“The chances further down the road seem to me better on the fuel-cell side than on the battery-electric side” There are a number of readers of this blog and members of the audiences when I speak that just seem to think that hydrogen fuel cell autos are a pipe dream that has no chance of […]
In the last column we looked at the general dynamics underlying the reality and need to create an automotive industry in the U.S for the 21st century. We now take a look at what this industry might look like. An analysis of trends, developing technologies and the role that the federal government can and should […]
Last week the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the most ambitious energy and global warming legislation ever debated in Congress. That is very good news and a good first step. Of course, since Congress has never been anything close to providing leadership in the areas of alternative energy and climate change, the comparison to […]
In my last column I wrote that humanity is in transition from one Age to another and that the global financial collapse is a painful part of that transition. This occurs during any major historical transition period. In addition I wrote: “There are four words that keep coming back to me as I view the […]
The year 2008 will obviously go down as one of the most eventful years in recent history. It was the year that Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. It was the year that the Internet replaced print and TV as the driving force in a presidential election. It was the beginning of […]
This is not a column about Cole Porter, the great Broadway composer who wrote the wonderful song “Night and Day”. This column is about climate change and the urgent need for humanity to dramatically alter its’ energy equation. At a recent global climate change summit in Poland, John Kerry, the ranking U.S. representative told the […]
In the last column here, I suggested that any bailout of the Big Three include alternative energy metrics against which the three companies compete for better loan repayment terms. In the week since that column was published there has been much discussion about whether America can afford to allow its’ auto industry to go down […]
Recently, people have been asking me a lot of questions about the fluctuating price of oil “What is the price of oil going to be?” “Was the recent price spike of $147 a barrel an all-time high that we won’t see again?” And “Will the global economic slowdown drive the price of oil back down […]
There have been many cultural changes so far in 2008. Some of these changes are in response to the rapid increase in the price of oil and other commodities. Some of these changes have been due to technological innovations. In both cases new behavior patterns are being established that will, to some degree become permanent […]
Regular readers know that I have long predicted the current price of oil and that we are now moving through Peak Oil These subjects were included in my “Forecast for 2008″ To quote from that January 9, 2008 column: “In 2008, gas will, for a period of time reach $4 on the national level. A […]