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105 comments on Coal Crunch?

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Sterling on January 25, 2008 - 1:16am Permalink | Subthread | Comments top

A peak in Coal production is decades away

Maybe only 15 years or so. Future Fossil-Fuel Production uses Hubbert Linearization to estimate future coal production and finds there is only 1.3 tboe left (about the same as conventional oil). All fossil fuel production peaks in 2021. Coal production peaked in the US in 1999 on a btu basis.

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CLZ09 on January 25, 2008 - 1:41pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

This is yet another reason that oil prices will stay high despite the economic turmoil. China will very likely go back to generating significant amounts of electricity with diesel. Someone will be priced out, and it may well be Western drivers.

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records on January 26, 2008 - 6:42pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Energy Watch (German scientific body reporting to government) predicts coal output will peak by 2025.
However nett energy production for coal is likely to peak much sooner, the easy higher energy density coal, has been preferentially extracted.

See New Scientist 19th Jan 08, The Great Coal Hole, feature article by David Strahan (of 'The Last Oil Shock', 'Horizon' etc.) http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/energy-fuels/mg1972639...

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105 comments on Coal Crunch?

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