Category Archives: Energy

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

A book review of “Russia’s Food Policies and Globalization”

Posted on April 16, 2014 by

Preface.  Today Russia exports a substantial percent of wheat, and now that oil prices are surging is in much better shape than after the Fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.  But with peak oil likely in 2018, and money … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Oil shock collapse | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A book review of “Russia’s Food Policies and Globalization”

Oil Sands missed rosy production figures – AGAIN

Posted on April 12, 2014 by

Commentary: Canadian Oil Sands Misses Unrealistic Projection – Issues Another December 14, 2009 Tom Standing ASPO USA Peak Oil Review Canadian energy authorities have done it again. They missed their last rosy projection of future oil sands production, so they … Continue reading →

Posted in Tar Sands (Oil Sands) | Comments Off on Oil Sands missed rosy production figures – AGAIN

Who lives, who dies in a never-ending energy crisis. Book review of Nothing to Envy. Ordinary Lives in North Korea

Posted on April 6, 2014 by

Preface. Much of this post comes from Barbara Demick’s 2010 “Nothing to Envy. Ordinary lives in North Korea”.  But first I summarize why and how energy shortages led to the hardships chronicled in this book. Related Posts: North Korea collapse … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Energy Books, North Korea, Oil shock collapse | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Biomass Electricity More Polluting Than Coal and Waste Incinerators

Posted on April 5, 2014 by

Trees, Trash, and Toxics: How Biomass Energy Has Become the New Coal Mary S. Booth, PhD Partnership for Policy Integrity April 2 , 2014 Executive Summary Highlights Because of a perfect storm of lax regulation and regulatory rollbacks , biomass … Continue reading →

Posted in Air, Biomass, Hazardous Waste | Comments Off on Biomass Electricity More Polluting Than Coal and Waste Incinerators

Oil, The Final Warning

Posted on April 4, 2014 by

OIL: THE FINAL WARNING June 25, 2008. Ian Sample. New Scientist (pg. 32) Howls of protest have been echoing round the globe as the price of oil punches through record highs with every passing week. In the UK, last month, hundreds … Continue reading →

Posted in Oil Shocks | Comments Off on Oil, The Final Warning

2nd largest oil field in the world, Mexico’s Cantarell, declining rapidly

Posted on April 4, 2014 by

Mexican oil exports: start saying adios! by Martin Payne, 19 Mar 2008. Energy Bulletin. 1)      This story illustrates the problem of RATE of production – you might have a lot of oil, but if you can only produce it at … Continue reading →

Posted in Flow Rate | Comments Off on 2nd largest oil field in the world, Mexico’s Cantarell, declining rapidly

What is “our” oil doing in their economy? — Saudi oil consumption trends

Posted on April 4, 2014 by

What is “our” oil doing in their economy? — Saudi oil consumption trends April 8, 2011. Jonathan Callahan Oil importing nations have long treated Saudi Arabia as an infinitely deep well of crude oil supplies. In 2005, Matt Simmon’s book … Continue reading →

Posted in Exports decline to ZERO | Comments Off on What is “our” oil doing in their economy? — Saudi oil consumption trends

Oil Reserve Estimates are WAY too high

Posted on April 3, 2014 by

Old Math Casts Doubt on Accuracy of Oil Reserve Estimates Asjylyn Loder. april 3, 2014. Bloomberg News Jan Arps is the most influential oilman you’ve never heard of. In 1945, Arps, then a 33-year-old petroleum engineer for British-American Oil Producing … Continue reading →

Posted in Reserves Lower than stated | Comments Off on Oil Reserve Estimates are WAY too high

Charles Hall on EROEI

Posted on April 1, 2014 by

[ For a full understanding of EROI, which Hall invented in 1973 as a way of evaluating which energy resources could best replace fossil fuels, see Hall’s latest book: Hall, Charles A.S. 2017. Energy Return on Investment: A Unifying Principle … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles A. S. Hall, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, EROEI remaining oil too low | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Charles Hall on EROEI

Export Land Model and Energy Prices

Posted on March 27, 2014 by

What the Export Land Model Means for Energy Prices David Galland, Managing Director Casey Research June 5th, 2008 To understand the importance of exports when discussing peak oil, ask yourself the question: “What’s more important: the fact that global oil … Continue reading →

Posted in Exports decline to ZERO, How Much Left, Oil Shocks | Comments Off on Export Land Model and Energy Prices