I wrote:
. . . no tractor or ethanol factory boiler is fired by ethanol, or
as all oil wells, refineries and tankers are powered by oil.
Meant: "whereas all oil wells, refineries . . ."
Sooner or later -- probably within 50 years -- oil production
overhead will exceed 100%. That is to say, it will take more than one
barrel of oil to extract, refine and transport the gasoline
equivalent of one barrel of oil. This will bring an abrupt end to the
oil age. It will happen long before oil wells are exhausted.
Actually, Robert Park is right about this issue -- which proves that
even a stopped clock is right twice a day. To quoting "What's New" --
"Franco Battaglia at the University of Rome put it this way: 'You can
buy an apple for one euro. If you really want an apple, you might pay
five euros. You could even pay a thousand euros, but you would never
pay two apples.'"
http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN03/wn062003.html
- Jed
