The Crash Course - Chapter 19 - Energy Economics
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The central point to this latest video is this: as we’ve shown in previous chapters of the Crash Course, our global economy depends on continual growth to function. And not just any kind of growth; but exponential growth. But in order to grow, it must receive an ever-increasing input supply of affordable energy and resources from the natural world. What I’m about to show you is a preponderance of data that indicates those inputs will just not be there in the volumes needed to supply the growth that the world economy is counting on. In short, on top of all the debt and other economic messes we’ve made for ourselves, constraints from the natural world will increasingly place limits on economic growth in a way we haven’t had to deal with over the past century. This is why I’m so confident in the claim that the next 20 years will be completely unlike the past 20. So understanding the dynamics at play here is key to forecasting what the future will be like. Since energy is the master resource, that’s where we’re going to start.
Comments
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Mr Chris your consideration about hydrogen are very misleading, an electrolysis device can have an efficency of 70% therefore with solar a return of 14,7:1, they ARE usable in batteries for electric vehicles thar are more efficient instead of oil and it can be produced.
in LOCO without the need for transportation. is also better than batteries for energy store for factories.
never the less it has been very little investment compared to old fuels so we're likely to see an improvement in the future -
current form of living standard? are you going to discuss energy efficiency and the impact to the economy soon?
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You forget to mention that a pure, full scale attempt at ethanol economy would take up all our food crop capacity and we will all have to starve to death... Nice job US politicians
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and what if i hydrolise water using electricity that comes from a solar pannel? yes, the net energy input is negative, I mean the energy contained in the hydrogen is far far less than the energy used to produce it, that is clear, but it´s sunlight!!! it doesn´t cost us anything to produce or extract! the oly cost is the solar pannel, but once you produce enough hydrogen equivalent to the energy used to produce that pannel, the rest is "free". Some could say: whats the point in making that? why don´t we just use the electricity of the pannel ? well, because with hydrogen you can use it in an internal combustion engine such as the ones in ships, or as an engine fuel for airplanes. Besides once you think of the pannel + the water as a circuit to produce hyrogen, you could engineer that to produce it on the spot, as an internal part of the engine. Imagine fueling up your tank with water, wich then produces hydrogen, burns up in the pistons, and then goes back to water, it´s possible!
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It should be that the next 15 years will nothing like the last 25 by now since you have been saying this for 5 years
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Hydrogen allows for efficient storage and transport of renewable energy.
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Has all energy expended in the middle eastern wars been calculated in to the net energy cost in that region?
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What about Thorium Molten Salt?
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Solar will save the day. Just need to develop battery storage technology and there's no need to worry.
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You couldn't be more wrong on nuclear.
Our development of cheap and safe nuclear power stopped with politician direction at about the "whale oil" stage of energy development. Literally, politicians chose the winners, and the winners ended up being highly rare uranium in water cooled high-pressure reactors. There were lots of other candidates, including systems that enact self-shutdown and operate at atmospheric pressures.
Now, I agree that there will be a significant hiccup in world economic expansion due to a necessary shift in energy sources. But I do not agree that this represents the end of exponential growth in the world economy. In fact, with cheap nuclear, we've barely started. -
An error?
At 14:08 you say EROI on corn ethanol can be negative according to some sources. I take it you mean less than 1, rather than negative. -
Social complexity is not that big plus actually... Currently, there are to much social spheres where a lot of money is dumped, without a corresponding benefit. No need for examples I think, from movies to overpriced software companies... People with basic and important professions are often at the bottom, supporting the whole circus. You may see peak energy, I see peek wasting. Energy is everywhere, even on your imaginary island, and it's more then enough for normal existence if people had the brain to use it with some sense of balance... And share with 3 people... really? Sorry, my only association is with the forward chain letters...
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Your placement of solar and wind on the chart is very wrong. It is closer to one to one, at best taking all factors into account.
Basically your electricity bill would have to increase a massive amount to pay for these - 50 times? -
Thanks Chris, It's mathematical folks; solar, wind, ethanol and other pie in the sky ideas are not good net energy when you figure all the cost associated. If it was not for the "free" money from the government subsidies including the tax breaks these ideas would not even considered feasible. I would say natural gas is the ace in the hole for us now. If we did not have gas and the infrastructure to pipe it we would be in a totally different world. I suggest those that still think solar and wind are the best options for Man and his world should watch this video again and pay attention.
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excellent series glad for the new revision, even if the old version is still truthful
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Wind, Solar, and Hydro can be the answers if we make them... It would be a massive disruption given all the investment in gas and oil pipelines, gas stations, truck stops with refueling stations, and the constructed fossil fuel power plants. We shouldn't let innovation be stopped by outdated fossil fuel infrastructure. You take a risk when you invest that innovation could impact your business. Either evolve or die. I love thinking about Biology and Capitalism together. It makes me feel way more centered than those in our government who refuse to look at the lessons in both..
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Good lecture, how about the electrical energy produced from wind and solar being used to make hydrogen? Similar to the HHO generators used in cars? Im very close to solar powering our home and have been looking for a better system for years who actually wants 20 solar panels and a load of batteries on their house.......
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What about fusion energy? Apparently, this is being tested, and there are some successful results coming out of Lockheed Martin.
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