Sustainable Energy - without the hot air

by David JC MacKay

Overview

Addressing the sustainable energy crisis in an objective manner, this enlightening book analyzes the relevant numbers and organizes a plan for change on both a personal level and an international scale—for Europe, the United States, and the world. In case study format, this informative reference answers questions surrounding nuclear energy, the potential of sustainable fossil fuels, and the possibilities of sharing renewable power with foreign countries.

While underlining the difficulty of minimizing consumption, the tone remains positive as it debunks misinformation and clearly explains the calculations of expenditure per person to encourage people to make individual changes that will benefit the world at large.

If you've thrown your hands up in despair thinking no solution is possible, then read this book - it's an honest, realistic, and humorous discussion of all our energy options.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780954452933
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/01/2009
Series:	without the hot air , #2
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Breakthrough Institute is proud to announce David MacKay, Regius Professor of Engineering at Cambridge University and former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, as the 2016 Breakthrough Paradigm Award winner. 

David MacKay is a professor in the department of physics at Cambridge University, a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Climate Change, and a regular lecturer on sustainable energy.

Table of Contents

I Numbers, not adjectives

1 Motivations
2 The balance sheet
3 Cars
4 Wind
5 Planes
6 Solar
7 Heating and cooling
8 Hydroelectricity
9 Light
10 Offshore wind
11 Gadgets
12 Wave
13 Food and farming
14 Tide
15 Stuff
16 Geothermal .
17 Public services
18 Can we live on renewables?  

II Making a difference
19 Every BIG helps
20 Better transport
21 Smarter heating
22 Efficient electricity use
23 Sustainable fossil fuels?
24 Nuclear?
25 Living on other countries’ renewables?
26 Fluctuations and storage
27 Five energy plans for Britain
28 Putting costs in perspective
29 What to do now .
30 Energy plans for Europe, America, and the World
31 The last thing we should talk about
32 Saying yes Acknowledgments

III Technical chapters
A Cars II
B Wind II  
C Planes II  
D Solar II
E Heating II  
F Waves II 
G Tide II
H Stuff II  

IV Useful data  
I Quick reference 
J Populations and areas

K UK energy history  

List of web links

Bibliography

Index

About the author

What People are Saying About This

Bill Gates

If someone wants an overall view of how energy gets used, where it comes from, and the challenges in switching to new sources, this is the book to read.

Scott Kirwin

This is a must-have book for anyone who is seriously interested in energy policy.
— therazor

David Newbery

This is a brilliant book that is both a racy read and hugely informative . . . It shows . . . how cars might become far more efficient but why planes cannot. (David Newbery, director, Electricity Policy Research Group, University of Cambridge)

Volker Heine

Here are the numbers in a form easy to digest about energy use and availability. Fantastic achievement. (Professor Volker Heine, Fellow of the Royal Society)

Derek Pooley

A delight to read and will appeal especially to practical people who want to understand what is important in energy and what is not. (Dr Derek Pooley CBE, former chief scientist, UK Department of Energy, and member, European Union Advisory Group on Energy)

Editorial Reviews

"If someone wants an overall view of how energy gets used, where it comes from, and the challenges in switching to new sources, this is the book to read." —Bill Gates, chairman, Microsoft

"I would choose Sustainable Energy as a text over its competitors because MacKay has moved the energy discussion in the direction where energy alternatives can be considered quantitatively." —American Journal of Physics

"This is a must-have book for anyone who is seriously interested in energy policy." —Scott Kirwin, therazor.org


"The main text of his book is readable (and witty) and its technical appendices bristle with equations. If the planet and its people are the patient, MacKay's book is the the lab results, temperature chart and electrocardiogram." —The New York Review of Books (April 26, 2012)

"This is a brilliant book that is both a racy read and hugely informative . . . It shows . . . how cars might become far more efficient but why planes cannot." —David Newbery, director, Electricity Policy Research Group, University of Cambridge

"Here are the numbers in a form easy to digest about energy use and availability. Fantastic achievement." —Professor Volker Heine, Fellow of the Royal Society

"May be the best technical book about the environment that I've ever read. This is to energy and climate what Freakonomics is to economics." —boingboing.net

"A tour de force . . . As a work of popular science it is exemplary . . . For anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the real problems involved [it] is the place to start." —economist.com

From the Publisher

I would choose Sustainable Energy as a text over its competitors because MacKay has moved the energy discussion in the direction where energy alternatives can be considered quantitatively.

American Journal of Physics

A new academic book written by David MacKay, a physics professor at the University of Cambridge, is being hailed by some as a 'game changer': a text that could revolutionize popular thinking about our future energy needs and how we could supply them.

Guardian.co.uk

May be the best technical book about the environment that I've ever read. This is to energy and climate what Freakonomics is to economics.

boingboing.net

A tour de force . . . As a work of popular science it is exemplary . . . For anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the real problems involved [it] is the place to start.

Economist.com

If only all scientists could adopt this approach, then perhaps there would be no need for politically motivated TV documentaries.

The Sun