I have read a lot of books and papers on energy and climate change and I have recently read a book that really is the best one of them all. It is extremely insightful and uses a very non-biased way of comparing our energy use and the possible sustainable energy sources to cover that.
In essence, the book looks at the possibility of sustainable energy first and then the economics behind it. The answer to the first question the author raises “can we live on sustainable energy?” is : yes. But only if we invest massively in developing sustainable energy sources and he provides a very clear view on each and every one of them. He also touches on the economic aspects of actually building these sustainable energy sources and fortunately, the answer to the question whether this is affordable is also a firm yes. But we do need to start, and start big.
Mr. MacKay uses his home country, the UK, as the main target for all his calculations and insights and extends those to the rest of the world in later chapters. I believe that this book should be localized for every country because it makes every debate about switching to sustainable energy so much better. I have asked the author whether there are such plans, and if not, whether I can help in making a Dutch version of this book.
If you want to read a much better review of this book than my brief one, check out the review by @BillGates on his blog The Gates Notes.
You can buy or read the book for free here: Without Hot Air
Happy reading.
