Author Archives: energyskeptic

U.S. Senate 2006 hearing on energy independence

[This is one of the most important hearings on U.S. Energy Policy I’ve read so far.  The title should have been Energy Dependence though. Senator Lieberman has many important points to make, too long to excerpt in this introduction, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Limits To Growth, U.S. Congress Energy Dependence, U.S. Congress Energy Policy | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

We’ll all be Flint Michigan someday: U.S. water infrastructure is falling apart

NRC. 2006. Drinking Water Distribution Systems: Assessing and Reducing Risks Committee on Public Water Supply Distribution Systems: Assessing and Reducing Risks.  National Research Council, National Academies Press. [ According to this Free National Research Council report, most water systems and … Continue reading →

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General Charles Wald: Dial 1-800-The-U.S.-Military to solve your oil dependency issues

Senate 110-6. January 10, 2007. Geopolitics of Oil. United States Senate Hearing. 90 pages. General Charles Wald, U.S. Air Force (retired), Former Deputy Commander, U.S. European command, and member of the Energy Security Leadership Council I recently retired from the … Continue reading →

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Carbon Capture and Storage not likely to ever be commercial: too expensive, uses up to 30% of the power

[It’s 2016 and CCS still isn’t working, and can never work because the size of the storage area is too large:  “The prospects for carbon capture (e.g., clean coal) are widely discussed. Unfortunately, what is not usually discussed is that … Continue reading →

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Electromagnetic pulse threat to infrastructure: U.S. House hearings 2012 & 2014

Related articles: Russian hackers suspected in attack that blacked out parts of Ukraine How the weapon works (pdf): CRASHOVERRIDE Analyzing the Threat to Electric Grid Operations The EMP Commission estimates a nationwide blackout lasting one year could kill up to … Continue reading →

Posted in Congressional Record U.S., Electric Grid & EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Infrastructure & Collapse, Interdependencies, U.S. Congress Energy Dependence, U.S. Congress Infrastructure, War | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Electromagnetic pulse threat to infrastructure: U.S. House hearings 2012 & 2014

Another reason to think oil production probably peaked in 2005

[ In this Kurt Cobb post, Texas oilman Jeffrey brown explains why the story of oil production growth from 2005 to 2014 is probably wrong, because the increase came from lease condensate, not oil.  If this is true then Brown … Continue reading →

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When Trucks Stop Running, So Does Civilization. Energy and the Future of Transportation.

When Trucks Stop Running. Energy and the Future of Transportation. Available at Springer, Amazon, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, Alibris When Trucks Stop Running: Table of Contents, Preface, References Book review: “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric & Hydrogen trucks impossible, Electric Grid & EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Electrification, Energy Books, Oil Shocks, Railroads, Ships and Barges, Transportation Infrastructure, Transportation Supply chain, Trucks, When Trucks Stop Running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on When Trucks Stop Running, So Does Civilization. Energy and the Future of Transportation.

When Trucks Stop Running: Table of Contents, Preface, References

Alice Friedemann.  2016. When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Civilization. Springer. Available in print and eBook at Springer, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Table of Contents 1 When Trucks Stop Running, America Stops 2 Shipping Makes the … Continue reading →

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Cost overruns on roads from subsurface conditions

[ What follows are excerpts from the 91 page NRC document on cost overruns. As energy declines, future new roads aren’t likely to be built, and existing roads unpaved, so I didn’t excerpt much.  Alice Friedemann www.energyskeptic.com ] NRC. 2016. … Continue reading →

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The periodic table limits battery development

Preface. My book, When Trucks Stop Running, makes the case that civilization ends when trucks stop running.  The replacement for diesel fuel that everyone expects, especially because Elon Musk has told them it’s on the way, are battery electric trucks. … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric & Hydrogen trucks impossible, Electric Vehicles, Lithium-ion | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments