Powering the Future

by Daniel B. Botkin

This is the eBook version of the printed book. Dr. Daniel B. Botkin objectively assesses the true prospects, limitations, costs, risks, dangers, and tradeoffs associated with every leading and emerging source of energy, including oil, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric, nuclear, wind, solar, ocean power, and biofuels. Next, Botkin addresses the energy distribution system, outlining how it currently works, identifying its inefficiencies, and reviewing options for improving it.   Finally, Botkin turns to solutions, offering a realistic, scientifically and economically viable path to a sustainable, energy-independent one that can improve the quality of life for Americans and for people around the world.   The Future of Fossil Fuels What can we realistically expect from oil, gas, and coal?   Will Alternative Energy Sources Really Matter? Running the numbers on solar, wind, biofuels, and other renewables   Must We All Wear Sweaters and Live in Caves? The right role for efficiency--and why energy minimalism isn’t the solution   Where We Can Start--and What Will Happen if We Don’t No magic bullet, but there are sensible, realistic solutions

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Business

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2010

About the author

Daniel Botkin is a scientist, biologist, ecologist, physicist, professor, author and journalist. Renowned for his scientific contributions in ecology and environment, he has also worked as a professional journalist and has degrees in physics, biology, and literature. He is best known for the development of the first successful computer simulation in ecology, a computer model of forest growth that has developed into a sub-discipline in this field, with more than 50 versions in use worldwide. Botkin has also been a pioneer in the study of ecosystems and wilderness and the application of advanced technology to ecology. He has helped develop major national programs in ecology, including the National Science Foundation’s Long-term Ecological Research Program and NASA’s Mission to Earth. He has directed research on wilderness and natural parks around the world and is a leader in the application of environmental sciences to solve complex environmental problems.

Botkin has been a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara since 1979. Currently, he is Professor Emeritus, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara. He has been President and Founder of The Center for the Study of the Environment, a non-profit research and educational corporation. He serves on the board of the Environmental Literacy Council, the Board of Trustees of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has also been a fellow at the Rockefeller Bellagio Institute in Italy and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Among his awards are the The 2012 The Honorable John C. Pritzlaff Conservation Award; Astor Lectureship, Oxford University; The 2004 Tex and Academic Authors Association Texty Award for best textbook of 2003; The Fernow Award for Outstanding Contributions in International Forestry; and the Mitchell International Prize for Sustainable Development.

For more information visit www.danielbotkin.com or follow him on Twitter @danielbotkin.

Reviews

[Smellsofbikes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chock-full of good data and interesting discussion/analysis. Typos sometimes drastically changed the sense of a sentence -- stuff like "variation from 1.6 to 9 times" when in the next sentence you realize it was actually supposed to be 1.6 to 1.9 (in discussing energy balances, that's an enormous variance) and in some cases his analysis completely misses a major part of the discussion. (This was primarily the case with nuclear, where the price per watt is almost entirely determined by the *enormous* cost of building the plant, so having the fuel price rise 10x, or even 100x, has almost no effect on the cost of power, whereas an increase in 10x in fuel price means the natural reserves suddenly increase by a vast amount. His claim that we only have 5 years of proven reserves of uranium is only true at near-current prices: at 100x prices it would nearly be economical to pull it out of seawater at which point we have a hundred thousand years of proven reserves.) However, those complaints -- and a somewhat rosy analysis of solar -- aside, he does a good realistic job of talking about most all the major current and proposed energy-harvesting ideas, their good and bad sides, and backs up what he's saying with relevant data. I quite liked this.

[Justme · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reviews seem positive, yet the ratings low, so I'm adding a review for balance.
--- I read this book aloud for homeschooling my 7-8th grader. My student is very audio (learning)...and reading aloud enabled me to verify understanding, and add clarification & explanations of topics too complex (though I found most of the writing understandable at the 7th grade level, it was lack of life-experience with historical references that needed the most explanations), as well as test student comprehension.

The 1st half was devoted to analyzing the existing situation, and energy sources, both convention & alternative (including experimental). Our rating 5.9*! (yes, out of 5; we thought it was that good): What a fabulous effort to gather a wide variety of information & present it in an understandable way! The references (at the back) themselves took up 17% of this book!

The 2nd half focused on solutions & conclusions. Our rating 3.9* was a little ho hum, while still being a worthwhile read. It was not a clearly presented...we found it choppy & hard to follow, comparatively. And most of it was simply reiterating what had already been explored in the 1st half of the book.

The author claimed to be attempting an unbiased review, leaving the reader to their own conclusions. The 1st half did seem relatively unbiased (as anything like this can be), due to the volume of material/people referenced...but the 2nd half was extremely obvious in bias. Not that I didn't agree with most of the conclusions; I felt they were based on solid facts, but he was definitely telling you/had made up his mind what the solution to our energy problem is.

I wish this were required reading for every member of Congress! And every HS student! I feel I now have the ability to intelligently discuss, with a factual basis, all of our current energy sources (rather than simply "knowing" in my gut what makes the most sense).

We absolutely have the ability to meet all of our energy needs, with the technology to get it done before a crisis...too bad political bickering & corporate greed make it unlikely to happen.

[Paola · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about the various energy sources - it is full of data and their sources, and it tries to balance the various views on what is sometimes a contentious topic, especially when it comes to the debate renewables vs. nuclear.

Probably one of the most balanced accounts on energy issues I've come across in recent times.