The end of Peak Oil? Why this topic is still relevant despite recent denials

Abstract

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Depletion rate analysis of fields and regions: A methodological foundation

“…Both Chapman [49] and Brecha [50] counter this standpoint by pinpointing that the critics of peak oil frequently use unreliable reserve data, optimistic assumptions, myths, vociferous denials and ideological polemicizing. In essence, the debate has been shifted away from the actual evidence for oil depletion and the reasonable production trajectories that may be expected.…”

Energy for a sustainable post-carbon society

“…If the last estimate is right, 12 TWe of future energy input to the end uses would be equivalent to the secondary energy input to these sectors in 2008. De Castro et al (2011, 2013 consider it implausible that 11.5 TWe or 12 TWe may ever be produced with RE because they estimate the world potential of wind and solar power to be 1 TW and 2-4 TW, respectively. However, these estimates are probably too conservative for the reasons commented on below.…”

“…There is rising evidence pointing to the proximity of a peak in global oil supply (Mearns 2011, Murray and King 2012, Chapman 2013, García-Olivares and Turiel 2013 and other authors forecast that the peak of fossil fuel production may occur within a few decades (Leggett and Ball 2012, García-Olivares and Ballabrera-Poy 2014, Pleßmann et al 2014. This is a significant risk to energy and human security and makes it urgent to find viable substitutes for fossil fuels.…”

Avoiding the Limits to Growth: Gross National Happiness in Bhutan as a Model for Sustainable Development

“…The declining energy return on investment (EROI-the ratio of the amount of energy extracted per unit of energy required to extract it) for fossil fuel extraction is a similar process [5]. While hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, technology may have improved the EROI and lowered the cost of fossil fuel extraction in recent years, there is still concern about the lack of a transition to alternative energy sources that will be needed for long-term sustainability (see [6] for a discussion). Meadows et al note that while technological advances and efficiency measures can push back the point of overshoot, they do not ultimately solve the problem.…”