Sustainable Energy without the hot air 5

http://www.withouthotair.com/

Interesting book for free download, has a lot of good reviews.

Looks at the real numbers behind sustainable energy, mainly from the perspective of the UK.

This should be adapted for every country so that the decisions we will inevitably make over the next few years are made on the basis of sensible numbers rather than emotion and spin.



Cheers

Greg Locock

SIGlease see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[jmw]

Thanks Greg, that'll make for some interesting reading.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[ScottyUK]

Excellent, I know a few people who would appreciate a copy of the link. Thanks.


----------------------------------

If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[SnTMan]

...so that the decisions we will inevitably make over the next few years are made on the basis of sensible numbers rather than emotion and spin.

If only...

Regards,

Mike

 

[cranky108]

If your selling something you want emotion and spin.
If your buying, what are you buying? Emotional spin, or something else?

 

[ivymike]

features and benefits, with an emphasis on the latter?

 

[cranky108]

I really did not expect an answer.
As engineers we tend to be somewhat immune to emotion and spin.

 

[moltenmetal]

Greg, if I could give you five stars for that link, I would!

That guy's book is EXCELLENT- the half of it I've read so far. He de-bunks so much crap that's been flying around in the media by means of very simple, half-order of magnitude estimations that put things in perspective right quickly.

The first chapter on global warming is extremely well written.

If you're interested in renewable energy, fossil fuels dependence or global warming, this is a must read!

 

[jmw]

Some one else has noted that the uranium data is slightly misleading in that it refers to established mining operations and does not include reserves that have not been developed.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[moltenmetal]

He does talk about uranium reserves that are currently uneconomical, including phosphate reserves. In fact he even looks at uranium in seawater. His analysis is all about the limit state- how much could we possibly get, economics aside for the moment. It's a very refreshing perspective.

 

[btrueblood]

There's still a bit of emotion and spin in his writing, but it doesn't detract from the basics. Good link, a star from here too, Greg.

 

[gwolf2]

Good link, I read a lot of it with interest.

The 'elephant in the room' as far as I'm concerned comes in one of the last paragraphs where he briefly mentions that it would be a lot simpler if there were less people..........

Anyway, a good read, thanks again.

 

[SomptingGuy]

The author, David MacKay has been appointed chief scientific adviser to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

- Steve