-
24 votes
-
Exponential adoption of solar power by opium-growers in Afghanistan
7 votes -
Help me understand the significance of EROI?
According to this guy, societal collapse is imminent because a. entropy and b. the high EROI (energy return on investment) afforded to society by the use of energy dense hydrocarbons such as coal...
According to this guy, societal collapse is imminent because a. entropy and b. the high EROI (energy return on investment) afforded to society by the use of energy dense hydrocarbons such as coal and petroleum will decline dramatically in the near future due to the decreasing economic viability of acquiring them and the lack of a similarly high return alternative (barring nuclear fission, which is VeRy DaNgErOuS (and also practically infeasible politically in most countries that can achieve it), and nuclear fusion, which is, of course, perpetually 20 years away) and because this EROI is (according to him) what makes the complexity of modern civilization possible, it is inevitable that we will soon see a corresponding decline in said complexity (collapse). Now there is a section in the wikipedia article that touches on some of these points (Economic influence) so it's not totally junk science (if you trust Wikipedia, that is). However, I'm still struggling to grasp the significance of this figure. As long as our means of acquiring energy is scalable, why does it matter what the EROI is as long as it is greater than 1? if we need to spend one fifth of the energy we get from solar panels on making more, fixing existing ones, and installation, can't we just make a bunch of them to match our energy needs, even if they're growing? What am I missing here?
7 votes -
Work has begun on Viking Link, the world's longest electricity interconnector which will allow power to travel between the UK and Denmark
5 votes -
What we need to know about the pace of decarbonization -- Energy transitions have been among the key defining processes of human evolution
4 votes -
BP data reveals newly-installed clean electricity generation matched coal for the first time in 2019
4 votes -
Britain about to pass a significant landmark—two months of coal-free electricity generation—as renewables edge out fossil fuels
18 votes -
Denmark should end all future oil and gas exploration in the North Sea – it hurts Denmark's ambition as a front-runner in the fight against climate change
6 votes -
Thermoelectric stoves: Ditch the solar panels?
9 votes -
Why carbon pricing is not sufficient to mitigate climate change—and how “sustainability transition policy” can help
7 votes -
Coal industry will never recover after coronavirus pandemic, say experts
24 votes -
2020 looks like the year US renewables first out-produce coal
10 votes -
Solar’s future is insanely cheap
11 votes -
Rays of hope—Arab states are embracing solar power
8 votes -
A major project to transport natural gas from the North Sea to Denmark and Poland has taken a significant step forward
5 votes -
Sweden closes last coal-fired power station two years ahead of schedule – country becomes third in Europe to exit coal, ahead of mass withdrawal from polluting fossil fuel
18 votes -
First wooden wind power tower erected in Sweden – as early as 2022, the wooden towers will be built on a commercial scale
8 votes -
Michael Moore’s environment film a slap in the face on Earth Day
17 votes -
Scientists set new solar power efficiency record at almost fifty per cent
8 votes -
Planet of the Humans
4 votes -
Google's data centers now work harder when the sun shines and wind blows
8 votes -
Nearly half of global coal plants will be unprofitable this year
10 votes -
Finland's center-left government gave its blessing to majority state-owned Fortum's strategy to cut emissions, but promised to push the company further
4 votes -
Norway is postponing a decision on whether to allow companies to construct a new subsea power cable between it and Scotland
4 votes -
Moss Landing battery storage project approved
5 votes -
Greenpeace asks Norway's supreme court to rule on Arctic oil – a case that could block the petroleum industry's expansion plans
5 votes -
This simple crib cost $28,885 to make—because it was made with zero fossil fuels
13 votes -
Rethinking space heating
23 votes -
Wind turbine blades can’t be recycled, so they’re piling up in landfills - Companies are searching for ways to deal with the tens of thousands of blades that have reached the end of their lives
26 votes -
Germany eyes new offshore wind farms dedicated to green hydrogen production
7 votes -
SolarRoof.Cool — A crash course on Tesla's Solarglass roof, Powerwall, and sustainable energy systems, from the perspective of an owner.
26 votes -
How sustainable is a solar powered website?
10 votes -
Greenpeace loses Norway Arctic oil lawsuit appeal – Oslo appeals court approved Norway's plans for more oil exploration in the Arctic
7 votes -
Norway made an outspoken right-wing lawmaker who once called wind turbines 'white monsters' its oil and energy minister
9 votes -
US electricity generation from renewables surpassed coal in April
8 votes -
IBM’s lithium-ion battery uses seawater materials instead of heavy metals, charges in just five minutes
12 votes -
Too much combustion, too little fire
6 votes -
Common gas market for Finland, Estonia and Latvia launches following the completion of the Balticonnector pipeline last month
3 votes -
Denmark sources record 47% of power from wind in 2019 – boosted by steep cost reductions and improved offshore technology
5 votes -
California solar mandate, gas bans take effect in 2020: what you need to know
8 votes -
The hiding place: Inside the world's first long-term storage facilty for highly radioactive nuclear waste
10 votes -
The Hornsdale Power Reserve and what it means for energy storage
8 votes -
Group of Canadian premiers will work together to research and build small modular nuclear reactors
11 votes -
Denmark plans $30 billion offshore wind island that could power ten million homes
6 votes -
Icelanders used more electricity per capita in 2017 than any other country in the world, the World Economic Forum reports
5 votes -
Making high-temperature industrial heat from sunlight
9 votes -
Two of America’s biggest coal plants closed this month
21 votes -
Climate campaigners are taking Norway's government back to court to oppose its plans to open the Arctic for oil drilling
7 votes -
Denmark is giving permission for joint German-Russian underwater gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 to be laid through its territory
3 votes -
More than 100 tons of manure from 370 horses at the Helsinki International Horse Show was used to create 150 megawatt hours of energy
4 votes