Author: Ronald Stein, P.E.

By Ronald Stein, The climate has been changing for 4 billion years and 99.999% of those physical and climate changes occurred when humans were NOT on this planet. Humanity’s 8 billion have only been on earth for less than 200 years which represents a micro-second of the 4.5 billion years the Sun and Earth have existed. Without getting too detailed with geological explanations of the physical and climate changes to Mother Earth over the last 4.5 billion years, let’s review, in layman’s language, some of those changes against the current evaluation of the rise in temperatures during the “micro-second”, i.e.,…

The average debt in America is almost $60,000 across credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, and student loans. The common folks need a workhorse vehicle, not just a second car toy that sits in the garage to be used on short ventures! Inflation has changed the way many Americans shop. Fed up with prices that remain about 19 percent on average, above where they were before the pandemic, consumers are fighting back. More Americans are buying used cars, but there has yet to be a used EV market! Mandating a change to EV ownership and further financial austerity onto those that…

Simple conversations can expose policymakers to the reality of the differences between JUST electricity from wind and solar, and all the products in society made from crude oil. Ronald Stein is an engineer, Founder of PTS Advance, Author, Columnist, Energy Literacy Consultant, and Featured columnist on Energy Literacy at America Out Loud NEWS. Ron is also Senior Policy Advisor for the Heartland Institute, the Center for a Constructive Tomorrow, and co-author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated book “Clean Energy Exploitations”. The elephant in the room that no one wants to discuss is that crude oil is the foundation of our…

Just as food is fuel (no pun intended) for our bodies, crude oil is food for our way of life as it provides the products we need for prosperous lives. Originally Published January 22, 2024, at America Out Loud NEWS Ronald Stein  is an engineer, senior policy advisor on energy literacy for the Heartland Institute and CFACT, and co-author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated book “Clean Energy Exploitations.” The elephant in the room that no one wants to discuss is that we’ve become a very materialistic society over the last 200 years, and the world has populated from 1 to…

The transformation to a fossil-fuel-free, all-electric economy would take the world back to living conditions in the 1800’s by ridding the world of crude oil, coal and natural gas usage and result in: * The pre-1800’s, when the world had no fuels other than wood, dung, and crop waste, and used animals for transport. * A food crisis in which billions will die. Fossil fuels are used to plant, harvest, process, refrigerate, deliver, and cook food for most of the 8 billion people living on earth. And for the plastic to keep it safe and fresh a lot longer. *…

Worldwide crude oil consumption is currently estimated at roughly 96.5 million barrels per day. According to OPEC, global demand is expected to reach 109 million barrels per day. Estimations vary slightly from other sources as well, but it is predicted that – if demand forecasts hold – we may run out of global oil from known reserves in about 50 years. To put it in layman’s terms, 100 million barrels of oil is more than 4 BILLION gallons of crude oil being sucked out of the earth EVERY DAY. How long can those withdrawals take before the wells run dry? Today’s…

World leaders continue experiencing a “dangerous delusion” of a global transition to “just electricity” that they believe will eliminate the use of the crude oil that made society achieve so much in a few centuries. Crude oil is the basis of our materialistic society, as discussed in an educational and entertaining 27-minute podcast interview between Ronald Stein and Armando Cavanha in Brazil. All the components and equipment for generating electricity by wind, solar, coal, natural gas, nuclear, and hydro are all made from the oil derivatives manufactured from crude oil! It’s shocking that the public has bought into the current…

Over the last 200 years when the world populated from 1 to 8 billion, we learned that crude oil is virtually useless, unless it’s manufactured (refineries) into oil derivatives that are the basis of the fuels to move the heavy-weight and long-range needs of more than 50,000 jets moving people and products, and more than 50,000 merchant ships for global trade flows, and the military and space programs. Today, chemical products, such as plastics, solvents, and fertilizers, are inclusive of the more than 6,000 products based on oil that are essential for supporting modern lifestyles. Recognizing that eradicating the world…

by Ronald Stein Ronald Stein is an engineer, senior policy advisor on energy literacy for Heartland, and co-author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated book “Clean Energy Exploitations.” The UAW strike that began September 15th by 146,000 UAW union members seeking a 46 percent pay raise, and a 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay, and restoration of traditional pensions, will most likely have one of two outcomes, both of which may perpetuate the death spiral for the automobile industry. 1. Increased cost of American manufacturing which will further increase the cost of EV’s that are already unaffordable to most, and/or,…

With new EV inventories beginning to increase on dealer lots, the auto industry has many challenges such as locating the buyers that may have serious concerns about a wide range of issues related to EVs including: 1) driving range, 2) vehicle reliability, 3) price, 4) the availability of electricity for the buildout of the charging infrastructure, 5) charging time, 6) the cost and lifespan of batteries and their environmental impact, 7) the actual impact EVs will have on reducing carbon emissions, 8) the growing statistics about uncontrollable fires of lithium batteries in EV’s, 9) problems with battery recycling and end-of-life…