Results for: “confused about energy and power”

When I recently solicited feedback for topics to cover for my upcoming book, several people requested that I discuss the difference between energy and power. Just two weeks ago Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., who is on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, admitted that he’s “not educated enough to know the difference between the terms … energy and power.” You would certainly expect that someone who influences legislation over science and technology would know the difference, but it is true that people commonly get confused between the two. So this weekend I wrote up a sidebar for Power Plays discussing the differences, which I share below. If you believe that a point could be clearer, or if anything… Continue»

The previous essay sparked a lively discussion about the potential of methanol as a fuel, so I decided to write an essay particularly devoted to methanol. I was especially motivated to write this because of hypocrites who profess to be all about renewable energy and weaning the U.S. off of foreign oil – which explains their rabid support for corn ethanol – and then when the conversation turns to methanol they start to bad mouth it. When talking about methanol, hypocrites will tell you that “it is toxic.” But these people have never raised that issue over highly toxic denatured ethanol. They speculate that capital costs will be low for cellulosic ethanol but high for methanol. They complain about the… Continue»

The following guest essay is by Frank Weigert, a retired DuPont chemist who was involved in some of DuPont’s early work on alternatives to petroleum in the mid-1970′s. This work spurred a lifelong interest in a renewable hydrocarbon economy. Recently Frank sent me an e-mail in which he described his views on a pathway that could lead us away from our dependence on petroleum. It was a very detailed and technically interesting e-mail, and I asked him if we could turn it into an essay for others to read. What developed from that request was the essay below. —————————– Many people find it hard to think rationally about our energy problems because there is so much misinformation and disinformation out… Continue»

The FutureGen Project, a clean coal demonstration plant that would have included carbon capture and sequestration (and was #8 on My Top Energy Stories of 2007) has been cancelled. The culprit? Cost overruns of about 80%, and a lot of competing projects. It turns out that carbon sequestration isn’t cheap, and the DOE decided the price tag was too high for this project: U.S. pulls the plug on funding for FutureGen The Department of Energy on Wednesday officially quashed a $1.8 billion clean-coal project slated for central Illinois, leaving the experimental venture to capture carbon emissions dependent on Congress for survival. The FutureGen Industrial Alliance was cooperating with the Energy Department to develop a coal-fired power plant designed to gasify… Continue»

Introduction In Part I, I discussed the short term factors that have resulted in the recent, rapid increase in the price of gasoline. But there are a number of underlying, long-term issues that have been major contributors. I will attempt to address them and answer a number of related questions, such as: Why have no new refineries been built in the past 30 years? Are U.S. refineries breaking down more than normal? Are oil companies purposely withholding supplies to keep prices high? Have environmental regulations played a role? Does the use of ethanol influence gasoline demand growth? The answers to some of these questions may surprise you. Please note that my essays should not be confused with financial advice. Following… Continue»

Now, for the second installment – Jim Paris’ over the top rant in which he ignores everything I have been telling him – followed by a response to the points he raised. I did send him a direct e-mail response prior to writing this one, but I basically just blasted him for the willful ignorance he displayed in his response. I offered to address his points provided he gave me permission to post the exchange, but told him I was finished doing this solely for his benefit. Ultimately, after he said “no” to posting the exchange, I decided to post it anyway. An Analogy However, I still hope that Jim can learn something. If he doesn’t learn anything else, I… Continue»

Warning: If you send me an e-mail, in which you proceed to waste my time and make a fool of yourself, consider it fair game for publication. When I get these e-mails, I have always asked permission for publication, but I will no longer extend that courtesy for flagrantly rude, over-the-top e-mails, like the exchange I am about to highlight. If I am going to waste time on this sort of stuff, others should be able to learn from the exchange. I don’t have time to answer too many e-mails in detail AND post essays to my blog and The Oil Drum. I get all sorts of e-mails, but inevitably get some that disagree with my position on some point… Continue»