Consumption & Demand

ODAC Newsletter – Mar 30

by

While awareness of peak oil has advanced light years since ODAC was founded over a decade ago, on the evidence of this week the same cannot be said for the conduct of British energy policy. Back in 2000, Tony Blair’s government was blindsided by petrol protests that brought the country to a standstill in 48 hours. Mr Blair bore the scars, and while there was much to criticise in New Labour’s energy policy—not least the invasion of Iraq—he developed emergency plans and did not allow a serious recurrence…

The peak oil crisis: Our natural gas glut

by

With global warming driving down the demand for natural gas as a home heating fuel and natural gas drillers producing record amounts, an oversupply situation has developed quickly. Stocks of natural gas are rising. As a result natural gas prices have fallen way below profitability and drillers are scrambling to cut back production.

A city that runs on itself

by

What happens when you ask 14 landscape architecture and three planning students to cut the energy use and consequent greenhouse gas (GHG) production in the city by at least 80 percent — by 2050? How is this to be done? We started by looking at the city of Vancouver as it is now, finding the places where energy use was high and where it was low, and trying to understand why.

The Phantoms I’ve Killed

by

Two weeks ago, I described my factor-of-five reduction of natural gas usage at home, mostly stemming from a decision not to heat our San Diego house. We have made similar cuts to our use of utility electricity, using one-tenth the amount that comparable San Diego homes typically consume. In this post, I will reveal how we pulled this off…with plots. Some changes are simple; some require behavioral changes; some might be viewed as outright trickery.

Oil – Mar 28

by

-France discussing strategic oil release with UK, U.S.
-Oil Futures Spark Debate on $100 Level
-South Sudan oil field “bombed”, Sudan says hopes to avert war
-Tanker drivers’ dispute: Acas invites oil firms and union to talks
-Report: Gulf Oil Spill Killed Life Deep Beneath Sea Level
-Shell Sued in U.K. Over ’Massive’ 2008 Nigerian Oil Spills
-World oil import bill heading for record $2 trillion

Global oil risks in the early 21st century

by

Abstract: The Deepwater Horizon incident demonstrated that most of the oil left is deep offshore or in other locations difficult to reach…In this regard, the physical limitations on producing ever-increasing quantities of oil are highlighted, as well as the possibility of the peak of production occurring this decade. The economics of oil supply and demand are also briefly discussed, showing why the available supply is basically fixed in the short to medium term. Also, an alarm bell for economic recessions is raised when energy takes a disproportionate amount of total consumer expenditures. In this context, risk mitigation practices in government and business are called for.