2.  “Peak oil” is the time at which the oil production of a region reaches a maximum. Peak Oil USA Peak Oil: 1971

3.  Oil is a unique resource for the following reasons:  High Energy Density (J/Kg)  High ER / EI (energy return over investment)  Chemical composition  Easily transported (liquid)  There is no alternate energy source with these important characteristics

4. Energy Density = energy / mass

5.  A BK Whopper ™ has a mass of 290 g, and contains 670 dietary calories of energy.  670 food calories = 2.8 x 10 6 J  What is the energy density of a Whopper™ in J/kg?

6.  2.8 x 106 /.290 kg = 9.7 MJ/kg (Similar to wood or biomass.

7.  Energy density is the reason why oil is so hard to replace with electricity from wind, solar, or other sources.  The best batteries have an energy density of about 0.7 MJ per kilogram.  Jet fuel has an energy density of 45 MJ/kg  Oil is 60 times more energy dense than batteries!!!!

8.  Since 45 /.7 = 60, that means the plane would have to carry 60 times the mass of aviation fuel in batteries!  Since the DC 10 already burns 8,500 kg of fuel an hour…  The battery required for a 1 hour trip would weigh 510,000 kg! That’s more than double the mass of the plane!

9.  To power a plane for 1 hour, the battery would weigh twice the mass of the plane!

10.  The industrial revolution of the 19 th century is characterized by a switch from wood to coal as the primary energy source of human civilization.  Fuel energy density quadrupled!!!

12.  EROI stands for Energy Return Over Investment.  It represents the ratio of energy produced to energy spent  During glycolysis, cells use 2 ATP molecules to produce 4 ATP from glucose. What is the ER / EI for that?  4 / 2 = 2:1 EROI for glycolysis

13.  ER / EI represents how easily energy is produced by a process.  Negative ER / EI means a process uses energy.  The higher ER / EI is, the more efficient an energy- generating process is.

14.  Oil is a mixture of thousands of complex organic chemicals.  These chemicals can be used to make many useful products, including:  Plastics  Polymers (polystyrene, etc.)  Synthetic fibers (nylon, rayon, etc.)  Fertilizers  Medicines, drugs, etc.  Some of these can also be produced from plant molecules, with higher difficulty and expense.

15.  Oil is fairly easy to transport in ships, pipelines, tankers, and trucks.  Other fuels (natural gas, hydrogen, electricity, etc.) are not so easily transported.

16.  High Energy Density  High EROI  Chemical Composition  Ease of use & transport