Energy Bulletin -

ODAC Newsletter - Nov 20

simoneosborn — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:51:30 -0800

Oil prices fluctuated in the high $70’s this week reflecting the ups and downs of the dollar. Higher oil prices are loosening the discipline around the implementation of OPEC oil quotas as producers cash in...

Ireland and Kentucky: Contrasting Biofuel and Energy Plans

kristinsponsler — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:48:09 -0800

Ireland and Kentucky have a surprising amount in common, but they’re charting very different courses for their energy future. Ireland is a moderate energy consumer with a plan to reduce its energy use. Kentucky is a profligate energy user planning to increase its consumption. Biofuels play a big part in the energy plans for both, but will likely have different impacts.

Staking Out the Middle Ground

kristinsponsler — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:38:50 -0800

In my view, the Uppsala study is unduly pessimistic, implying an immediate crisis (in 2010 and thereafter) which is not in accord with reasonable expectations about future production levels both within OPEC and outside the cartel. In alerting the public to the peak oil issue, the Guardian is doing good work. But not knowing any bettter, they picked the wrong study in my view. The false choice the Guardian offers us, the IEA or Uppsala, amounts to a kind of all or nothing proposition.

Peak oil notes - Nov 19

simoneosborn — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:58:02 -0800

A weekly review including:
- Production and prices
- Cambridge Energy’s new report

Review: The Ecotechnic Future by John Michael Greer

Walking Worried — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:53:12 -0800

John Michael Greer has officially established himself as an institution within the peak oil community. Truly one of the finest minds working on the predicament of modern-day industrial civilization, he is so well-read in so many fields that he regularly gains access to insights that utterly elude his contemporaries. For this he is treasured by a growing number of loyal readers—and, I suspect, hated by equally many fellow bloggers who wish that they could be half as good.

The Peak Oil Crisis: Accusations

bart — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:36:17 -0800

Not many years from now, there will be a huge uproar over who missed the coming of peak oil. There will be Congressional hearings and much finger pointing and protestations that the peaking of world oil production was impossible to predict.

Chris Nelder’s Notes on the 2009 ASPO-USA Peak Oil Conference (pdf)

kristinsponsler — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:14:50 -0800

These are merely my notes from the conference. I hope they will be useful to others as an index to the volumes of material that were covered.

Gas debate heats up - Nov 18

kristinsponsler — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:46:00 -0800

-Gazprom defends rigid contract terms with Europe
-Gazprom dismisses warnings of lengthy gas glut
-EU seeks Russian energy boost

Some predictions on the forthcoming Russian-Ukrainian gas 'crisis'

kristinsponsler — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:28:36 -0800

We've recently heard more veiled threats from Putin about Ukraine being unable to pay for gas (thus presumably leading to new attempts at cutting them off), which suggests that Russia is getting itself ready to start a new crisis.

Time and the Latest CERA Report: Why 2030 for the Peak?

kristinsponsler — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:21:07 -0800

One of the features of many models that are used to predict future events is that they focus on target years. Decadal years are the most common target years, so that whether talking of climate or the amount of oil or natural gas available, models focus on, for example, the amount that will be available in 2030. The problem with this approach is that it leaves the public to think that a problem is not yet serious.