by Jeff Ihnen | Jul 28, 2025 | Energy Rant
Michaels Energy was founded in 1984 in the wake of the 1970s energy crises when fear of energy starvation gripped the nation and world. Forecasts indicated natural gas and crude oil reserves would soon be depleted. Policymakers were so freaked out that, for a short...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jun 10, 2025 | Energy Rant
If you haven’t seen my recent conversation on The False [unrealistic] Promises of Electrification with Katherine Johnson on The KJ Show with Dr. KJ, check it out. I received a lot of great feedback from folks. I don’t grade my work except for my objective,...
by Jeff Ihnen | May 20, 2025 | Energy Rant
I’ll lead with the conclusion: decarbonization will continue if it costs less than conventional sources, with caveats. The caveats are externalities. Thermal sources of electricity, including coal, natural gas, and nuclear, are associated with externalities of...
by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 15, 2025 | Energy Rant
Daylight Savings Rant It’s looking bleak for my annual predictions from January. I must come from behind to realize a 50% hit rate. Last week, Trump implored Congress to make daylight saving permanent. Zerohedge provides a comprehensive assessment of issues from...
by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 17, 2024 | Energy Rant
Last week and many other times, I’ve written about soaring electricity loads and prices climbing even faster. The reality is prices are rising much quicker than load. For example, grid loads in Oregon have increased at a compounded rate of a modest 2%, while...
