So You Think We’re Reducing Fossil Fuel? — Think Again

If you think we’ve been doing a reasonable job of curbing fossil fuel use, you are sadly mistaken. Global energy demand grew yet again in 2018, by 2.3%, its fastest pace in ten years. 70% of that was provided by fossil fuel, and only 30% by renewables and nuclear. America is awash in new oil, recently setting a new record of 12 million barrels/day. DOE EERE Until growth in renewables exceeds that of fossil fuels, and by a lot, we will make no headway against the environmental problems we need to solve in the next two decades. Renewables and fully electric vehicles aside, all fossil fuels are increasing worldwide primarily because of economic growth in the developing world. Even coal is increasing worldwide, producing more power than hydro, nuclear and renewables combined. While the developed world is switching from coal to natural gas, the developing ...

‘HOSTILE ACT’ Iran seizes British oil tanker in the Gulf with 23 crew

A BRITISH-flagged Swedish owned tanker has been seized by Iran and is heading for the Revolutionary Guard base at Qeshm Island. Northern Marine, a subsidiary of Stena AB, confirmed "hostile action" had occurred before the tanker Stena Impero changed its course this afternoon. 7 The Stena Impero has been seized by Iran's Revolutionary GuardCredit: PA:Press Association A total of 23 crew members were on board. The Foreign Office is "urgently seeking" further information after reports said it turned into Iranian waters. Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt is believed to have been briefed on the incident in the Gulf. A statement from the ship's owner and management firm said: "Stena Bulk and Northern Marine Management can confirm that at approximately 1600 BST on 19th July UK registered vessel Stena Impero was approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the ...

Energy Sector’s Impact Shrinking

Oil has surged this year and energy stocks have rallied, but interest in the sector continues to shrink day by day. The weighting of energy equities within the S&P 500 is at its lowest level since at least 1990, according to Bloomberg—last standing at a mere 4.87%. That makes energy the fourth-smallest sector, ahead of only utilities, real estate and materials. Energy’s fall from grace has been shocking. Eleven years ago, in June 2008, energy’s weighting in the S&P 500 peaked at more than 16%, putting it neck and neck with the weighting of technology. Peak oil, the rise of China and a lack of spare production capacity within OPEC countries were the themes of the times. Energy topped out with the second-largest weighting in the S&P 500 before the financial crisis took the legs out from under the entire market. But unlike ...

The Stars Are Finally Aligned for Clean and Limitless Fusion Energy Generators at Kronos Fusion

A California start-up has redesigned Fusion Energy by leveraging three major breakthroughs in Fusion Power and managed to cut costs by 20%. Kronos-Fusion at MathLabs Ventures has given investors, scientists and policymakers renewed optimism for clean, limitless energy. Plasma with-in a fusion reaction causes damage, melting and vaporizing components. Precious materials escape confinement to destroy reactors, making, long-shot damages, loss and replacements add up to billions of dollars during build and trillions over the next century. Forecasting escapes, or 'disruptions,' mitigates these effects by building safety protocols that keep from damaging the machine or vaporizing vital materials. First, a discovery by the Department-Of-Energy's Princeton-Plasma-Physics-Lab uses radio-frequencies to reduce plasm-disruptions and achieved sustained, net energy gain fusion-reaction. Second, advances in Machine-Learning at Kronos-Fusion, leveraging over $100b+60yrs in global government Fusion Research, and leapfrogging theoretical thought to demonstrate capacities of deep learning plasma disruption forecasts which decreases error-rates, loss of plasma confinement, particles & energy. Algorithms ...

Boomer generation must address climate change now

I can understand the concern over Oregon's cap and trade bill. I can also understand that it is controversial. However, as a professional engineer licensed in two states and a small woodland owner, I am not sure that the issue of energy use and climate change is fully understood by most. Please look at the big picture: world population, 7.7 billion; United States population, 327 million; Oregon population, 4.25 million; 2014 world energy consumption, 372.39 quad BTU; United States yearly energy consumption, 97.9 quad BTU.In other words, our energy consumption is totally out of proportion to the rest of the world. We are "the haves." There are a lot of "have nots" in the world.Then, consider that Oregon lives in the "Goldilocks Zone," where we won't be impacted as much by climate changes as other areas of the world. However, please ...

Peak Oil and NTHE–the intersection

What I’m still trying to do, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. For those joining this site recently–I’ve been writing about Peak Oil and NTHE for seven years. But not intersectionally. If you know about Peak Oil, you can probably skip this. Peak Oil was first defined in 1956 by one M. King Hubbert, a respected geologist and researcher. He shocked the world by saying that oil prospects for nations and oil from a given oil field ‘play’ both had a predictable bell curve of discovery, maximum output, and then decline. That part was understood. But– Based on new discoveries, the US Oil production would peak in 1970 or thereabouts and go into irreversible decline, with the world to soon follow. US oil production did in fact follow this prediction–we started to consume more oil than we produced in the early ...

Ten Countries That Dominate Fossil Fuel Production

In this Sept. 7, 2018 file photo bucket wheels dig for coal near the Hambach Forest near Dueren, Germany. Despite its role as a renewable energy leader, Germany remains one of the world's leading producers of coal. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Despite the rapid growth of renewable energy over the past decade, fossil fuels still dominate global energy consumption. According to BP's recently-released Statistical Review of World Energy 2019, fossil fuels represented 84.7% of global energy consumption in 2018. A few weeks ago I received a press kit on this topic. I usually receive several of these each week, most of which aren't of enough relevance to share with readers. This one, I felt, was. A company called 911 Metallurgist pulled together data from more than a dozen sources to created animated maps showing which countries currently produce the most oil, coal, and natural gas. The graphics are consistent with my recent Review series, ...

Tropical Storm Barry shuts 70% of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil output

Nearly 70% or 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd), of crude oil production in the U.S.-regulated areas of the Gulf of Mexico has been cut because of Tropical Storm Barry, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said on Saturday Natural gas output from offshore platforms in the Gulf has been cut by 56%, or 1.5 billion cubic feet per day, BSEE said. Oil producers have shut in 283 platforms, or 42%, in the northern Gulf of Mexico, BSEE said. Reuters

The War on Coal and Plastic

We’re winning the war on coal as more and more coal-fired electrical generating plants close or switch to natural gas. At last count, since President Trump took office, a coal-fired electrical generating plant has closed roughly every 15 days. Of course, the President is very coal friendly, but basic economics have prevailed in spite of political pressure, and with plentiful, low cost natural gas and renewable energy flooding the market, even more plants will close during the next few years. As liquefied American natural gas, carried in huge tankers, penetrates more European and Asian markets, coal-fired plants will be closing all around the world. Coal is slowly becoming the fuel of the past, and as the coal mines close, the net amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere will drop precipitously. It won’t completely solve our global warming problem, ...

Iran will continue its oil exports under any conditions

Iran will continue its oil exports under any conditions, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told his British counterpart Jeremy Hunt in a telephone call on Saturday, according to a statement on the Iranian foreign ministry website. Zarif also said Britain should quickly release the Grace 1 oil tanker, which was seized last week by British Royal Marines off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory of Gibraltar on suspicion of violating sanctions against Syria. Hunt told Zarif that Britain would facilitate the release of the tanker if Tehran gave guarantees it would not go to Syria, Hunt wrote on Twitter. reuters

world’s population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050

A new UN report estimates the world's population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050… ...

Mining

In this video Paul Andersen explains how mining is used to extract valuable minerals ...

The Shale Boom in the Permian Is Slowing Down

The promise of the Permian is shrinking. Producers in the nation’s oil-rich shale basins are ...

Aker BP makes oil discovery off Norway

Norwegian oil firm Aker BP has made an oil discovery off Norway which could ...