Energy Bulletin -

Renewables & efficiency - Nov 6

kristinsponsler — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:32:50 -0800

-A Plan to Power 100 Percent of the Planet with Renewables
-Farms going green to save and survive
-Solar power from Sahara a step closer
-Nearly 200 Organizations and Companies Urge Senate to Adopt Key Energy-Efficiency Provision in Climate Bill
-Report Argues for a Decentralized System of Renewable Power Generation

Decline of the Empire — Now What?

kristinsponsler — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:45:13 -0800

It is now 4 months since I wrote The Decline of the American Empire. The time is ripe for a follow-up. I will tell a sad story first, talk a little about our precarious banking system, and then relate the lessons learned back to my Decline theme. At the end I will talk about what all this means for the loosely structured peak oil "movement".

Continuously less and less (paper abstract)

kristinsponsler — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:27:56 -0800

The fundamental enabler of our industrialized American way of life is continuous access to enormous quantities of inexpensive nonrenewable natural resources (NNRs)—energy resources, metals, and minerals.

More natural gas controversy

kristinsponsler — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:17:04 -0800

What Arthur Berman is saying is that natural gas companies that extract shale are mis-estimating how quickly natural gas production will decline in the future--they are assuming gas production will decline more slowly than evidence indicates it will. As a result of their optimistic assumptions about decline rates, they are assuming that shale gas can profitably be extracted for as long as 50 years, when Berman believes the average well life is only about 8 years.

Peak oil notes - Nov 5

Simone — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:42:18 -0800

A weekly review including:
- Production and prices
- A leak from the IEA

The Peak Oil Crisis: A Plan For Renewables

bart — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:40:59 -0800

This month Scientific America is back on track with a cover story entitled "A Plan for a Sustainable Future - How to get all energy from wind, water and solar power by 2030." Getting rid of, or at least making a start on getting rid of fossil fuels in the U.S. over the next 20 years is something we should all be thinking about - especially if we want to leave much of anything to the grandchildren.

Nations & resources - Nov 4

kristinsponsler — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:23:33 -0800

-The heart of India is under attack
-Shale gas blasts open world energy market
-Shale gas numbers may not add up
-It’s a dirty business — the new gold rush that is blackening Canada’s name

The Irrationality Of Not Preparing Contingency Plans For Peak Oil

CharlesCressonWood — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:15:12 -0800

Let's compare the peak oil situation to three scenarios for which most large organizations have already prepared contingency plans: (1) a widespread flu pandemic, (2) a serious incident of workplace violence, and (3) a fire in a work related building. The calculations shown below are rough-and-ready, use a back-of-the-envelope style, and are intended only to make the point asserted in the title of this article.

The End Of Electricity

kristinsponsler — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:50:11 -0800

There seems to be a consensus that the depletion of fossil fuels will follow a fairly impressive slope. What may need to be looked at more closely, however, is not the "when" but the "what." Looking at the temporary shortages of the 1970s may give us the impression that the most serious consequence will be lineups at the pump. Fossil-fuel decline, however, will also mean the end of electricity, a far more serious matter.

Tricking and Treating the Future

kristinsponsler — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:09:03 -0800

We live in some pretty incredible times...At times the implications seem overwhelming. But this Halloween Campfire post is a quick reminder that despite our massive challenges, (and that we are human, imperfect, and mortal) - we can find joy, fun, meaning and satisfaction in many everyday, low throughput ways - we just have to decide to do so. That's both the trick and the treat.