Synopses & Reviews
There is no doubt that oil production will peak, if it hasn't already, and that all other fossil fuels will peak soon after. The important questions for investors are: when will it happen, to what extent, and what can I do to capitalize on it?
According to authors Brian Hicks and Chris Nelder, we're quickly facing the end of our oil-based economy. Half of the world's known oil reserves are gone, and with roughly a trillion barrels remainingand consumption up to eighty-six million barrels a daythe world has about thirty years of oil left. And that's a best-case scenario.
But every crisis contains the blueprint for its own solution. As entrepreneurs, inventors, the scientific community, and even Big Oil race to find the next abundant energy source, the largest potential crisis of the twenty-first century has also become the greatest investment opportunity of this century. In fact, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that at least $20 trillion will have to be invested over the next twenty-five years to meet surging energy demand.
Divided into three comprehensive partsThe Crisis in a Barrel, Making Money from the Fossil Fuels That Are Left, and Energy after OilProfit from the Peak contains the information you need to successfully navigate this epic event. Hicks and energy expert Chris Nelder take a hard look at the future of oil and gas, discuss how you can effectively invest in these resources, and detail the potential profitability of energy alternatives that are poised to power the years ahead. Along the way, they also explore the potential, as well as the inherent limitations, of each major energy source and carefully cover the investing angles of each one.
Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, Profit from the Peak will help you understand this ever-changing marketplace so that you can excel in it. Issues addressed include:
What is Peak Oil?
Which companies are best positioned to take advantage of this event?
What does the future hold for all fossil fuels?
What investment opportunities are available in the solar, nuclear, geothermal, and biofuel sectors?
How can we adjust our infrastructure to accommodate various alternative energy options?
And much more
But Profit from the Peak is more than just a guide to capitalizing on a potential energy crisis. By asking how this situation could affect you as both an investor and an individual, it offers a sobering assessment of where we are and what it will take to find a way forward amid the coming changes.
Review
"...enlivened by an optimistic, practical approach" (Spectator Business, October, 2008)
Synopsis
According to author Brian Hicks, we are facing the end of our oil-based economy. Not just the United States, but the world. But the coming oil crisis doesn't have to have entirely negative implications. Profit from the Peak shows readers the potential upside to the end of oil and how this event can actually be a positive for investors. It will educate investors on which companies and industries are best positioned to take advantage of the changing marketplace.
Synopsis
Praise for Profit from the Peak
"This book is a clearly written, succinct, and well-referenced summary of information about, and related to, what I believe will be the most important issue to strike Western civilization ever: the end of cheap oil. It is clear to me that how we make investments over the next few decades will determine whether we can survive the end of cheap oil and in what fashion. While I am not nearly as optimistic as the authors that there is a supply-side solution to the issues we will face 'postpeak oil,' they certainly have lots of good ideas as to where we might invest in alternatives. This book is a must-have on the shelf of any savvy investor as we face the second half of the age of oil."
Charles Hall, ESF Foundation Distinguished Professor, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York
"Profit from the Peak will help you develop and maintain financial security as the price of oil soars and our globalized economy gets into trouble. Hicks and Nelder show how you and your community can tackle the long transition of relocalization. Learn about the power of locally generated energyand benefit from their practical guide to investing in the most efficientand attractive of today's post-petroleum alternatives."
Julian Darley, founder of the Post Carbon Institute and author of High Noon for Natural Gas
"Brian and Chris deliver the painful yet potentially profitable truth about peak oil. Not theory anymore, but reality. This book is a must if you want a clear path to profits in the age of peak oil."
Kevin Kerr, Editor of Dow Jones Global Resources Trader and President of Kerr Trading International
"Profit from the Peak shows not only why investment in alternative energy sources is about to skyrocket, but more importantly, where investment is going to pay off the most, by concisely describing the huge variety of upcoming energy sources and their relevant companies."
Rembrandt Koppelaar, oil analyst, President of ASPO Netherlands
Synopsis
Profit from the Peak contains the information you need to successfully navigate the end of our oil-based economy. It takes a hard look at the future of oil and gas, examines how you can effectively invest in these resources, and profit from energy alternatives that are poised to power the years ahead. Along the way, this book also explores the potential, and possible limitations, of each major energy source, while carefully cover the investing angles of each one.
About the Author
Chris Nelder is a self-taught energy expert who has intensively studied peak oil for five years and written hundreds of articles on peak oil and energy in general. He also founded and published an online magazine called Better World in the mid '90s, as part of his lifelong interest in fostering environmental and social responsibility. Nelder is a frequent contributor to Energy and Capital, among other publications, and is an active investor in energy.
Brian Hicks worked for Agora Publishing, one of the largest financial newsletter publishers in the world, for ten years before helping to found Angel Publishing. In addition to being the Managing Editor of Energy and Capital and The $20 Trillion Report, Hicks writes a weekly column for Wealth Daily concerning high-profit opportunities in the ever-tumultuous geopolitical environment.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
Quotes.
Part I. The Crisis in a Barrel.
Chapter 1 - December 16, 2005: The Day the Devil Wept a Thousand Tears a Second.
Chapter 2 – What is Peak Oil?
What is Oil?
What Is Peak Oil?
Types of Oil.
Refining.
Oil Prices.
Reserves Revisions.
The Importance of Giant Oil Fields.
When Is the Peak?
Exports.
Reserve Replacement and Deepwater Drilling.
Differing Projections.
Drilling Like Never Before.
Infrastructure Issues.
The Bottom Line on Peak Oil.
The Hard Truth.
Chapter 3 – Wanted: Five New Saudi Arabias.
Global Demand and Population..
China and India.
Making up for Depletion.
U.S. Dependence.
Investment Opportunities.
Chapter 4 - $480 a Barrel: The True Value of Oil.
Cheaper than Water.
Draining the National Coffers.
Costs to the U.S. Military.
The True Cost of Oil: $480 a Barrel.
Government Subsidies.
Environmental Costs.
Climate Change Cost.
Natural Capital Costs.
Chapter 5 - The Pentagon Prepares for Peak Oil.
Reduce Dependence on Oil.
Reduce CO2 Emissions.
Staunch the Bleeding.
Invest Heavily in Renewables.
Other Renewables Close Behind.
Policy Recommendations.
Solar for China?
Part II. Making Money from the Fossil Fuels That Are Left.
Chapter 6 –Twilight for Fossil Fuels.
Natural Gas.
Coal.
Diminishing Returns and Receding Horizons.
EROI.
Global Warming.
Chapter 7 - The Road to El Dorado: The Alberta-Texas Oilsands Pipeline.
Tar Sands.
Oil Shale.
Part III. Energy after Oil.
Chapter 8 - The Renewable Revolution.
Biofuels.
Chapter 9 - Endless Energy: Here Comes the Sun.
A Short History of Solar Technologies.
The Industry Takes Off.
PV Takes Center Stage.
Grassroots Momentum.
Investment Opportunities.
Chapter 10 - Pressure Cooker: Tapping the Earth’s Heat.
What is Geothermal Power?
Benefits of Geothermal Power.
Explosive Growth.
Investment Opportunities.
Chapter 11 –Nuclear's Second Act.
Nuclear Potential.
China and Nuclear Power.
Limits to Nuclear Power.
Investment Opportunities.
Chapter 12 - What's Needed: A Manhattan Project for Energy.
The Importance of Timely Reponse.
Apollo Alliance.
Carbon Taxes and Cap-and-Trade.
Gas Taxes.
Negawatts.
Oil Depletion Protocol.
Replacing the Fleet.
Combined Heat and Power.
Smart Grids.
Wind Energy.
Wave and Tidal Energy.
Relocalization.
The Hydrogen Economy.
Chapter 13 – A Future Electric.
The Rail Revolution.
Electrified Cars.
All-Electric.
Epilogue: Why I'm an Energy Optimist.
A Harsh Reality.
Foresight is 2020.
A True Jeffersonian Agrarian Democracy.
Never Sell Short Humanity.
Appendix A. Energy Units and Equivalences Tables.
Appendix B. Top Oil Producers and Peak Production.
Appendix C. Energy Mix Charts.
Glossary.
Endnotes.