Latest posts
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Africa just showed the world how fast nuclear can move
When Rwandan President Paul Kagame stood up at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris earlier this year, he didn’t talk like a leader hedging his bets on energy policy. He talked like a determined man in a hurry. Kagame told the assembled audience that nuclear-generated electricity technology “is evolving in ways that benefit countries with small grids,…
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The nine energy questions that could decide America’s future
California, the 4th-largest economy in the world, is increasing its dependence on transportation fuels produced from refined crude oil at foreign refineries, a trend that is becoming a national security risk for America. California has closed 2 refineries, and more closures are imminent as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) tightens emissions regulations, which may drive…
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Remove the crude oil, and you do not merely dim the lights. You dismantle society!
Can a zero-emissions world survive without crude oil? That is the wrong question. The zero-emissions debate asks when we can stop burning crude oil. The harder question — one that remains largely unasked — is what do we propose to make things from once we do. Electricity generated by wind and solar cannot be poured…
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California ports expose the state as a national security risk to America
With no pipelines over the Sierra Mountains, California is an energy island separated from the crude oil supply and the infrastructure of oil refineries within the other 49 States. Collectively, California, the 4th largest economy in the world, consumes a humongous 61 million gallons of ALL transportation fuels PER DAY (jet fuel, 3 grades of gasoline,…
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Another California refinery closure will threaten national and global economies
According to the Energy Information Administration, today, California ranks first in jet fuel demand among the states. The California Energy Commission (CEC) projects in-state jet fuel demand will rise significantly in the long term, growing from about 271 thousand barrels per day (TBD) in 2023 to an estimated 378 TBD by 2045. These jet fuel demand rates…
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What it really takes to meet the materialistic demands of the modern world
Electricity demands are growing worldwide, and the unpopular questions around what it truly takes to power our modern society beyond just electricity are energy literacy conversations that provoke critical thought. Conversation encourages young minds to challenge assumptions, ask difficult questions, and resist accepting simplistic answers to deeply complex challenges. It is our responsibility as parents,…
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Modern society runs on refined oil products. Can California keep ignoring reality?
An energy “REALITY” reminder is that crude oil by itself is useless black tar, unless you build a multi-billion-dollar refinery to break it down to produce various types of transportation fuels, and oil derivatives that are the basis of the products in our materialistic world. Without refineries to manufacture that useless black tar that we…
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The Iran War exposes the illusions of energy policy
imon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), recently declared in Paris that those who have fought to keep the world dependent on fossil fuels are “inadvertently supercharging the global renewables boom” — citing the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran as evidence. It is a striking claim. But it…
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Oil moves our machines, but electricity is the cornerstone of our quality of life
Electricity is the cornerstone of our quality of life. It is not just a luxury anymore. If we do not have electricity for even a short time, our quality of life suffers greatly. In fact, people can die if electricity is lost in places like hospitals and emergency management facilities. The Difference Between Energy and…
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The California refinery crisis is a national security risk for America
California is the 4th largest economy in the world and an “ENERGY ISLAND that is isolated from the other 49 States by the Sierra Mountains. There are no pipelines over those majestic mountains to connect the State to the rest of the country. Thus, California’s in-State refineries have been producing ALL the transportation fuels demanded…