Renewable Energy

George Monbiot is arguing with me… that has to be good

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The words “holy crap” were pretty much the first ones to my lips this morning, when several people sent me George Monbiot’s latest column…After being so flattered I could die, I suffered the irresistable desire to argue back, and I’m going to…

The post-oil novel revisited!

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Unlike the other post-oil novels published so far, Ill Wind isn’t about peak oil. In those other novels, oil has gradually dribbled away while we’ve steadfastly ignored the warning signs. But in Ill Wind, the world’s oil vanishes suddenly after some bizarre, experimental oil-eating microbe is unleashed on a massive tanker spill, and then runs amok. What Ill Wind and those other novels do have in common, however, is that they imagine a future world without oil.

Preventing deforested moonscapes – Pt I

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When electricity becomes too expensive, unreliable, or rationed, many people will very likely turn to wood to meet their heating and cooking needs. This strategy is valid and sensible for many reasons, and probably necessary in some parts of the country, but I think we should also examine the downside of using wood as a primary fuel source, and examine ways to mitigate the problems associated with burning wood.

Timing is everything

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The key question is whether we have the time for said gradual energy transition. … Should the analogy be the American entry into World War II which led to a command economy directed by the federal government with the aim of winning the war? One could certainly argue that the United States did not make optimal use of its resources during World War II. But, it did win.