Friday, January 18, 2013

How growth of renewables can lead to sharper #peakoil collapse

Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are low EROEI, just as are shale oil and tarsand. They will not allow the economic growth necessary to sustain capitalism.

What they will do, however, is prolong the fall of oil. During this time, with business as current and usual, more cars will be put on the roads, current sprawl will not be dismantled, and there will be little modification of the oil-dependent food supply. The result will be a more extreme drop some time later.

Our only hope is to use this time wisely and undo the systems that depend on oil. A good start is to break the critical mass of the autosprawl system. You can start this in your town by calling for free public transit.