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The Unpopular Truth: about Electricity and the Future of Energy
“The Unpopular Truth…about Electricity and the Future of Energy”
(www.unpopular-truth.com)
Electricity is to modern civilization what blood is to the human body. Understanding how electricity works is more critical than ever as its importance grows with the increasing electrification of transport, industry, and heating.
Dr. Lars Schernikau and Prof. Bill Smith have created a comprehensive overview of how the global energy economy works with a focus on electricity. This new book explains the fundamental reasons for the energy shortages that the world (particularly Europe) started to experience since 2021, which was exacerbated by Russia's invasion of the Ukraine in 2022. In doing so, the authors describe - for our electricity markets - what can work and what never will.
This book is not only an introduction to modern electricity systems and electricity costs, but it also touches on primary energy and transportation. The authors focus more on the generation of electricity from a macroeconomic “energy transition” point of view and less on the details of how electricity physically works.
The environmental efficiency of our energy systems is more complex than CO2-emissions alone. Energy input, material input, lifetime, and recycling efficiency are other key elements discussed in the book. The book concludes with thoughts on the future of energy and suggestions for energy policy, taking into account the new challenges that come with global efforts to “decarbonize”.
Prof. Bruce Everett, energy economist, Tufts University, “Despite numerous policy initiatives and the expenditure of trillions of dollars on alternatives, fossil fuels remain the dominant source of energy throughout the world, and their use continues to grow in absolute terms. To understand the reasons for this seeming contradiction, Lars and Bill have compiled a complete overview of how the global energy economy actually works, as opposed to the way it is presented in popular media.In articulating important principles for electricity specifically and energy in general, Lars and Bill have scrupulously avoided taking partisan positions and are offering information that will be important and useful to everyone. This is an invaluable reference work that should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in energy policy, electricity markets, and environmental protection.”
Topics covered in this book energy vs. electricityWind and solar (or what is revered to as variable “renewable” energy)Capacity factorsInstalled capacity vs. generated electricityHydrogen and batteriesMaterial inputTransmission and distributionHeat pumpsEnergy shortages and energy starvationNet energy returns (eROI)Full Cost of Electricity (FCOE) vs. the marginal – most commonly used – Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE)“Net-Zero”, “decarbonization”, and the “energy transition”… concluding with a realistic future of energy and sustainability
published by Energeia Publishing, Singapore (www.energeia-publishing.com)
(www.unpopular-truth.com)
Electricity is to modern civilization what blood is to the human body. Understanding how electricity works is more critical than ever as its importance grows with the increasing electrification of transport, industry, and heating.
Dr. Lars Schernikau and Prof. Bill Smith have created a comprehensive overview of how the global energy economy works with a focus on electricity. This new book explains the fundamental reasons for the energy shortages that the world (particularly Europe) started to experience since 2021, which was exacerbated by Russia's invasion of the Ukraine in 2022. In doing so, the authors describe - for our electricity markets - what can work and what never will.
This book is not only an introduction to modern electricity systems and electricity costs, but it also touches on primary energy and transportation. The authors focus more on the generation of electricity from a macroeconomic “energy transition” point of view and less on the details of how electricity physically works.
The environmental efficiency of our energy systems is more complex than CO2-emissions alone. Energy input, material input, lifetime, and recycling efficiency are other key elements discussed in the book. The book concludes with thoughts on the future of energy and suggestions for energy policy, taking into account the new challenges that come with global efforts to “decarbonize”.
Prof. Bruce Everett, energy economist, Tufts University, “Despite numerous policy initiatives and the expenditure of trillions of dollars on alternatives, fossil fuels remain the dominant source of energy throughout the world, and their use continues to grow in absolute terms. To understand the reasons for this seeming contradiction, Lars and Bill have compiled a complete overview of how the global energy economy actually works, as opposed to the way it is presented in popular media.In articulating important principles for electricity specifically and energy in general, Lars and Bill have scrupulously avoided taking partisan positions and are offering information that will be important and useful to everyone. This is an invaluable reference work that should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in energy policy, electricity markets, and environmental protection.”
Topics covered in this book energy vs. electricityWind and solar (or what is revered to as variable “renewable” energy)Capacity factorsInstalled capacity vs. generated electricityHydrogen and batteriesMaterial inputTransmission and distributionHeat pumpsEnergy shortages and energy starvationNet energy returns (eROI)Full Cost of Electricity (FCOE) vs. the marginal – most commonly used – Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE)“Net-Zero”, “decarbonization”, and the “energy transition”… concluding with a realistic future of energy and sustainability
published by Energeia Publishing, Singapore (www.energeia-publishing.com)
- GenresClimate Change
221 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 15, 2022
90 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 3, 2023
I was looking for a book that would provide me with an alternative perspective to the so called hidrogen economy but found a book more focused in trying to deconstruct the importance of rewewable energies in the fight against climate change.
I really don't mind hearing the arguments from the other side of the climate change barricade but I failed to be convinced by why the intermittent nature of sun and wind could be the disruptive problem the author claims it to be.
It was interesting to have a better understanding though, of the huge inefficiencies of the hidrogen supply chain and the huge amount of resources needed to produce this fuel at scale.
I was worried in particular at the huge amount of water needed to produce a moderate amount of hidrogen, given that on some countries and regions it is ever more a scarce resource.
I really don't mind hearing the arguments from the other side of the climate change barricade but I failed to be convinced by why the intermittent nature of sun and wind could be the disruptive problem the author claims it to be.
It was interesting to have a better understanding though, of the huge inefficiencies of the hidrogen supply chain and the huge amount of resources needed to produce this fuel at scale.
I was worried in particular at the huge amount of water needed to produce a moderate amount of hidrogen, given that on some countries and regions it is ever more a scarce resource.
May 24, 2024
Obviously knowledgeable writers, and the boom contains some necessary arguments that are not being considered in many energy discussions. However, this book is badly structured, written chaotically and presented unprofessionally. Throwing around numbers, selectively providing references and randomly putting some sentences in BOLD BLUE doesn’t make a compelling story.
September 18, 2023
This book is quite short, about 120 pages, clearly written and without an agenda that I could detect other than the facts, which are copiously referenced with many diagrams. The book examines whether renewable fuels can replace fossil fuels and still provide the energy we need. The book's conclusion is negative, i.e., renewables cannot replace fossils because will prove to be technically impossible, and electric vehicles cannot replace internal combustion vehicles because the minerals used in battery technology cannot be provided 'at scale.’ These metals include copper, lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, etc., the supplies of which cannot be scaled to supply tens of millions of car batteries, and the costs of which are destined to become prohibitive. A key concept is eROI, meaning energy return on energy invested. Apparently the Roman Empire achieved a 2:1 eROI, meaning they put in 1 and got out 2; with this they were able to sustain cities of a million people but no larger. Key sentence in this book, page 94: “Dr. Evan Mearns 2016, based on Kiefer’s work, explains eROI and points out that modern life requires a minimum eROI of 5-7, while most solar and many wind installations have an eROI below 5, depending on location, and are therefore inherently energy insufficient when it comes to supporting society at large.” This compares with coal and gas at around 30, which the authors consider too optimistic though they cite it, and nuclear energy at around 75:1. I finished this book in a sombre frame of mind. I presume its facts can be challenged but that will require a presentation of other facts at least as thorough and objective. Finding out that nuclear has a far greater eROI than any other fuel and a far smaller carbon footprint makes me wonder why it isn’t getting rather more attention.
July 6, 2023
Mostra um ponto de vista impopular: que, apesar do custo marginal das renováveis ser praticamente zero, seu ciclo de vida para existir (fabricação das turbinas, transporte, construção, fator de capacidade, perda rápida da eficiência e perdas tecnicas altas devido a grandes distancias de transmissão) torna-as fontes não tão sustentáveis assim.
Afinal, quais fontes primárias de energia alimentaram todo esse ciclo de existência? Qual o retorno em energia produzida dessas fontes em relação à energia investida nesse ciclo de vida?
E quando se compara esses fatores às usinas térmicas de fontes fosseis ou nucleares? Porque não investir mais, então, nas tecnologias de descarbonização ao inves de simplesmente buscar excluí-las por completo, ameaçando a segurança e a viabilidade energética?
São pontos de reflexão que o livro me deixou. Questões inesquecíveis, estarão presentes no meu pensamento sempre que ouvir ou ler futuramente sobre fontes renováveis e descarbonização.
Afinal, quais fontes primárias de energia alimentaram todo esse ciclo de existência? Qual o retorno em energia produzida dessas fontes em relação à energia investida nesse ciclo de vida?
E quando se compara esses fatores às usinas térmicas de fontes fosseis ou nucleares? Porque não investir mais, então, nas tecnologias de descarbonização ao inves de simplesmente buscar excluí-las por completo, ameaçando a segurança e a viabilidade energética?
São pontos de reflexão que o livro me deixou. Questões inesquecíveis, estarão presentes no meu pensamento sempre que ouvir ou ler futuramente sobre fontes renováveis e descarbonização.
December 5, 2023
This reads like someone who’s either given up, gets money from fossil fuel companies, and/or lacks imagination. In the UK 2 million homes could have had their energy bills permanently cut down by £342 if Rishi Runak hadn’t chosen to subsidise fucking fossil fuel companies who made RECORD profits in 2022. As for electric vehicles there’s been and continue to be efforts to reduce car use by making cities more walkable just look at the changes Paris has made in recent years.
As for intermittency energy storage is getting better all the time. Check out compressed carbon dioxide energy storage and sand batteries for storing electricity generated by renewables. We’re not far off sending solar arrays into space and getting constant electricity from them. It’s been tested and it works and unlike before launching satellites is no longer prohibitive.
As for intermittency energy storage is getting better all the time. Check out compressed carbon dioxide energy storage and sand batteries for storing electricity generated by renewables. We’re not far off sending solar arrays into space and getting constant electricity from them. It’s been tested and it works and unlike before launching satellites is no longer prohibitive.
November 11, 2023
So many people claim renewables are the solution few ask what that actually means. The authors dive into the economics and drawbacks of renewables, there are many.
I hope lots of people read this, I fear many will be too entrenched to do their own research. Which means it’s in incumbent on sceptics to read as extensively as possible.
I hope lots of people read this, I fear many will be too entrenched to do their own research. Which means it’s in incumbent on sceptics to read as extensively as possible.
August 4, 2024
Compulsory Reading for the energy woke
A must read book on needs for future sensible energy policy requirements. Unfortunately it makes too much factual sense in terms of physics, chemistry and economics for our current lefty politicians to read, understand and implement.
A must read book on needs for future sensible energy policy requirements. Unfortunately it makes too much factual sense in terms of physics, chemistry and economics for our current lefty politicians to read, understand and implement.
February 18, 2023
The standard of living and prosperity in the rich nations of the modern world relies on the intensive use of energy. The rise from poverty and the improvement in living standards of hundreds of millions of people in the third world in the past decades was made possible by a dramatic increase in energy use in these societies.
To keep improving our living standards, especially in poorer nations, the world will need more cheap, reliable and abundant energy. Not less.
It is possible to achieve this goal with modern technologies and at the same time to preserve a livable environment as we can observe in modern societies.
The book approaches the questions of Energy policy from 3 fundamental principles:
1. A focus on human well-being as the cornerstone of any policy analysis.
2. The recognition that energy choices are constrained by the laws of thermodynamics, chemistry, geography, meteorology, and economics.
3. The evaluation of energy options requires a review of the complete supply chain from beginning to end, considering the full life cycle of materials.
This approach differs strongly from what we hear in mainstream media. There, the energy debate has been wrongly influenced by some environmental movements and activists. Worse because of demagoguery and virtue signaling, most political institutions let the debate of energy policies be politicised with serious consequences for our prosperity.
Therefore most of the ongoing energy policy debate follows completely different principles, in a pernicious way.
They treat Humans as outsiders and not part of the biomass. They consider our influence on Nature as always bad, and ignore the positive impact of human activities in making our planet more livable, especially by humans.
They tend to ignore the more basic scientific principles when evaluating energy policy. And they focus only on the end point of energy extraction and use, ignoring other massively important steps in the supply chain.
If you follow the writings of authors like Bjorn Lomborg and Michael Shellenberger, you will notice they arrive at somewhat similar conclusions. But they approach this topic from an environment focused perspective, whereas this book provides a massive collection of data, facts and analysis on the hard science and technology of the energy supply chain, including the nature limiting factors of geology and weather.
In conclusion this book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding what is at stake in the Energy Policies of our governments, one of the most critical topics for the future of our societies.
To keep improving our living standards, especially in poorer nations, the world will need more cheap, reliable and abundant energy. Not less.
It is possible to achieve this goal with modern technologies and at the same time to preserve a livable environment as we can observe in modern societies.
The book approaches the questions of Energy policy from 3 fundamental principles:
1. A focus on human well-being as the cornerstone of any policy analysis.
2. The recognition that energy choices are constrained by the laws of thermodynamics, chemistry, geography, meteorology, and economics.
3. The evaluation of energy options requires a review of the complete supply chain from beginning to end, considering the full life cycle of materials.
This approach differs strongly from what we hear in mainstream media. There, the energy debate has been wrongly influenced by some environmental movements and activists. Worse because of demagoguery and virtue signaling, most political institutions let the debate of energy policies be politicised with serious consequences for our prosperity.
Therefore most of the ongoing energy policy debate follows completely different principles, in a pernicious way.
They treat Humans as outsiders and not part of the biomass. They consider our influence on Nature as always bad, and ignore the positive impact of human activities in making our planet more livable, especially by humans.
They tend to ignore the more basic scientific principles when evaluating energy policy. And they focus only on the end point of energy extraction and use, ignoring other massively important steps in the supply chain.
If you follow the writings of authors like Bjorn Lomborg and Michael Shellenberger, you will notice they arrive at somewhat similar conclusions. But they approach this topic from an environment focused perspective, whereas this book provides a massive collection of data, facts and analysis on the hard science and technology of the energy supply chain, including the nature limiting factors of geology and weather.
In conclusion this book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding what is at stake in the Energy Policies of our governments, one of the most critical topics for the future of our societies.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews