are … Continue reading

Posted in Electric Grid & EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Electric Vehicles, Electricity Infrastructure | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Why towns have a hard time adding EV, solar, heat pumps

Building a national super grid in America

Preface. Renewables are not evenly distributed.  Just 10 states have 80% of hydropower (Homeland Security 2011), 10 states produce 75% of wind power (EIA 2017), and 10 states produce 79% of solar power (CE 2020). With a national grid, instead … Continue reading

Posted in Blackouts Electric Grid, Electric Grid, Electric Grid & EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Electricity Infrastructure, National Super Grid, Solar, Vaclav Smil, Wind | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Mayflower from the book The Barbarous Years

Preface. It was recently Thanksgiving so I thought I’d post something from Mann’s 1491 about the pilgrims that I later found out was grievously wrong from an expert who gives lectures on the Mayflower history. Here is a more subtle, … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Mayflower from the book The Barbarous Years

The deep sea is a desperate place to drill for more

Preface. Peak crude oil is on a plateau that is likely to peak soon, but when it happens we won’t be out of oil, just halfway through.  Giant fields continue to be found, but in the deep ocean or arctic … Continue reading

Posted in How Much Left | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment