Description
Book SynopsisThis book is a primer for readers of all levels on the coming energy transition and its global consequences. Bruce Usher
provides a concise yet comprehensive explanation for the growth in wind and solar energy; the trajectory of the transition from fossil fuels to renewables; and the implications for industries, countries, and the climate.
Trade ReviewBalanced, articulate, and informative. * Kirkus Reviews *
A short, handy new guide from the Earth Institute cuts through the noise about renewable energy to lay out the facts about this politically charged subject. -- Kevin Krajick * State of the Planet | Earth Institute | Columbia University *
[A] superb corrective. -- Barbara Kiser * Nature *
Anecdotes and facts packed into the book will surely leave you with the feeling that you have actually learned something new. And it will surely leave you with some new questions to ponder. -- Vitaliy Soloviy * Sustainability Times *
Highly recommended for personal, public, academic, and special subject libraries. -- Byron Anderson * Electronic Green Journal *
Usher's clear, precise, and concise prose debunks common misconceptions. . . .
Renewable Energy provides a convincing argument to help all of us force the changes in political will needed to accelerate the changeover to renewable energy sources. -- Ray Bert * Civil Engineering *
A concise yet comprehensive account of the extraordinary growth in wind and solar energy; the trajectory of the transition from fossil fuels to renewables; and the implications for industries, countries, and the climate. -- Ian Angus * Green Left Weekly *
There’s a lot of talk about renewable energy these days. But few really understand it—the basic science, the limits, and the great promise it holds. Read Bruce Usher’s
Renewable Energy: A Primer for the Twenty-First Century to better understand the great technological and economic revolution of this century. -- Michael E. Mann, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science, Penn State University, and coauthor of
The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us CrazyPolicy makers, utilities, investors, and incumbent industries would be well served to read Bruce Usher’s
Renewable Energy. Buttressed by history and fact, Usher makes the compelling case that the transition to renewable energy is underway. Government policy can slow or accelerate the transition but transition is inexorable. There will be lots of winners on the transition, but woe to the losers. -- Richard L. Kauffman, Chairman of Energy and Finance for New York
Bruce Usher brings the important and under-explained rise of renewable energy out of his business school classroom to a captivating read for business and policy audiences. Part history, part forecasting, this important book sets out the winners and losers—individuals, businesses, and nations—in the dynamic energy transition underway. -- Glenn Hubbard, Dean and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics, Columbia Business School, and former chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers.
Usher explains in clear and intelligible language the primary technical and economic characteristics of renewable energy. The book documents the rapid rise of renewables within the history of modern energy, providing a thoughtful and balanced point of view that makes this book stand out from more advocacy-focused works. -- Charles Donovan, director of the Centre for Climate Science and Investment, Imperial College Business School
Climate change is arguably the greatest challenge of our times and the move towards renewable energy provides part of the solution. This easily readable book provides a straightforward account of the issues and opportunities of this great transition, framed in the context of historical precedents, economic and environmental drivers, and future horizons. Usher explains the financial factors and focuses on intermittency of wind and solar power as the greatest barrier, but one for which there may be exciting and innovative solutions. -- Alex Halliday, Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University
Usher provides a clear and well documented description of the energy transition accessible both to the lay person but also of interest to energy professors and enthusiasts alike. This book ties together the convergence of low cost solar and wind with energy storage with electric vehicles in a clear and concise manner. -- David Kirkpatrick, managing director and cofounder, SJF Ventures
Table of ContentsPreface: Setting the Record Straight
1. Renewable Energy in the Twenty-First Century
2. Energy Transitions: Fire to Electricity
3. The Rise of Renewables
4. Renewable Wind Energy
5. Renewable Solar Energy
6. Financing Renewable Energy
7. Energy Transitions: Oats to Oil
8. The Rise of Electric Vehicles
9. Parity
10. Convergence
11. Consequences
12. No Time to Lose
Appendix A. Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE)
Appendix B. The Transition to Renewable Energy
Glossary
Notes
Index
