Drill, baby, drill: can unconventional fuels usher in a new era of energy abundance?

"It’s now assumed that recent advances in fossil fuel production – particularly for shale gas and shale oil – herald a new age of energy abundance, even “energy independence,” for the United States. Nevertheless, the most thorough public analysis to date of the production history and the econom...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Post Carbon Institute, Santa Rosa, Hughes, David I.
Institution:ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
Format: TEXT
Language:English
Published: Santa Rosa 2013
PCI
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19128092124919462749-Drill,-baby,-drill-can-unconve.htm
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author Post Carbon Institute, Santa Rosa
Hughes, David I.
author_facet Post Carbon Institute, Santa Rosa
Hughes, David I.
collection Library items
description "It’s now assumed that recent advances in fossil fuel production – particularly for shale gas and shale oil – herald a new age of energy abundance, even “energy independence,” for the United States. Nevertheless, the most thorough public analysis to date of the production history and the economic, environmental, and geological constraints of these resources in North America shows that they will inevitably fall short of such expectations, for two main reasons: First, shale gas and shale oil wells have proven to deplete quickly, the best fields have already been tapped, and no major new field discoveries are expected; thus with average per-well productivity declining and ever-more wells (and fields) required simply to maintain production, an “exploration treadmill” limits the long-term potential of shale resources. Second, although tar sands, deepwater oil, oil shales, coalbed methane, and other non-conventional fossil fuel resources exist in vast deposits, their exploitation continues to require such enormous expenditures of resources and logistical effort that rapid scaling up of production to market-transforming levels is all but impossible; the big “tanks” of these resources are inherently constrained by small “taps.”"
format TEXT
geographic USA
id 19128092124919462749_21da9736190a499b814a167bf772397e
institution ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
is_hierarchy_id 19128092124919462749_21da9736190a499b814a167bf772397e
is_hierarchy_title Drill, baby, drill: can unconventional fuels usher in a new era of energy abundance?
language English
physical 166 p.
Digital
publishDate 2013
publisher Santa Rosa
PCI
spellingShingle Post Carbon Institute, Santa Rosa
Hughes, David I.
data analysis
energy source
gas
glossary
production
drilling
hydraulics
Drill, baby, drill: can unconventional fuels usher in a new era of energy abundance?
thumbnail https://www.labourline.org/Image_prev.jpg?Archive=100883592806
title Drill, baby, drill: can unconventional fuels usher in a new era of energy abundance?
topic data analysis
energy source
gas
glossary
production
drilling
hydraulics
url https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19128092124919462749-Drill,-baby,-drill-can-unconve.htm