Synopsis : “If someone wants an overall view of how energy gets used, where it comes from, and the challenges in switching to new sources, this is the book to read.”

Bill Gates, chairman, Microsoft

Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air

Addressing the sustainable energy crisis in an objective manner, this enlightening book analyzes the relevant numbers and organizes a plan for change on both a personal level and an international scale—for Europe, the United States, and the world. In case-study format, this informative reference answers questions surrounding nuclear energy, the potential of sustainable fossil fuels, and the possibilities of sharing renewable power with foreign countries. While underlining the difficulty of minimizing consumption, the tone remains positive as it debunks misinformation and clearly explains the calculations of expenditure per person to encourage people to make individual changes that will benefit the world at large.

“I would choose Sustainable Energy as a text over its competitors because MacKay has moved the energy discussion in the direction where energy alternatives can be considered quantitatively.” —American Journal of Physics

“This is a must-have book for anyone who is seriously interested in energy policy.” —Scott Kirwin, therazor.org

“The main text of his book is readable (and witty) and its technical appendices bristle with equations. If the planet and its people are the patients, MacKay’s book is the lab results, temperature chart and electrocardiogram.” —The New York Review of Books (April 26, 2012)

“This is a brilliant book that is both a racy read and hugely informative . . . It shows . . . how cars might become far more efficient but why planes cannot.” —David Newbery, director, Electricity Policy Research Group, University of Cambridge