Category Archives: Energy

the posts in this category used to be in “Energy in A Nutshell” at my former web site.

Why the Grid is getting less reliable. House Hearing 2013.

Posted on February 25, 2016 by

House 113-40. May 9, 2013. Grid reliability challenges in a shifting energy resource landscape. U.S. House of Representatives. 176 pages. Mr. Jonathan A. Lesser, President Continental Economics, Inc. [This is a really good introduction to how the grid works and … Continue reading →

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Alternative fuels to replace transportation oil. U.S. House hearing 2012

Posted on February 22, 2016 by

House 112–159. July 10, 2012. The American energy initiative part 23: A focus on Alternative Fuels and vehicles. House of Representatives. [ Excerpts from this 210 page transcript follow ] MIKE BREEN, Vice President of the Truman National Security Project.   … Continue reading →

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GAO asks Congress to prepare for Peak Oil

Posted on February 12, 2016 by

[The Department of Energy (DOE) asked Robert Hirsch to come up with a peak oil risk management and mitigation plan which was published in 2005.  Nothing happened, so in 2007 the Government Accountability Office asked Congress to prepare for Peak … Continue reading →

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Another reason to think oil production probably peaked in 2005

Posted on January 19, 2016 by

[ 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.

Posted on January 16, 2016 by

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.

The periodic table limits battery development

Posted on December 15, 2015 by

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 →

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Former President Bill Clinton on Peak Oil, Peak Soil, and other depleting resources

Posted on December 8, 2015 by

Former President Bill Clinton. May 4, 2007. The Looming Crisis; Can We Act in Time? Harvard Kennedy School. Excerpts from Keynote Address by Former President William Jefferson Clinton Kennedy School Spring Conference – Cambridge, MA I think it is highly … Continue reading →

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U.S. taxpayers lose billions from Powder River Basin bad lease deals and undervalued coal

Posted on December 3, 2015 by

According to the Center for American Progress: For decades the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has run a fundamentally noncompetitive leasing program, which has been a boon to industry. Since 1990, 96 of the 107 coal-lease sales held by the … Continue reading →

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New Alaskan strip coal mine for China, there go the salmon

Posted on November 28, 2015 by

McGrath, M. 2015-11-25. The Alaska fishing village taking on ‘Godzilla’. BBC News Image copyright Pete Niesen [See original article for details, what follows is reduced and most pictures removed] Alaska is a vast wilderness of natural beauty. But it also … Continue reading →

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Why U.S. Is Running Out of Gas (Time magazine 2003)

Posted on November 14, 2015 by

Donald L. Barlett & James B. Steele. July 21, 2003.  Why U.S. Is Running Out of Gas. Time Magazine. Inflated oil prices and natural gas shortages are wiping out jobs and savings, thanks to three decades of bungled energy policy. … Continue reading →

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