Sustainable Energy Pricing

This is the first book to address the issues of affordable power, sustainable energy, and reduced environmental impact through the science of energy pricing. Looking at the availability of natural resources from an engineering perspective, and determining how they can be priced to achieve sustainability in the energy sector, is the aim of this groundbreaking new work. Most current models used in energy pricing are based on linear analyses. While these models work well for targeted scenarios within a short time frame, they do not provide one with a scientific tool that can include many facets of the information age. The existing models do not include environmental sustainability in an integrated fashion. This is mainly because environmental costs are still considered to be intangible, and intractable with conventional economic analysis tools. Though one existing model acknowledges some possible theoretical truth to concerns expressed about the onset of 'peak oil' the period in which new oil production must begin a decline of unknown and indefinite duration this model has little or nothing to say about continuing practices in the extraction and production of fossil fuel that are themselves based on denying any significance or role for such thinking in the immediate future. A serious limitation of that discourse is its insistence on polarizing opinions "e;for"e; or "e;against"e; environmental sustainability, peak oil, and affordable energy prices. This book proceeds instead to isolate the absence of any agreed criteria for what would constitute inherently sustainable development and examines the main outlines of the history and political economy of energy resource exploration and development since the 1850s from this standpoint. It proposes specific directions in which to take some of the leading alternatives and amendments to current energy pricing practices (as well as some of the most promising energy development alternatives) in order to fulfill the time criteria required for an inherently sustainable trend. The author shows how, and why, identifying unsustainable practices and consequences can make a case for closing down particular oil and gas production operations, while averting the time-wasting approach of trying to fix what really has gone beyond fixing. However, it is possible, necessary, and actually far better to replace these methods with newer, scientifically based methods for achieving overall energy sustainability.

This is the first book to address the issues of affordable power, sustainable energy, and reduced environmental impact through the science of energy pricing. Looking at the availability of natural resources from an engineering perspective, and determining how they can be priced to achieve sustainability in the energy sector, is the aim of this groundbreaking new work.Most current models used in energy pricing are based on linear analyses. While these models work well for targeted scenarios within a short time frame, they do not provide one with a scientific tool that can include many facets of the information age. The existing models do not include environmental sustainability in an integrated fashion. This is mainly because environmental costs are still considered to be intangible, and intractable with conventional economic analysis tools. Though one existing model acknowledges some possible theoretical truth to concerns expressed about the onset of 'peak oil'--the period in which new oil production must begin a decline of unknown and indefinite duration --this model has little or nothing to say about continuing practices in the extraction and production of fossil fuel that are themselves based on denying any significance or role for such thinking in the immediate future.A serious limitation of that discourse is its insistence on polarizing opinions "for" or "against" environmental sustainability, peak oil, and affordable energy prices. This book proceeds instead to isolate the absence of any agreed criteria for what would constitute inherently sustainable development and examines the main outlines of the history and political economy of energy resource exploration and development since the 1850s from this standpoint. It proposes specific directions in which to take some of the leading alternatives and amendments to current energy pricing practices (as well as some of the most promising energy development alternatives) in order to fulfill the time criteria required for an inherently sustainable trend.The author shows how, and why, identifying unsustainable practices and consequences can make a case for closing down particular oil and gas production operations, while averting the time-wasting approach of trying to fix what really has gone beyond fixing. However, it is possible, necessary, and actually far better to replace these methods with newer, scientifically based methods for achieving overall energy sustainability.

Acknowledgements xiiiPreface xvIntroduction 10.1 Requirements of a Sustainable Energy Pricing Model 90.2 Outline of the Contents of this Volume 301. Fundamental Notions 371.1 "Energy Crunch" or: The Problems and Issues of Modeling anEnergy Price 391.2 Matter, Energy, and Efficiency from Scientific Standpoint661.3 Truth as a Scientific Frame of Reference 691.4 Phenomenally-based Sustainability: The Nature-scienceCriterion 801.5 Value Assessment, Value Addition and Phenomenally-basedEnergy Pricing 941.6 Newtonian 'Mechanism' and Mystification of How Value isTransformed into Price 1041.7 Risk Assessment & Management and Aphenomenal EnergyPricing 1071.8 The Temporal Criterion of Long-term Sustainability and itsImplications 1162. Newtonian Mechanism and Deconstruction of ScientificDisinformation 1372.1 Introduction 1392.2 Einstein's Relativity and Newton's Mechanism Compared1402.3 Newton's First Assumption 1422.4 Fundamental Assumptions of Electromagnetic Theory 1532.5 The Engineering Approach and Its Significance 1752.6 First Conclusions 1822.7 Continuity and Linearity 1823. Offshore Networks of Control: Providing Short-TermMulti-Entity International Oil and Gas Plays with a Guarantee2094. Current Energy Pricing Models" Origins & Problems2234.1 Consumption without Production 2264.2 Imposed Energy Pricing 2464.3 Inherent Features of the Current Energy-Pricing Model:Matters Affecting Individuals' Daily Existence 2564.4 Societal Implications of the Current Energy-Pricing Modelfor the Long Term 2694.5 Long-term vs Short-term Returns-on-investment [ROI] FromEnergy Exploration & Development 2964.6 Resource "Renewability" and 'Sustainable Negative Rent'3045. The Role of Coal in the Modern Evolution of Energy Pricing3095.1 Introduction 3095.2 Significance of Commodifying Labor-time & All MaterialProduction -- Including its Energy Source 3135.3 From "Law of Supply & Demand" (at the margin) to"Consumption without Production" 3356. Carbon Emission Credits -- Theory & Practice3416.1 Introduction 3417. "Peak Oil" and Other Fits of Pique Among ResourceEconomists 4357.1 Introduction 4357.2 Human Factor Social Consciousness & "AbstractingAbsence" 453Bibliography 477Appendix -Disinformation in the Social & HistoricalSciences: Concerning Time Functions and Sustainability of ResourceDevelopment 521Index 575