> Renewables, and for that matter nuclear power as well, cannot materially slow, let alone reverse, the relentless rise in ECoEs caused by the depletion of oil, natural gas and coal. Neither can technology halt this trend, since the potential of technology, far from being infinite, is bounded by the limits imposed by the laws of physics.

Why would this be the case? Are fossil fuels uniquely low cost in terms of energy in? I can't imagine them beating the ECoE of "put this magic panel on your roof and get free energy whenever the sun is out, for decades". If the problem is that you don't get solar during the night, then that's a question of battery technology. And that's not even a problem with nuclear reactors!

And saying that technology is "bounded by the limits [of physics]" is not useful. That doesn't say where the limits are, only that there are limits. Yes, at some point, we'll have almost 100% efficient solar panels being fed into batteries with the highest practical energy density. But we're nowhere near that.

Insamuch as the western world is being hit with increasing ECoEs, it's from people who either can't or won't switch from chemical fuels to something with a lower ECoE. It would be more useful to identify those industries and show any evidence of cost disease in those industries brought about by the dependence on diminishing reserves of fossil fuels.