Aug
7
The Competition of Energy and Fuel Demands
August 7, 2008 | 1 Comment
At this writing the energy and fuel demand for transport fuels in the developed nations is declining. Gas-guzzlers get parked, trucking gets better organized, and airline flight routes get cancelled. Consumption demand goes down. Special interests sue, lobby in Congress, bureaucrats regulate and investment is increased non-productively and paybacks are strung out over a longer [...]
Jul
9
Watchin’ The Energy Policy Yo Yo
July 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I’ve been asked over the past week about the Bureau of Land Management’s awakening to the “need” for environmental impact statements for the areas where the solar people hope to set up gigawatts of new power production. Last week the BLM asserted that there would be a two year delay in new permitting and within [...]
Jul
1
Greater Expectations
July 1, 2008 | 3 Comments
The bad news is piling up and making many feel that the way out isn’t in sight. I saw a poll earlier today that reported on folk’s feelings of hopelessness and wish now I’d kept the link, as it’s bugged me all day. Hard numbers will do to support the sensation; in 1970 3/4ths of [...]
Jun
5
A Look Via California At Alternatives and Efficiency
June 5, 2008 | 3 Comments
The American Petroleum Institute who by their gracious effort to get a cross section of bloggers invited yours truly, to attend the Newsweek, Chevron, Woods Institute and Precourt Institute at Stanford University panel discussion. The disclosure is the API covered the travel and lodging, no big surprise, and I see they get a great deal [...]
May
21
The Biggest Challenges May Not Be the Technology
May 21, 2008 | 1 Comment
Creativity, invention, innovation, progress, and change are all coming in the technology of energy and fuels. We have all just been through a massive change in electronic developments that has computers in essentially every home and in many autos, as fixtures at work, and new TVs next year whether you’re ready or not. [...]
May
14
Reasons to Worry About the Price of Oil
May 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Some popular pages here are those about the why the price of oil is so high. I haven’t updated with a new post as the fundamentals haven’t changed other than the U.S. Federal Reserve has increasingly moved to protect the major banks and their management and stockholders instead of the American people by crushing [...]
Apr
28
An Activist Guide to Energy Policy Points
April 28, 2008 | 1 Comment
The post here this past Friday makes the main point that electrification over fueling needs to be the long-term policy for a successful economy. For Americans, where this blog is written and the inputs of knowledge, wisdom and the suspicions of many converge, there remains from some people a concern that America has lost [...]
Feb
22
Brrr, I Want to Be Warm When Saving Money!
February 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
It was minus 9 Fahrenheit with a minus 37 wind chill Wednesday morning. I also paid the electric bill for January today and these two things have focused my attention on just what will I do about the costs to stay warm. Yesterday we looked into how the clothes dryer could be lots [...]
Feb
21
A “Gotta Have It!” Item Is Coming to Market
February 21, 2008 | 2 Comments
The biggest energy hog in the home is the clothes dryer. In the U.S. they are so appallingly poor in efficiency that the U.S. Department of Energy has no models awarded an “Energy Star.” While the refrigerator might be your biggest user, its likely quite efficient as they are essentially heat pumps or [...]
Feb
20
Properly Beating Up the Oil Companies
February 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment
It’s really easy to beat on the oil companies. Every time one fills up a gasoline diesel or propane tank, the agony is real. The blame has to go somewhere, and blame aplenty and usually justified was more or less valid. The oil companies were, that is were in the past, actually [...]