Category Archives: Alternative Energy

Hydrogen: The dumbest & most impossible renewable

Preface. This post originally appeared in Skeptic Magazine in 2008 as “The Hydrogen Economy. Savior of Humanity or an Economic Black Hole?” I’ve updated it quite a bit since then. Hydrogen is the dumbest, most ridiculous energy alternative. It is … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy, Electric & Hydrogen trucks impossible, Energy, Hydrogen, Pipeline, Ships and Barges, Trucks | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

67 Reasons why wind turbines cannot replace fossil fuels

Source: Leonard, T. 2012. Broken down and rusting, is this the future of Britain’s ‘wind rush’? Preface   Last updated 2023-10-20 The most important problem to be solved is electrifying transportation, otherwise how can you deliver the 30,000 parts of a … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy, An Index of Best Energyskeptic Posts, Energy, Wind | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Opposition to mining will prevent a green transition to renewables

Source: Bare (2012) Environmentalists win review of two more plants near Rosemont copper mine. Arizona Capitol times. I could overwhelm you with world-wide trillions of tons of mining waste and how China has rendered 20% of its farmland too toxic … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy, An Index of Best Energyskeptic Posts, Energy Supply Chain, Mining, Peak Copper | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Opposition to mining will prevent a green transition to renewables

Review of Lights out: the electricity crisis, the global economy, and what it means to you

Preface. My books and energyskeptic.com explain why the electric grid can’t stay up.  This is a book review of Makansi’s “Lights out: the electricity crisis, the global economy, and what it means to you”. He explains why the grid is … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy, Blackouts Electric Grid, Books, Electric Grid, Electricity Infrastructure, Energy Books | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Why mining to make renewables will destroy the planet

Figure 1 Landscape of earth after 37% is mined to build renewables Preface. As I wrote in Life After fossil fuels: “Mining spews out acid rain, wastewater, and heavy metals onto land, water, and air (PEBI 2016). One-fifth of China’s arable … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy, An Index of Best Energyskeptic Posts, Batteries, Climate Change, Electric & Hydrogen trucks impossible, Electric Grid, Energy Books, Peak Critical Elements, Peak Platinum Group Elements, Peak Precious Elements, Peak Rare Earth Elements, Recycle, Recycling | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

David Fridley, LBNL scientist, on why alternative energy won’t save us

Preface.  I’ve sought out David Fridley’s insights since I first met him in the Oakland Peak Oil group that formed in 2004.  That group eventually dissolved, but David’s expertise is still sought out by many of us following energy decline. … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy, An Overview, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Net Energy Cliff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on David Fridley, LBNL scientist, on why alternative energy won’t save us

Dozens of reasons why solar power can’t replace fossil fuels

Preface. Last update 2024-6-3. All solar (and wind) do is add to the giant bonfire of burning fossil fuels — which still provide two-thirds of the power for the electric grid. Electricity is just a fraction of how we use … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy, CSP with thermal energy storage, Photovoltaic Solar, Recycle, Recycling, Solar, Solar EROI, Subsidies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dozens of reasons why solar power can’t replace fossil fuels

Why the world can’t run on biodiesel from algae

Preface. This is an article I published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it’s also similar to “Chapter 25 Biodiesel from Algae” in my book Life After Fossil Fuels: A Reality Check on Alternative Energy. And within this post is a … Continue reading

Posted in Algae, Alternative Energy, Biomass, Energy, Peak Biofuels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Why the world can’t run on biodiesel from algae

Why do leaders & the public deny peak oil & limits to growth?

Preface.  It’s strange that we’re on the cusp of Peak Oil, and yet the only existential threat you ever hear about is Climate Change. The New York Times has mentioned climate change over 15,000 times the past 5 years, and … Continue reading

Posted in 2) Collapse, Alternative Energy, An Overview, Critical Thinking, GOVERNMENT, Limits To Growth, Other Experts | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Texas electric grid outage

Preface. In February of 2021, millions of Texans and Mexicans lost electric power in a hard freeze. Oxer (2021) on the March 2 Power Hungry podcast, said that if the Texas grid had blacked out, it would have taken until … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy, Grid instability, Pedro Prieto | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments