Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air

Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air by David MacKay is one of those books that really brings the reality of our current energy situation into sharp focus. It looks at all the forms of energy production currently available and attempts to provide answers as to how we might meet the energy demands of tomorrow in a sustainable way.

Backed up by plenty of scientific data, this book debunks the idea that everything will be OK if only we use a few less plastic carrier bags and don’t leave our mobile phone chargers on overnight.

It’s all too easy to slip into the belief system that the government just needs to build more wind farms, but David MacKay makes it clear just how many wind turbines we would need if we wanted to rely on existing forms of renewable energy.

In an ideal world it would be great if we could all find ways to dramatically reduce our energy consumption, but an increasing world population and a seemingly insatiable desire for gadgets and technology means our energy demands are likely to continue to increase.

This makes the importance of research into new forms of renewable energy even greater. Osmotic power perhaps?

Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air is well worth a read – even if it is a little sobering.