[.ca] Power to the People: How the Coming Energy Revolution ... (ISBN 0374529701)

Excellent analysis:
It is quite frightening to think of a world without energy. During the mid 70's, as a school kid, I remember the big campaign launched by oil companies in India -" Save that drop of oil, or walk to your destination 20 years from now". Thanks to the crisis in the middle-east, the rest of the world was starving for oil. Economies slowed down, inflation rose and unemployment hurt. One commodity that we rely on to drive down to our destinations, whose availability is unfortunately skewed could virtually halt the rest of the world. OPEC continues to control the valve through which most of the world's oil flows. This is a political issue that affects economies globally. If we assume that oil is abundantly available, then we are faced the problem of the resulting pollution and global warming that our machines create. We then need to think of an alternate energy source that is free from political and environmental sensitivities. This book is an excellent analysis of the global energy scene from the perspectives of deregulation, environmental issues and the research on new technologies that are capable of providing cheap, clean and reliable sources of energy. Vijay has brought to the table his extensive and in-depth knowledge of the subject and also the views of key people in the field. The book has been divided into logical chapters and each one is a topic of discussion by itself. His comparison of energy sources, consumption patterns and technology access across the developed and the developing worlds is superb. The rich nations have a role and an obligation to help the poorer nations to access nonpolluting technologies. At many places the book provides the latest figures on pollution rates, energy consumption and economic indicators that support the analysis. Hydrogen is the winner in the race and search for the fuel of the future. If the internet connects millions of computes that share information, soon we will have an energy internet that shares and trades clean energy. Maybe, energy might become even free. After all hydrogen is abundantly available on earth. Fuel cells seem to be emerging as a disruptive technology. Imagine devices like laptops, palmtops and mobile phones powered by small fuel cells that can be run on alcohol. Just give them a small drink and they will keep running for days. I am looking for a sign that will assure our children - "Twenty years from now, your cars will need only water to drive you to your destinations" A must read for all who care for energy, environment and economics.

Thought Provoking Book:
The title caught my attention..and I started reading.. Good book to get a peek on a few up and coming possibilities in the Energy Industry. The author has a very good ability to write so that it connects well and keeps interest. I really enjoyed reading about the various possibilities that the coming change in the energy industry might entail.. Especially about various developments in the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen world. The author has done comprehensive research for this book which is admirable and there is a lot of journalism in the book. Overall a good book. Highly recommend it if you are curious about the energy industry trends

Sure Is Sunny In Here:
For an overview of up-and-coming sources of energy for the new millennium you can't do much better than this book, but beware of its very optimistic and not always realistic examinations of the politics and economics of energy. As a policy expert, Vaitheeswaran certainly has keen insights into what is going on in energy today, from actual vs. perceived shortages in fossil fuels to the latest cutting-edge research into new technologies such as fuel cells. Here you will get great insights into how the current market works, with some in-depth debunking of popular assumptions concerning issues like the California crisis in 2000-01, or the true political machinations and motivations of OPEC. Vaitheeswaran ably documents how humans will continue to have access to reliable energy, in whatever form, and that world society is hardly on the brink of a major catastrophic shortage. However, this book loses steam significantly when Vaitheeswaran starts to analyze the possible political and economic tools that will be necessary to keep the future energy market healthy. Basically, he is dangerously close to the dogma of the free market and free trade as the cure for all ills. Yes, as Americans we know that intelligently managed markets are essential. However, after fruitfully explaining how current energy markets are distorted by cronyism, tax breaks, subsidies, corporate welfare, and other inequitable political shenanigans, the possibility of such distortions is strangely missing from Vaitheeswaran's analyses of future trends. It's as if the free market, once allowed to roll, would suddenly create a perfect world devoid of human corruption, and not just in market-savvy America. This is the unrealistic message overall - a corrupt present shall be replaced by an unrealistic free market utopia around the world. And generally, in attempting to cover all sides of these issues from the point of view of everyone from radical environmentalists to fossil fuel plutocrats, Vaitheeswaran ultimately fails to land squarely in any camp, which saps the power from many of his conclusions. While much of this book is quite useful in describing exciting new technologies, sunny optimism often blinds the reader from dirtier realities. \o~doomsdayer520~\c

How the World is Going to Change:
This book lets a person view a little bit of what's to come in the future in the energy field. The thing that makes this so exciting is that this energy will be environmentally friendly and more reliable then today's. The key to this book is the way it written. Scientists around the world have been trying to tell people about the advantages of clean energy for decades. This book on the other hand paints it all into a clear picture that everyone would enjoy looking at.

Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark:
If you are looking for a relentlessly optimistic market-oriented analysis of the energy future, this is the book for you. It is well-written, entertaining, and informative. If, however, you are looking for a well-reasoned resonse to the arguments of Kenneth Deffeyes, Hubbert's Peak, David Goodstein's, Out of Gas, or Richard Heinberg's, The Party's Over, you will be disappointed. Vaitheeswaran never addresses their arguments. Rather, he dismisses them without so much as a by your leave. For example his analysis of the question as to whether we are facing an age of sharply increasing energy costs due ever decreassing rates of recovery of fossil fuels consists of a series of quotes from the optimists. His conclusion? Don't worry, be happy! Happily, or unhappily, the next ten years will tell us whether we should have heeded the "Chicken Littles." Unfortunately, if they are right it will be too late. In fact, it is probably already too late.