Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air

Reviewed by Robert L. Pritchett

UIT Cambridge Author: David JC MacKay Released: Now Pages: 382 $54.43 Hardcover, $34 USD Paperback, Download: http://www.withouthotair.com/download.html ISBN: 978-0-9544529-3-3.   Strengths: Breaks down complicated formulations and factorizations of sustainable energy options into precise, concise, simple understanding between weighing consumption and production for various technologies.   Weaknesses: None found.

 

Introduction

 

I’m concerned about cutting UK emissions of twaddle – twaddle about

sustainable energy. Everyone says getting off fossil fuels is important, and

we’re all encouraged to “make a difference,” but many of the things that

allegedly make a difference don’t add up.

 

Twaddle emissions are high at the moment because people get emotional

(for example about wind farms or nuclear power) and no-one talks

about numbers. Or if they do mention numbers, they select them to sound

big, to make an impression, and to score points in arguments, rather than

to aid thoughtful discussion.

 

This is a straight-talking book about the numbers. The aim is to guide

the reader around the claptrap to actions that really make a difference and

to policies that add up.

 

I didn’t write this book to make money. I wrote it because sustainable energy

is important. If you would like to have the book for free for your own

use, please help yourself: it’s on the internet at www.withouthotair.com.

 

This is a free book in a second sense: you are free to use all the material

in this book, except for the cartoons and the photos with a named photographer,

under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share-

Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence. (The cartoons and photos are

excepted because the authors have generally given me permission only to

include their work, not to share it under a Creative Commons license.) You

are especially welcome to use my materials for educational purposes. My

website includes separate high-quality files for each of the figures in the

book.

 

What I Learned

 

This has got to be about the best book money can't buy (but you can anyway and I applaud David JC MacKay's incredible effort, so recommend getting a hardcopy, because it is a keeper).

 

I just cannot believe something this good, could be available online for free!

David pulls no punches. He overcomes the hyperbole with facts and figures that make sense regarding "sustainable" energy.  I love his use of terms like "twaddle" and "claptrap", mostly because I have read much and commented much and this book does a far , far better job than I ever could because even though the facts are basically UK-based, they pretty much "fit" the US as well, on this side of the pond.

The numbers and facts are irrefutable. I love the excellent, clear and well-thought-out graphics presentations. I think the comparisons between consumption and production in nearly every chapter arte superb, especially for those of us who seem to be a bit math-challenged.

 

And even the math is laid out, so even I can understand it.

The chapters even have further reading sections.

 

And I gladly champion the "correctness" of measuring everything as " kWh per day per person".  When everything is compared with the exact same measurements, the BS factor goes out the window.

 

And that is what makes this book not just fun to read, but makes it a classic regarding sustainable energy options and their consumption vs. production factors.

The book could have been titled "Sustainable Energy for Dummies". But it really is a book for "Smarties". You read this book and you will be forever grateful men like David JC MacKay are alive and well on Planet Earth. His British humor is even contagious.

 

Conclusion

 

Support his efforts by buying the book. It's that simple. Cut through the blarney and BS. The wool over the eyes can now be lifted.

 

It is the book that Pure Energy Systems Network should have written.