The increase in global population, compounded by the movement of large percentages of that population up the development ladder, combined with years of inefficient usage of the resource, exacerbated by the economic impact of resources...leads to a dispiriting conclusion: we better figure a quick way to live without oil.
Former BP geologist: Peak oil is here and it will break economies
"'The oil price has risen almost continuously since 2004 to date, starting at $30. There was a great spike to $150 and then a collapse in 2008/2009, but it has since climbed to $110 and held there. The price rise brought a lot of new exploration and development, but these new fields have not actually increased production by very much, due to the decline of older fields. This is compatible with the idea that we are pretty much at peak today. This recession is what peak feels like.'"
I am thankful that after years of hearing how energy efficiency makes no economic sense (when all rational analysis says it does), that someone has looked at the economics of further development of some of the worst fossil resources and made a case that it does not make sense. If we took every dollar dedicated to the expansion of Keystone XL and invested it in energy efficiency, we would create over ten times as many permanent jobs, and have nothing but positive impact on the environment.
Why Canada's oil sands looks like a shaky investment
"The real value of the Keystone XL is that it would deliver oil-sands crude down to the Gulf Coast, where it could compete with Mexican crude priced against the Maya benchmark. Heavy Mexican oil enjoys a $20 premium over its Canadian rival and is trading at about $87 a barrel. Even if the Keystone XL gets approved, just getting Canada’s crude down to the Gulf is barely enough to make it worthwhile. Mark Lewis, one of the new Keystone report’s co-authors, estimates that between the transport costs and the extra lubricants needed to coax the oil through thousands of miles of pipeline, it would cost about $18 a barrel to get that tar-sand crude from Western Canada down to the Gulf Coast on the Keystone XL."
Before you look at this article and suggest that Scotland's a small, homogenous country that cannot represent what the US could do, look at its population, geography, and energy resources, then compare that to all of the US states. That's precisely how many could do this. Then look at Germany's plans, and that's how many states could do that...and so on.
Scotland embarrasses US by planning to use only clean energy by 2020
"The Arizona-sized country was using 24 percent renewable energy in 2010, which it upped to 40 percent last year. By 2015, that’ll be 50 percent, and then ideally 100 percent wind, solar, wave, and hydro by 2020."
It is a bit disheartening that the best that even the best minds could do so far is a forty year path to fully clean energy. I suspect that we will better this soon.
Evaluating the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Repowering California for all Purposes with Wind, Water, and Sunlight
"This study presents a roadmap to convert California’s all-purpose (for electricity, transportation, heating/cooling, industry) energy infrastructure to one derived entirely from wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) generating electricity and electrolytic hydrogen. We outline the requirements, costs, benefits, and policies needed for the conversion. The plan contemplates all new energy capacity powered with WWS by 2020, 80-85% of all energy use powered with WWS by 2030, and 100% by 2050."
Although, getting better at clean energy means using less energy, and as we rely more heavily on digital media and devices for our entertainment and our economy, we need to take steps forward and not backward.
New PS4 and Xbox One game consoles: A mixed bag for energy efficiency
"That adds up to a lot of energy every year. In fact, even if these new video game consoles became 25 percent more energy efficient on average over time – which we believe is possible – they would still use between 10 and 11 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually once the new consoles have replaced the more than 100 million units currently in use.
This translates to four large power plants and over $1 billion in annual electricity bills. To put this into further perspective, video game consoles in the United States are projected to use more electricity annually than all the households in Houston, America’s fourth-largest city."
Happy Friday!
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