EROEI. Energy return on energy invested. Net energy. How many barrels of oil do you burn in the abstraction and refinement process. How many solar panels do you need running just to make more solar panels. Oil used to be 100:1 now it's like 20:1. Solar is like 12:1. You can't run industrial society on 12:1 Solar panels are only cheap now because oil is cheap. Imagine trying to run the mining equipment for panels on solar. Mars colony is never going to happen.
The US lost its manufacturing economy forever right when US oil quality (EROEI) peaked in the 70s. The US went off the gold standard at the same time.
EROEI. Energy return on energy invested. Net energy. How many barrels of oil do you burn in the abstraction and refinement process. How many solar panels do you need running just to make more solar panels. Oil used to be 100:1 now it's like 20:1. Solar is like 12:1. You can't run industrial society on 12:1 Solar panels are only cheap now because oil is cheap.
Imagine trying to run the mining equipment for panels on solar. Mars colony is never going to happen.
The US lost its manufacturing economy forever right when US oil quality (EROEI) peaked in the 70s. The US went off the gold standard at the same time.
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