Renewable Energy
Last updated: June 11, 2024
Delivering renewable energy in volumes and prices that can begin to reduce our dependence on carbon fuels is one of the central challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. In our interviews on the subject, academics, business people and politicians choose their top books on renewable energy to illustrate the global energy challenge and how we might meet it in the coming years.
Chris Goodall, author and expert on renewable energy technologies, chooses his best books on energy transitions. He discusses the need to develop cheap and clean energy, given the apparent reluctance or inability of humanity to reduce its energy consumption. These books look at the problems of storing solar energy and the possibility of mitigating some of the effects of global warming through geo-engineering, trying to manage the sun’s radiation through putting a ‘chemical blanket’ into space to protect the earth’s surface.
Jerry McNerney—US congressman, energy expert and engineer—discusses the twin energy crisis and clean energy. He explains how he got involved in the development of renewable energy in the 1970s long before he moved into politics, and discusses the problems of moving from an oil-driven economy. He points out that even without the environmental threat, there are strong reasons to develop renewables rather than allow a global competition for ever-depleting carbon resources. Juliet Davenport, CEO of Good Energy (the UK’s on 100% renewable energy supplier), chooses her best books on renewable energy and argues that the UK can transition to 100% renewable use. Last, author and journalist Bob Johnstone chooses his best books on solar power.
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1
Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green
by Henry Sanderson -
2
The Powerhouse: Inside the Invention of a Battery to Save the World
by Steve LeVine -
3
The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations
by Daniel Yergin -
4
Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future
by James Morton Turner -
5
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives
by Siddharth Kara
The best books on Batteries, recommended by Lukasz Bednarski
The best books on Batteries, recommended by Lukasz Bednarski
As the world turns to electric vehicles and renewable energy to help stave off a climate crisis, there will be huge changes for individuals, industries and even the world geopolitical order. Lukasz Bednarski, a battery analyst, former rare metals trader, and author of Lithium, The Global Race for Battery Dominance, talks us through some of the books that shed light on what’s going on, from the cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the high-tech labs where the latest battery technology is being developed.
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1
Energy and Civilization: a History
by Vaclav Smil -
2
The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power
by Daniel Yergin -
3
Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air
by David J C MacKay -
4
Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry
by Travis Bradford -
5
The Planet Remade
by Oliver Morton
The best books on Energy Transitions, recommended by Chris Goodall
The best books on Energy Transitions, recommended by Chris Goodall
The switch to sources of energy other than oil and gas is now well under way, but how long will it be before we can rely on them for the bulk of the world’s power—if ever? Renewable energy expert Chris Goodall gives us a thought-provoking reading list to think about both past and future ‘energy transitions.’
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1
The Limits to Growth
by Dennis L. Meadows, Donella H Meadows & Jorgen Randers -
2
Hubbert’s Peak
by Kenneth S Deffeyes -
3
Winning the Oil Endgame
by Amory B Lovins, E Kyle Datta, Jonathan G Koomey and Nathan J Glasgow & Odd-Even Bustnes -
4
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
by Michael Braungart and William McDonough -
5
Wind Power
by Paul Gipe
The best books on Clean Energy, recommended by Jerry McNerney
The best books on Clean Energy, recommended by Jerry McNerney
We’re in a “dual energy crisis”, says the author of Clean Energy Nation, and not doing enough about it. He tells us what we must do if we’re to overcome our dependence on oil and limit the damaging effects of climate change
The best books on Renewable Energy, recommended by Juliet Davenport
The chief executive of Good Energy says we need to think big if we want to cut our use of high-carbon energy. She tells us about the intersection between business, politics and doing the right thing
The best books on Solar Power, recommended by Bob Johnstone
Former Wired contributing editor and MIT Science Journalism Fellow, Bob Johnstone, explains why the Germans lead the world in solar energy and how financial innovation is changing the game in the US. He picks the best books on solar power.