- ISBN13: 9781844070756
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
The global economy and our way of life are based on the exploitation of fossil fuels, which not only threaten massive environmental and social disruption through global warming but, at present rates of consumption, will run out within decades, causing huge industrial dislocation and economic collapse. Even before then, the conflicts it causes in the Middle East and elsewhere will be frighteningly exacerbated. The alternate exists: renewable energy from renewable … More >>
The Solar Economy: Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future
Tags: conflicts, dislocation, economic collapse, fossil fuels, global economy, global warming, renewable energy, social disruption, solar economy, way of life
#1 by R. Hutchinson on July 1, 2010 - 3:18 pm
Hermann Scheer has written the most important book of the 21st Century. Yes, that’s right — either we follow this path to a sustainable future, or it is the path not taken as we head into a cycle of civilizational decline, chaos and devastation. The #1 priority in the U.S. right now is regime change — the Bush/Cheney Regime is dead-set against renewable energy. But in the medium term, a rapid shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, centered on solar energy, is humanity’s #1 priority. Scheer has masterfully critiqued the fossil fuel status quo and outlined what needs to be done in this powerful, technically-based, yet compelling manifesto for change. This is one book on energy that will not put you to sleep!
There is far too much here to summarize, but here are a few critical points:
1) The conventional wisdom that says solar and other renewables are too expensive are systematically biased by both the current massive subsidies for fossil fuels and what is left out in calculating the cost of fossil fuels. All it will take to drive down the cost of PV (photovoltaic solar) is ramping up production. Of course massive investment in R&D is also urgently needed to realize greater efficiency. (Scheer is well-equipped for this analysis — his Ph.D. is in economics.)
2) Fossil fuels of necessity require long supply chains, as they do not occur everywhere, and this entails both inefficiency and higher cost. Solar, wind, biomass and other renewables can be developed locally just about anywhere — solar energy in principle needs no supply chain at all. The development of a decentralized renewable energy system globally will, in addition to being environmentally sustainable, ultimately be much cheaper than the current centralized fossil fuel system.
3) The battle is already on — Scheer (an SPD Member of Parliament in Germany) and others have successfully passed legislation in Germany and elsewhere mandating that the electricity grid buy power from locally generated renewable sources. This is a revolutionary reform that has yet to be realized in the U.S., but it is coming, with wind power leading the way. (Howard Geller’s ENERGY REVOLUTION is an excellent guide to policy change in the U.S. — see my review.) Do not believe any sweeping claim about the costs and benefits of renewable energy — increasing numbers of us can benefit starting now, but there will clearly be losers, and that will include the powerful fossil fuel corporations that don’t join the process (BP and Shell are already starting to hedge their bets). It is going to be a fight, a revolution as sweeping as any yet in human existence, comparable only to the shift to agriculture and the shift to industrial manufacturing.
What is needed is a mass movement that works on all levels to bring about the change. Hermann Scheer’s THE SOLAR ECONOMY is the manifesto and guide for this movement. For the moment, Europe is clearly in the lead. We in the U.S. need to catch up quickly and start to build a new front inside the U.S. Leviathan — planetary change will not work if the U.S., the 3rd most populous country and the largest consumer of energy and everything else, does not join the process.
With the Hubbert Peak for oil coming no later than 2020 time is short — if we want to demonstrate that having evolved such large brains is really an advantage, we have to start using them. The future is clear — it’s either barbarism or a solar economy!
See my THE CLEAN/RENEWABLE ENERGY REVOLUTION list for more on oil and energy.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Nigtomdaw on July 1, 2010 - 5:53 pm
I liked this book, it gets a bit heavey and technical at times and I indeed had to have a breather once or twice, but it is one of the few books I wanted to read again and had too. I was already a convert to living off grid in Spain with solar and wind energy and this book a surprise Xmas gift from my son only strenghed my renewable off grid living decision. Im no eco warrior or green fanatic Im just ahead of the game, this book lets you know how little of everything we have left not just oil and coal and gas but every metal and mineral we take for granted. Our throw away society is flushing this planet down the pan. Our response till its too late is like the drunk i the pub, mines a pint please, goodbye leave the light on it will turn its self off !
Rating: 4 / 5
#3 by F. P. Becker on July 1, 2010 - 8:43 pm
The first time I tried to read this book, it confused me so much I had to put it down for a year. The author mixes a paragraph or two of insight and vision within pages of example and data. On, this my second, read I am doing better by skimming past the long lists of examples.
I would love to see this book boiled down to about 20 pages, with another 20 of optional documentation.
What the author does for the reader is lay out the foundation of the modern energy system, and its hidden costs. In great detail. Then he addresses the technical aspect of several different forms of “solar” or renewable energy technologies, and their potential.
I am learning quite a bit, even if I have to take it in small doses
Rating: 3 / 5
#4 by Prash on July 1, 2010 - 10:28 pm
As another reviewer has pointed out this book will not be easy going for everyone. A lot of it written in rather a dry style and is dense with good points. i.e. it is not written in the style of a popular science book. On the other hand this is what makes it so interesting and convincing in its arguments.
The other thing I liked about it was that it takes a very broad view of different energy sources and considers their implications at every level. One of the main points is that when considering the efficiency of an energy source one should account for the energy wasted at every stage of the supply chain rather than the amount of energy going into and coming out of the generation plant. For example the supply chain for coal is Mining – Refining – Shipping – Coal-fired power station – National grid (high voltage) – NG (medium voltage) – Distribution (low voltage). Many of these are energy intensive processes. The supply chain for nuclear is even worse. Compare that to the on-site generation solar supply chain: PV installation – Distribution (indefinitely at no further cost). Many of the true costs of the fossil fuel supply chain is not paid by the consumer or even by the companies involved in supply. The author also considers the social costs involved, which many people seem to be willing to ignore.
There are also some good insights into the oil industry. The most interesting one that comes to mind is how the oil using industries are dependent on each other for the cheap prices of oil. When crude oil is refined the proportions of different products cannot be varied to a great degree. A certain proportion will be kerosene for plane fuel, a certain proportion will be for automobile fuel, a certain proportion usable by the chemicals industry and so on. If the demand for automobile fuel decreases due to efficient engines and the demand from other industries stays the same then the other industries oil prices will go up to cover the cost. This gives the reason for the chemicals industry’s opposal to fuel duty. This gives all oil using industries an incentive to keep their demand in line with everybody else’s i.e. steadily increasing.
An inspiring book that doesn’t rely on its writing style. It gets by purely on its ideas.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Chad M. Brick on July 2, 2010 - 1:17 am
Scheer’s previous work on this matter was entitled “A Solar Manifesto”. That should give you a pretty accurate idea as to his opinions on the matter. If you looking for a somewhat-balanced view of the coming renewable energy economy, look elsewhere (for example, Hawken’s “Natural Capitalism”). If you looking for a neo-Luddite environmentalist rant, this book is exactly what you are looking for.
There are numerous flaws in Scheer’s reasoning. For example,
1: He repeatedly calls lack of taxes a “subsidy”.
2: He ignores that the most promising photovoltaic technologies are based on things like titanium and ruthenium, which are not renewable and by his own data are in short supply. Even in the best case they are a complex technology that requires big, centralized plants to product (reasonably) cheaply.
3: He a priori dismisses anything big or centralized.
4: He considers a system that uses more human labor a GOOD thing.
5: In 325 pages, he never mentions the cost of PV in $$/kwh, because it would undermine his point.
6: He repeatedly insults everyone who isn’t in his camp. The word “blind” must appear a hundred times in this work.
I think the greatest example of Scheer’s muddled thinking is the final sentence of the book.
“Renewable resources will bring a new era of wealth-creating economic development – initiated not by bureaucratic fiat, but by the free choices of individuals”.
I think many people would agree with this. Now, if Scheer hadn’t spent the previous two chapters describing in detail the many bureaucratic fiats he wanted in order to enforce his ends upon free people, he may actually finished his book with a coherent point.
From a little earlier…
“Instead [eco-taxation proposals] must be founded on a clearly articulated strategy to drive nuclear and fossil fuel out of the market…
At least he is honest.
Rating: 2 / 5