Sense, and sensibility, 08 Jan 2009
It's rare to find a book that is so full of good, scientific facts and well-researched figures, and yet is so enjoyable to read.

Well-worth reading from beginning to end, it's also fun to dip into. The prose is light-hearted and chatty - by far the best way to get across a serious message - and the book is beautifully produced, with interesting charts, page layouts and illustrations - even some of the captions make for amusing reading. You can feel the author's sense of humour leaking through all over the place.

I think we should be lobbying the BBC to make this into a documentary series. It would also be a great basis for A-level physics teaching. There aren't many books which fit both roles so well.

A splendid gift for anyone you know who is interested in realistic, rather than emotional, ways to deal with today's energy challenges. Recommended.

Superb, 20 Dec 2008
This book is wonderful, by far the best thing I have ever read on the oft-confused subject of sustainable energy. All politicians should be forced to read it from cover to cover, multiple times.

The most understandable book on the scale of our problem, 09 Dec 2008
This has to be one of the most well written books I have read in ages. Professor MacKay brings all forms of energy down to the rule of thumb, making the scale of the problem understandable.
I plan on buying this for everyone I know. The key message that I got from this book is that "every little helps, a little", which is to say that doing things like turning off a mobile phone charger will not fix global warming, we have to make big changes.
He also provides clearly detailed solutions.

Sense, and sensibility, 08 Jan 2009
It's rare to find a book that is so full of good, scientific facts and well-researched figures, and yet is so enjoyable to read.

Well-worth reading from beginning to end, it's also fun to dip into. The prose is light-hearted and chatty - by far the best way to get across a serious message - and the book is beautifully produced, with interesting charts, page layouts and illustrations - even some of the captions make for amusing reading. You can feel the author's sense of humour leaking through all over the place.

I think we should be lobbying the BBC to make this into a documentary series. It would also be a great basis for A-level physics teaching. There aren't many books which fit both roles so well.

A splendid gift for anyone you know who is interested in realistic, rather than emotional, ways to deal with today's energy challenges. Recommended.

Superb, 20 Dec 2008
This book is wonderful, by far the best thing I have ever read on the oft-confused subject of sustainable energy. All politicians should be forced to read it from cover to cover, multiple times.

The most understandable book on the scale of our problem, 09 Dec 2008
This has to be one of the most well written books I have read in ages. Professor MacKay brings all forms of energy down to the rule of thumb, making the scale of the problem understandable.
I plan on buying this for everyone I know. The key message that I got from this book is that "every little helps, a little", which is to say that doing things like turning off a mobile phone charger will not fix global warming, we have to make big changes.
He also provides clearly detailed solutions.

Not enough fault finding, 11 May 2008
A lot of the book is taken up with bog standard items like pipe sizing, flues, health and safety, pipe freezers and "What is a Combi boiler" If you are CORGI registered you will know all of this and have a certificate to prove it. On a positive note the section on Fault Finding & Repair is brilliant, this guy knows his subject, I am disapointed, I would have liked more of it (fault finding)and less padding.

Sense, and sensibility, 08 Jan 2009
It's rare to find a book that is so full of good, scientific facts and well-researched figures, and yet is so enjoyable to read.

Well-worth reading from beginning to end, it's also fun to dip into. The prose is light-hearted and chatty - by far the best way to get across a serious message - and the book is beautifully produced, with interesting charts, page layouts and illustrations - even some of the captions make for amusing reading. You can feel the author's sense of humour leaking through all over the place.

I think we should be lobbying the BBC to make this into a documentary series. It would also be a great basis for A-level physics teaching. There aren't many books which fit both roles so well.

A splendid gift for anyone you know who is interested in realistic, rather than emotional, ways to deal with today's energy challenges. Recommended.

Superb, 20 Dec 2008
This book is wonderful, by far the best thing I have ever read on the oft-confused subject of sustainable energy. All politicians should be forced to read it from cover to cover, multiple times.

The most understandable book on the scale of our problem, 09 Dec 2008
This has to be one of the most well written books I have read in ages. Professor MacKay brings all forms of energy down to the rule of thumb, making the scale of the problem understandable.
I plan on buying this for everyone I know. The key message that I got from this book is that "every little helps, a little", which is to say that doing things like turning off a mobile phone charger will not fix global warming, we have to make big changes.
He also provides clearly detailed solutions.

Not enough fault finding, 11 May 2008
A lot of the book is taken up with bog standard items like pipe sizing, flues, health and safety, pipe freezers and "What is a Combi boiler" If you are CORGI registered you will know all of this and have a certificate to prove it. On a positive note the section on Fault Finding & Repair is brilliant, this guy knows his subject, I am disapointed, I would have liked more of it (fault finding)and less padding.

A great primer for going 12 Volt - not just solar, 11 Feb 2008
This review is for the original German version (a well-thumbed copy on my reference shelf).
I have been living off-grid with a 12 Volt system since 1995 and can honestly say that this book has been indispensable. A lot of the information applies to electricity, electronics, renewables and 12 volt in general, and can be viewed as an easy to understand basic course in those topics. This book first appeared in the German booklet series "Einfaelle statt Abfaelle", which loosely translates to "Ideas, not waste" (without the pun). In common with other booklets from that brilliant series, Michel's book inspires to be more self-reliant and creative, and to re-use, always keeping our beautiful planet in mind. The series is a perfect foundation course for any tinkerer, whether he/she drinks beer or anything else.

Sense, and sensibility, 08 Jan 2009
It's rare to find a book that is so full of good, scientific facts and well-researched figures, and yet is so enjoyable to read.

Well-worth reading from beginning to end, it's also fun to dip into. The prose is light-hearted and chatty - by far the best way to get across a serious message - and the book is beautifully produced, with interesting charts, page layouts and illustrations - even some of the captions make for amusing reading. You can feel the author's sense of humour leaking through all over the place.

I think we should be lobbying the BBC to make this into a documentary series. It would also be a great basis for A-level physics teaching. There aren't many books which fit both roles so well.

A splendid gift for anyone you know who is interested in realistic, rather than emotional, ways to deal with today's energy challenges. Recommended.

Superb, 20 Dec 2008
This book is wonderful, by far the best thing I have ever read on the oft-confused subject of sustainable energy. All politicians should be forced to read it from cover to cover, multiple times.

The most understandable book on the scale of our problem, 09 Dec 2008
This has to be one of the most well written books I have read in ages. Professor MacKay brings all forms of energy down to the rule of thumb, making the scale of the problem understandable.
I plan on buying this for everyone I know. The key message that I got from this book is that "every little helps, a little", which is to say that doing things like turning off a mobile phone charger will not fix global warming, we have to make big changes.
He also provides clearly detailed solutions.

Not enough fault finding, 11 May 2008
A lot of the book is taken up with bog standard items like pipe sizing, flues, health and safety, pipe freezers and "What is a Combi boiler" If you are CORGI registered you will know all of this and have a certificate to prove it. On a positive note the section on Fault Finding & Repair is brilliant, this guy knows his subject, I am disapointed, I would have liked more of it (fault finding)and less padding.

A great primer for going 12 Volt - not just solar, 11 Feb 2008
This review is for the original German version (a well-thumbed copy on my reference shelf).
I have been living off-grid with a 12 Volt system since 1995 and can honestly say that this book has been indispensable. A lot of the information applies to electricity, electronics, renewables and 12 volt in general, and can be viewed as an easy to understand basic course in those topics. This book first appeared in the German booklet series "Einfaelle statt Abfaelle", which loosely translates to "Ideas, not waste" (without the pun). In common with other booklets from that brilliant series, Michel's book inspires to be more self-reliant and creative, and to re-use, always keeping our beautiful planet in mind. The series is a perfect foundation course for any tinkerer, whether he/she drinks beer or anything else.

Good general overview, well presented, 18 Dec 2008
This is one of the first books I read on this subject. It's very well presented and written (like most open university materials). It has chapters on most of the important renewable energy technologies. It explains the principles and most important topics in an understanable way. It introduces some of the most important equations, but it's not a long list of mathematical derivations.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

Sense, and sensibility, 08 Jan 2009
It's rare to find a book that is so full of good, scientific facts and well-researched figures, and yet is so enjoyable to read.

Well-worth reading from beginning to end, it's also fun to dip into. The prose is light-hearted and chatty - by far the best way to get across a serious message - and the book is beautifully produced, with interesting charts, page layouts and illustrations - even some of the captions make for amusing reading. You can feel the author's sense of humour leaking through all over the place.

I think we should be lobbying the BBC to make this into a documentary series. It would also be a great basis for A-level physics teaching. There aren't many books which fit both roles so well.

A splendid gift for anyone you know who is interested in realistic, rather than emotional, ways to deal with today's energy challenges. Recommended.

Superb, 20 Dec 2008
This book is wonderful, by far the best thing I have ever read on the oft-confused subject of sustainable energy. All politicians should be forced to read it from cover to cover, multiple times.

The most understandable book on the scale of our problem, 09 Dec 2008
This has to be one of the most well written books I have read in ages. Professor MacKay brings all forms of energy down to the rule of thumb, making the scale of the problem understandable.
I plan on buying this for everyone I know. The key message that I got from this book is that "every little helps, a little", which is to say that doing things like turning off a mobile phone charger will not fix global warming, we have to make big changes.
He also provides clearly detailed solutions.

Not enough fault finding, 11 May 2008
A lot of the book is taken up with bog standard items like pipe sizing, flues, health and safety, pipe freezers and "What is a Combi boiler" If you are CORGI registered you will know all of this and have a certificate to prove it. On a positive note the section on Fault Finding & Repair is brilliant, this guy knows his subject, I am disapointed, I would have liked more of it (fault finding)and less padding.

A great primer for going 12 Volt - not just solar, 11 Feb 2008
This review is for the original German version (a well-thumbed copy on my reference shelf).
I have been living off-grid with a 12 Volt system since 1995 and can honestly say that this book has been indispensable. A lot of the information applies to electricity, electronics, renewables and 12 volt in general, and can be viewed as an easy to understand basic course in those topics. This book first appeared in the German booklet series "Einfaelle statt Abfaelle", which loosely translates to "Ideas, not waste" (without the pun). In common with other booklets from that brilliant series, Michel's book inspires to be more self-reliant and creative, and to re-use, always keeping our beautiful planet in mind. The series is a perfect foundation course for any tinkerer, whether he/she drinks beer or anything else.

Good general overview, well presented, 18 Dec 2008
This is one of the first books I read on this subject. It's very well presented and written (like most open university materials). It has chapters on most of the important renewable energy technologies. It explains the principles and most important topics in an understanable way. It introduces some of the most important equations, but it's not a long list of mathematical derivations.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

OK, but could go further., 23 Jul 2008
Easily readable book covering the problems of further oil exploration, discovery and extraction, and then talks briefly about the problems of global warming. He then goes on to talk about alternatives to oil. Here he gets a little confused between two separate things, one, the source of energy, and two, the delivery of that energy to where it's needed. Oil does both of these. Roberts talks about a possible future "hydrogen economy" as the most viable alternative, while dismissing nuclear and renewables and other sources of energy, but hydrogen is not an energy source: it is an energy delivery method. Some energy source has to make the hydrogen in the first place. Therefore his dismissal of solar and nuclear is not as easy as he makes out. Also, he dismisses geothermal energy in less than a sentence, which is far less than it deserves. In doing this, he confuses the physically possible with the economically viable. Solar, nuclear and geothermal are at least physically viable as alternatives, as they can probably produce the required energy: the only question is their economics. His discussion of their economics is perhaps valid, but economics is all relative. The question is at what point other energy sources become economic and what the consequences of using them are.

All that is less of a review, and more of a critique. While the book is highly topical, and very readable without dumbing down, it confuses a number of points that need to be distinguished.

Peak Oil - and what happens next, 24 Apr 2007
Paul Roberts' The End of Oil, is a thorough and comprehensive study of the petroleum economy, a book that examines the three-pronged threats to the existing energy order: oil depletion, environmental [...] and geopolitical instability.

Roberts' analysis on depletion asks the question, `what should we do before the oil runs dry?' For run dry it will. Peak Oil, as the subject has come to be known, is based on variables, some known and some unknown. Disregarding the most wildly optimistic forecasts proposed by mouthpieces within the Saudi Arabian and United States' oil businesses (as well as those with the current occupiers of the pro-oil Whitehouse), production of oil is reasonably estimated to peak around the year 2025. After that, oil reserves will be in terminal decline (some analysts say that production has already peaked). If the developed countries of this planet are to maintain their standards of life and if less developed countries want to give their citizens the same access to energy (and everything that goes with it: education, health care, material goods and so forth), how is this to be achieved? What is the solution to demand that is rapidly escalating and oil supplies that are dwindling?

After articulating in some depth the scale of the problem, without reverting to "the end is nigh" doom-mongering, Roberts examines potential solutions: from coal (massive reserves but an environmental catastrophe) and nuclear (`clean' if you don't mind burying the waste in your back garden), to so-called `alternatives' such as solar and wind, to liquefied natural gas and hydrogen fuel cell micro grids (but no mention, alas, of the ellusive zero-point technologies).

These solutions also bring in the second facet of the book, environmental [...]. Just what is the impact of oil on the environment? This is not simply analysing the automotive industry's reaction to miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency, which Roberts does but also looking at the construction of modern buildings - how construction firms win bids by offering the lowest up-front costs, which often means incredibly wasteful energy usage; more expensive construction techniques that actually reduce long-term running costs by fuel efficiencies are often seen as uncompetitive in the immediate short-term. Roberts also discusses alternative energy generating techniques and just how much of an impact this could have, given the proper government backing. The Kyoto Protocol and carbon emissions - why 550 parts per million is pretty much the threshold below which the planet can sustain life without the threat of severe and permanent damage? Discussed. Why, even if carbon emissions were cut to zero immediately, they would still keep on rising? Discussed. What we can do about this? Discussed.

As with the rest of this book, Roberts' examines so many other issues that here I can only hint at the amount of information that this book contains.

Paul Roberts also breaks down the geopolitical implications of the existing order: why the price of oil is so volatile, what the relationship betwixt the U.S. and Saudi Arabia is based around (read Craig Unger's superb book, House of Bush, House of Saud, for much more on this disturbing connection), why Big Oil has a vested interest in the status quo, in that to upgrade existing energy infrastructure would literally take trillions of dollars and oil companies are making money without spending this capital on unproven energy technologies. Again, these few sentences can only hint at the thorough research that Roberts has undertaken, in order to bring these complex and often subtle factors to light.

Roberts does also pose solutions, not simply articulate the problems. In short, there is no magic bullet but a combination of several programmes might go some way to ensuring that all citizens of this planet have a future - ultimately a combination of energy efficiency strategies (supply is running out, so make savings in the consumption side of the equation) and alternative fuel sources, coupled with governmental incentives to consumers and suppliers, alongside benefits to less developed countries, to help them to modernise their energy economies and leapfrog the worst aspects of the West's industrial revolution development.

For just one example: with the car industry, an idea might be to internalise externalities. With the tobacco industry, the cost of growing the leaf and bringing it to market is quite low. The price of cigarettes is relatively high because governments' recognise that there are costs associated with smoking that are borne by society (the externalities) - most notably, hospital care for patients suffering from self-inflicted-smoking-related cancers. Therefore, cigarettes are highly taxed in order to off-set the costs that the product causes, to place that cost back on the manufacturer. If this logical approach was applied to cars, the cost of an inefficient large car or so-called Sports Utility Vehicle would be much higher because the environmental cost of bringing that oil to the market would be placed back where it belongs; the costs of maintaining a large military presence in the Middle East, combined with the costs to the health care industry of car-related pollution and respiratory diseases, would not be paid for by society at large but by those who choose to buy those particular cars. This would encourage people to buy less of these wasteful and usually unnecessary vehicles until they became more energy efficient; it would also incentivise the auto industry to rekindle the spirit of fuel economies that was once so prevalent after the Arab oil embargo of the mid 1970s. Unfortunately, energy savings - energy capital - like this is often turned into an energy deficit, by having more people purchasing these aspirational vehicles. This leads to a paradox that the more energy we save, the more we end up consuming. This incredibly brief illustration, which probably does no justice to the original text, is but one of numerous examples that Roberts' provides.

Above all, Paul Roberts argues that a do nothing, business as usual approach to these problems is wilfully ignorant and that energy illiteracy will have severe and profound consequences for everybody. If you own a car, or consume anything made from oil - and that could be anything plastic, from a toothbrush to the mouse in your right hand - then The End of Oil should be read. The longer we as consumers and voters, the longer decision makers in the corporate and political structure wait, wait to see if climate change really is caused by human impact, to see if oil really is running out as rapidly as those wild people in the wings claim it is, the greater the problems will be when the shift from petroleum to a new energy order is forced upon us and the much more terrible that upheaval will be. Read this fascinating book, then watch the documentary, "The End of Suburbia."

if you wan to get a grip on peak oil read on, 18 Oct 2006
I have read many books on peakoil and found this one of the best. I agree it goes on a little at times but all in all a great read on the subject.

A little extensive, 11 Jun 2006
This book is a nice read about the subject.
The most relevant negative aspect is the fact that is too extensive. All that is said could have been said in far less pages.

About the content, it covers almost all the different aspects of the main problem. Doesn't provide a solution (if there is one), but it make a very good researchable analysis.

No worries! USA to the rescue!, 02 May 2006
Although the number of "alarmist" publications about energy and climate fill the shelves, this book doesn't fit that category. Roberts, although clearly concerned about energy consumption and the capacity to meet it, thinks demand can be met. That won't be achieved without some revision in outlook and actions. In this carefully structured and comprehensive study, readers will gain a firm grasp on the issues involved in making the transition from oil to alternative energy. It won't be cheap or painless, but it can be done, he proposes in this well-written account. You need only be prepared to take some first steps. The very first step is to read this book to overcome "energy illiteracy".

Changing the energy basis of a society isn't a novelty of the "modern" world, Roberts suggests. Humanity has shifted from wood fuel to coal, and from coal to petrochemicals. There was resistance in each case, because people cling to the known. Woodstoves might burn coal, but oil-fired systems are a major shift in technology. So, too, Roberts argues, will (be?) the replacements for oil furnaces or petrol burning autos, whether using natural gas, or hydrogen fuel cells. This approach enables the author to address both the existing patterns of energy extraction and use as well as the options facing us in making substitutions. He carefully examines the technology and economics of the various alternative energy supply methods. Hydrogen fuel cells are given a full hearing, with an account of Geoffrey Ballard's attempt to launch a successful production firm. Ballard didn't quite succeed, but the potential remains available. Roberts also examines solar panels and wind power for electricity generation. In Europe, of course, wind power is a major factor and growing rapidly. In Roberts' eyes, however, his own nation is less sympathetic over wind power. How much this is due to personal choice and how much to energy industry negative propaganda remains unclear. The energy lobbyists, as the author notes, have not been idle. Investment in coal and oil is too great to overturn readily.

Roberts squarely addresses the economic issues of new energy forms . If society is to endure a transition to wind, hydrogen or natural gas power, what will be the costs? "Consider the scale of the task", he says, noting that the conveyors and users of the primary fuels, coal and oil, have over ten trillion [US] dollars tied up in equipment. The transformation of such an immense investment, particularly in unproven technologies is a "colossal" enterprise, not entered lightly. He stresses, however, that such cost isn't sufficient excuse to delay or attempt to refute the need for it. The energy transformation must be made, partly because the world is running out of oil, and cannot afford to replace it with more severe polluters such as coal. The changeover must be undertaken, but it must be done with known technologies until the riskier ones are considered proven.

The cost of transition must also factor in the true cost of the fuels in use. The external costs of petroleum for example, are rarely calculated. Referring to a study by Joan Ogden, Roberts explains how real costs of using petrol actually make the hydrogen fuel cell a price competitive technology. Such calculations should lead to greater investment in alternative technologies. Roberts argues further that it will be the United States that will inevitably take the lead in the process, both in technology and investment. Citing changes in attitudes and policy resulting from the "Oil Embargo" of the 1970s, he suggests that these be reviewed and expanded to achieve the first steps in the transition to new energy forms. It is the US, as the greatest polluter and the greatest innovator, which must take the lead in the change. The energy purchasing power and world marketing skills of the US makes it the most likely promoter of the change. US-based technology is best suited to bringing higher energy levels to developing nations, while not condemning them to high pollution generation.

Roberts has challenged a large segment of his own population with this book. He notes that consumers are being confronted with need for change now, and they must ready themselves for it. A new age requires innovative thinking and changing some long-held views. The author wants that process to be as painless as possible.

Sense, and sensibility, 08 Jan 2009
It's rare to find a book that is so full of good, scientific facts and well-researched figures, and yet is so enjoyable to read.

Well-worth reading from beginning to end, it's also fun to dip into. The prose is light-hearted and chatty - by far the best way to get across a serious message - and the book is beautifully produced, with interesting charts, page layouts and illustrations - even some of the captions make for amusing reading. You can feel the author's sense of humour leaking through all over the place.

I think we should be lobbying the BBC to make this into a documentary series. It would also be a great basis for A-level physics teaching. There aren't many books which fit both roles so well.

A splendid gift for anyone you know who is interested in realistic, rather than emotional, ways to deal with today's energy challenges. Recommended.

Superb, 20 Dec 2008
This book is wonderful, by far the best thing I have ever read on the oft-confused subject of sustainable energy. All politicians should be forced to read it from cover to cover, multiple times.

The most understandable book on the scale of our problem, 09 Dec 2008
This has to be one of the most well written books I have read in ages. Professor MacKay brings all forms of energy down to the rule of thumb, making the scale of the problem understandable.
I plan on buying this for everyone I know. The key message that I got from this book is that "every little helps, a little", which is to say that doing things like turning off a mobile phone charger will not fix global warming, we have to make big changes.
He also provides clearly detailed solutions.

Not enough fault finding, 11 May 2008
A lot of the book is taken up with bog standard items like pipe sizing, flues, health and safety, pipe freezers and "What is a Combi boiler" If you are CORGI registered you will know all of this and have a certificate to prove it. On a positive note the section on Fault Finding & Repair is brilliant, this guy knows his subject, I am disapointed, I would have liked more of it (fault finding)and less padding.

A great primer for going 12 Volt - not just solar, 11 Feb 2008
This review is for the original German version (a well-thumbed copy on my reference shelf).
I have been living off-grid with a 12 Volt system since 1995 and can honestly say that this book has been indispensable. A lot of the information applies to electricity, electronics, renewables and 12 volt in general, and can be viewed as an easy to understand basic course in those topics. This book first appeared in the German booklet series "Einfaelle statt Abfaelle", which loosely translates to "Ideas, not waste" (without the pun). In common with other booklets from that brilliant series, Michel's book inspires to be more self-reliant and creative, and to re-use, always keeping our beautiful planet in mind. The series is a perfect foundation course for any tinkerer, whether he/she drinks beer or anything else.

Good general overview, well presented, 18 Dec 2008
This is one of the first books I read on this subject. It's very well presented and written (like most open university materials). It has chapters on most of the important renewable energy technologies. It explains the principles and most important topics in an understanable way. It introduces some of the most important equations, but it's not a long list of mathematical derivations.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

OK, but could go further., 23 Jul 2008
Easily readable book covering the problems of further oil exploration, discovery and extraction, and then talks briefly about the problems of global warming. He then goes on to talk about alternatives to oil. Here he gets a little confused between two separate things, one, the source of energy, and two, the delivery of that energy to where it's needed. Oil does both of these. Roberts talks about a possible future "hydrogen economy" as the most viable alternative, while dismissing nuclear and renewables and other sources of energy, but hydrogen is not an energy source: it is an energy delivery method. Some energy source has to make the hydrogen in the first place. Therefore his dismissal of solar and nuclear is not as easy as he makes out. Also, he dismisses geothermal energy in less than a sentence, which is far less than it deserves. In doing this, he confuses the physically possible with the economically viable. Solar, nuclear and geothermal are at least physically viable as alternatives, as they can probably produce the required energy: the only question is their economics. His discussion of their economics is perhaps valid, but economics is all relative. The question is at what point other energy sources become economic and what the consequences of using them are.

All that is less of a review, and more of a critique. While the book is highly topical, and very readable without dumbing down, it confuses a number of points that need to be distinguished.

Peak Oil - and what happens next, 24 Apr 2007
Paul Roberts' The End of Oil, is a thorough and comprehensive study of the petroleum economy, a book that examines the three-pronged threats to the existing energy order: oil depletion, environmental [...] and geopolitical instability.

Roberts' analysis on depletion asks the question, `what should we do before the oil runs dry?' For run dry it will. Peak Oil, as the subject has come to be known, is based on variables, some known and some unknown. Disregarding the most wildly optimistic forecasts proposed by mouthpieces within the Saudi Arabian and United States' oil businesses (as well as those with the current occupiers of the pro-oil Whitehouse), production of oil is reasonably estimated to peak around the year 2025. After that, oil reserves will be in terminal decline (some analysts say that production has already peaked). If the developed countries of this planet are to maintain their standards of life and if less developed countries want to give their citizens the same access to energy (and everything that goes with it: education, health care, material goods and so forth), how is this to be achieved? What is the solution to demand that is rapidly escalating and oil supplies that are dwindling?

After articulating in some depth the scale of the problem, without reverting to "the end is nigh" doom-mongering, Roberts examines potential solutions: from coal (massive reserves but an environmental catastrophe) and nuclear (`clean' if you don't mind burying the waste in your back garden), to so-called `alternatives' such as solar and wind, to liquefied natural gas and hydrogen fuel cell micro grids (but no mention, alas, of the ellusive zero-point technologies).

These solutions also bring in the second facet of the book, environmental [...]. Just what is the impact of oil on the environment? This is not simply analysing the automotive industry's reaction to miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency, which Roberts does but also looking at the construction of modern buildings - how construction firms win bids by offering the lowest up-front costs, which often means incredibly wasteful energy usage; more expensive construction techniques that actually reduce long-term running costs by fuel efficiencies are often seen as uncompetitive in the immediate short-term. Roberts also discusses alternative energy generating techniques and just how much of an impact this could have, given the proper government backing. The Kyoto Protocol and carbon emissions - why 550 parts per million is pretty much the threshold below which the planet can sustain life without the threat of severe and permanent damage? Discussed. Why, even if carbon emissions were cut to zero immediately, they would still keep on rising? Discussed. What we can do about this? Discussed.

As with the rest of this book, Roberts' examines so many other issues that here I can only hint at the amount of information that this book contains.

Paul Roberts also breaks down the geopolitical implications of the existing order: why the price of oil is so volatile, what the relationship betwixt the U.S. and Saudi Arabia is based around (read Craig Unger's superb book, House of Bush, House of Saud, for much more on this disturbing connection), why Big Oil has a vested interest in the status quo, in that to upgrade existing energy infrastructure would literally take trillions of dollars and oil companies are making money without spending this capital on unproven energy technologies. Again, these few sentences can only hint at the thorough research that Roberts has undertaken, in order to bring these complex and often subtle factors to light.

Roberts does also pose solutions, not simply articulate the problems. In short, there is no magic bullet but a combination of several programmes might go some way to ensuring that all citizens of this planet have a future - ultimately a combination of energy efficiency strategies (supply is running out, so make savings in the consumption side of the equation) and alternative fuel sources, coupled with governmental incentives to consumers and suppliers, alongside benefits to less developed countries, to help them to modernise their energy economies and leapfrog the worst aspects of the West's industrial revolution development.

For just one example: with the car industry, an idea might be to internalise externalities. With the tobacco industry, the cost of growing the leaf and bringing it to market is quite low. The price of cigarettes is relatively high because governments' recognise that there are costs associated with smoking that are borne by society (the externalities) - most notably, hospital care for patients suffering from self-inflicted-smoking-related cancers. Therefore, cigarettes are highly taxed in order to off-set the costs that the product causes, to place that cost back on the manufacturer. If this logical approach was applied to cars, the cost of an inefficient large car or so-called Sports Utility Vehicle would be much higher because the environmental cost of bringing that oil to the market would be placed back where it belongs; the costs of maintaining a large military presence in the Middle East, combined with the costs to the health care industry of car-related pollution and respiratory diseases, would not be paid for by society at large but by those who choose to buy those particular cars. This would encourage people to buy less of these wasteful and usually unnecessary vehicles until they became more energy efficient; it would also incentivise the auto industry to rekindle the spirit of fuel economies that was once so prevalent after the Arab oil embargo of the mid 1970s. Unfortunately, energy savings - energy capital - like this is often turned into an energy deficit, by having more people purchasing these aspirational vehicles. This leads to a paradox that the more energy we save, the more we end up consuming. This incredibly brief illustration, which probably does no justice to the original text, is but one of numerous examples that Roberts' provides.

Above all, Paul Roberts argues that a do nothing, business as usual approach to these problems is wilfully ignorant and that energy illiteracy will have severe and profound consequences for everybody. If you own a car, or consume anything made from oil - and that could be anything plastic, from a toothbrush to the mouse in your right hand - then The End of Oil should be read. The longer we as consumers and voters, the longer decision makers in the corporate and political structure wait, wait to see if climate change really is caused by human impact, to see if oil really is running out as rapidly as those wild people in the wings claim it is, the greater the problems will be when the shift from petroleum to a new energy order is forced upon us and the much more terrible that upheaval will be. Read this fascinating book, then watch the documentary, "The End of Suburbia."

if you wan to get a grip on peak oil read on, 18 Oct 2006
I have read many books on peakoil and found this one of the best. I agree it goes on a little at times but all in all a great read on the subject.

A little extensive, 11 Jun 2006
This book is a nice read about the subject.
The most relevant negative aspect is the fact that is too extensive. All that is said could have been said in far less pages.

About the content, it covers almost all the different aspects of the main problem. Doesn't provide a solution (if there is one), but it make a very good researchable analysis.

No worries! USA to the rescue!, 02 May 2006
Although the number of "alarmist" publications about energy and climate fill the shelves, this book doesn't fit that category. Roberts, although clearly concerned about energy consumption and the capacity to meet it, thinks demand can be met. That won't be achieved without some revision in outlook and actions. In this carefully structured and comprehensive study, readers will gain a firm grasp on the issues involved in making the transition from oil to alternative energy. It won't be cheap or painless, but it can be done, he proposes in this well-written account. You need only be prepared to take some first steps. The very first step is to read this book to overcome "energy illiteracy".

Changing the energy basis of a society isn't a novelty of the "modern" world, Roberts suggests. Humanity has shifted from wood fuel to coal, and from coal to petrochemicals. There was resistance in each case, because people cling to the known. Woodstoves might burn coal, but oil-fired systems are a major shift in technology. So, too, Roberts argues, will (be?) the replacements for oil furnaces or petrol burning autos, whether using natural gas, or hydrogen fuel cells. This approach enables the author to address both the existing patterns of energy extraction and use as well as the options facing us in making substitutions. He carefully examines the technology and economics of the various alternative energy supply methods. Hydrogen fuel cells are given a full hearing, with an account of Geoffrey Ballard's attempt to launch a successful production firm. Ballard didn't quite succeed, but the potential remains available. Roberts also examines solar panels and wind power for electricity generation. In Europe, of course, wind power is a major factor and growing rapidly. In Roberts' eyes, however, his own nation is less sympathetic over wind power. How much this is due to personal choice and how much to energy industry negative propaganda remains unclear. The energy lobbyists, as the author notes, have not been idle. Investment in coal and oil is too great to overturn readily.

Roberts squarely addresses the economic issues of new energy forms . If society is to endure a transition to wind, hydrogen or natural gas power, what will be the costs? "Consider the scale of the task", he says, noting that the conveyors and users of the primary fuels, coal and oil, have over ten trillion [US] dollars tied up in equipment. The transformation of such an immense investment, particularly in unproven technologies is a "colossal" enterprise, not entered lightly. He stresses, however, that such cost isn't sufficient excuse to delay or attempt to refute the need for it. The energy transformation must be made, partly because the world is running out of oil, and cannot afford to replace it with more severe polluters such as coal. The changeover must be undertaken, but it must be done with known technologies until the riskier ones are considered proven.

The cost of transition must also factor in the true cost of the fuels in use. The external costs of petroleum for example, are rarely calculated. Referring to a study by Joan Ogden, Roberts explains how real costs of using petrol actually make the hydrogen fuel cell a price competitive technology. Such calculations should lead to greater investment in alternative technologies. Roberts argues further that it will be the United States that will inevitably take the lead in the process, both in technology and investment. Citing changes in attitudes and policy resulting from the "Oil Embargo" of the 1970s, he suggests that these be reviewed and expanded to achieve the first steps in the transition to new energy forms. It is the US, as the greatest polluter and the greatest innovator, which must take the lead in the change. The energy purchasing power and world marketing skills of the US makes it the most likely promoter of the change. US-based technology is best suited to bringing higher energy levels to developing nations, while not condemning them to high pollution generation.

Roberts has challenged a large segment of his own population with this book. He notes that consumers are being confronted with need for change now, and they must ready themselves for it. A new age requires innovative thinking and changing some long-held views. The author wants that process to be as painless as possible.

Average. ok. mediocre. middling!, 22 Sep 2008
American publication and aimed at the American market. Wow, they use a lot of electricity so that puts some of the [rough] calculations in a different league to what I use at home and therefore much of it pretty irrelevant.

Ok as an introduction to the topic but nothing more. One or two good ideas and some things to get you thinking in "solar" terms.

Not very practical, 05 Sep 2008
This book was bought with the aim of using it as practical guide to purchase and installation of simple solar PV and water heating. Frankly the book is of little practical use, and for anyone with even basic knowledge, the level of information presented is very limited. There is not so much as a circuit diagram in anything but the most basic form.
Disappointing.

Sense, and sensibility, 08 Jan 2009
It's rare to find a book that is so full of good, scientific facts and well-researched figures, and yet is so enjoyable to read.

Well-worth reading from beginning to end, it's also fun to dip into. The prose is light-hearted and chatty - by far the best way to get across a serious message - and the book is beautifully produced, with interesting charts, page layouts and illustrations - even some of the captions make for amusing reading. You can feel the author's sense of humour leaking through all over the place.

I think we should be lobbying the BBC to make this into a documentary series. It would also be a great basis for A-level physics teaching. There aren't many books which fit both roles so well.

A splendid gift for anyone you know who is interested in realistic, rather than emotional, ways to deal with today's energy challenges. Recommended.

Superb, 20 Dec 2008
This book is wonderful, by far the best thing I have ever read on the oft-confused subject of sustainable energy. All politicians should be forced to read it from cover to cover, multiple times.

The most understandable book on the scale of our problem, 09 Dec 2008
This has to be one of the most well written books I have read in ages. Professor MacKay brings all forms of energy down to the rule of thumb, making the scale of the problem understandable.
I plan on buying this for everyone I know. The key message that I got from this book is that "every little helps, a little", which is to say that doing things like turning off a mobile phone charger will not fix global warming, we have to make big changes.
He also provides clearly detailed solutions.

Not enough fault finding, 11 May 2008
A lot of the book is taken up with bog standard items like pipe sizing, flues, health and safety, pipe freezers and "What is a Combi boiler" If you are CORGI registered you will know all of this and have a certificate to prove it. On a positive note the section on Fault Finding & Repair is brilliant, this guy knows his subject, I am disapointed, I would have liked more of it (fault finding)and less padding.

A great primer for going 12 Volt - not just solar, 11 Feb 2008
This review is for the original German version (a well-thumbed copy on my reference shelf).
I have been living off-grid with a 12 Volt system since 1995 and can honestly say that this book has been indispensable. A lot of the information applies to electricity, electronics, renewables and 12 volt in general, and can be viewed as an easy to understand basic course in those topics. This book first appeared in the German booklet series "Einfaelle statt Abfaelle", which loosely translates to "Ideas, not waste" (without the pun). In common with other booklets from that brilliant series, Michel's book inspires to be more self-reliant and creative, and to re-use, always keeping our beautiful planet in mind. The series is a perfect foundation course for any tinkerer, whether he/she drinks beer or anything else.

Good general overview, well presented, 18 Dec 2008
This is one of the first books I read on this subject. It's very well presented and written (like most open university materials). It has chapters on most of the important renewable energy technologies. It explains the principles and most important topics in an understanable way. It introduces some of the most important equations, but it's not a long list of mathematical derivations.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

OK, but could go further., 23 Jul 2008
Easily readable book covering the problems of further oil exploration, discovery and extraction, and then talks briefly about the problems of global warming. He then goes on to talk about alternatives to oil. Here he gets a little confused between two separate things, one, the source of energy, and two, the delivery of that energy to where it's needed. Oil does both of these. Roberts talks about a possible future "hydrogen economy" as the most viable alternative, while dismissing nuclear and renewables and other sources of energy, but hydrogen is not an energy source: it is an energy delivery method. Some energy source has to make the hydrogen in the first place. Therefore his dismissal of solar and nuclear is not as easy as he makes out. Also, he dismisses geothermal energy in less than a sentence, which is far less than it deserves. In doing this, he confuses the physically possible with the economically viable. Solar, nuclear and geothermal are at least physically viable as alternatives, as they can probably produce the required energy: the only question is their economics. His discussion of their economics is perhaps valid, but economics is all relative. The question is at what point other energy sources become economic and what the consequences of using them are.

All that is less of a review, and more of a critique. While the book is highly topical, and very readable without dumbing down, it confuses a number of points that need to be distinguished.

Peak Oil - and what happens next, 24 Apr 2007
Paul Roberts' The End of Oil, is a thorough and comprehensive study of the petroleum economy, a book that examines the three-pronged threats to the existing energy order: oil depletion, environmental [...] and geopolitical instability.

Roberts' analysis on depletion asks the question, `what should we do before the oil runs dry?' For run dry it will. Peak Oil, as the subject has come to be known, is based on variables, some known and some unknown. Disregarding the most wildly optimistic forecasts proposed by mouthpieces within the Saudi Arabian and United States' oil businesses (as well as those with the current occupiers of the pro-oil Whitehouse), production of oil is reasonably estimated to peak around the year 2025. After that, oil reserves will be in terminal decline (some analysts say that production has already peaked). If the developed countries of this planet are to maintain their standards of life and if less developed countries want to give their citizens the same access to energy (and everything that goes with it: education, health care, material goods and so forth), how is this to be achieved? What is the solution to demand that is rapidly escalating and oil supplies that are dwindling?

After articulating in some depth the scale of the problem, without reverting to "the end is nigh" doom-mongering, Roberts examines potential solutions: from coal (massive reserves but an environmental catastrophe) and nuclear (`clean' if you don't mind burying the waste in your back garden), to so-called `alternatives' such as solar and wind, to liquefied natural gas and hydrogen fuel cell micro grids (but no mention, alas, of the ellusive zero-point technologies).

These solutions also bring in the second facet of the book, environmental [...]. Just what is the impact of oil on the environment? This is not simply analysing the automotive industry's reaction to miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency, which Roberts does but also looking at the construction of modern buildings - how construction firms win bids by offering the lowest up-front costs, which often means incredibly wasteful energy usage; more expensive construction techniques that actually reduce long-term running costs by fuel efficiencies are often seen as uncompetitive in the immediate short-term. Roberts also discusses alternative energy generating techniques and just how much of an impact this could have, given the proper government backing. The Kyoto Protocol and carbon emissions - why 550 parts per million is pretty much the threshold below which the planet can sustain life without the threat of severe and permanent damage? Discussed. Why, even if carbon emissions were cut to zero immediately, they would still keep on rising? Discussed. What we can do about this? Discussed.

As with the rest of this book, Roberts' examines so many other issues that here I can only hint at the amount of information that this book contains.

Paul Roberts also breaks down the geopolitical implications of the existing order: why the price of oil is so volatile, what the relationship betwixt the U.S. and Saudi Arabia is based around (read Craig Unger's superb book, House of Bush, House of Saud, for much more on this disturbing connection), why Big Oil has a vested interest in the status quo, in that to upgrade existing energy infrastructure would literally take trillions of dollars and oil companies are making money without spending this capital on unproven energy technologies. Again, these few sentences can only hint at the thorough research that Roberts has undertaken, in order to bring these complex and often subtle factors to light.

Roberts does also pose solutions, not simply articulate the problems. In short, there is no magic bullet but a combination of several programmes might go some way to ensuring that all citizens of this planet have a future - ultimately a combination of energy efficiency strategies (supply is running out, so make savings in the consumption side of the equation) and alternative fuel sources, coupled with governmental incentives to consumers and suppliers, alongside benefits to less developed countries, to help them to modernise their energy economies and leapfrog the worst aspects of the West's industrial revolution development.

For just one example: with the car industry, an idea might be to internalise externalities. With the tobacco industry, the cost of growing the leaf and bringing it to market is quite low. The price of cigarettes is relatively high because governments' recognise that there are costs associated with smoking that are borne by society (the externalities) - most notably, hospital care for patients suffering from self-inflicted-smoking-related cancers. Therefore, cigarettes are highly taxed in order to off-set the costs that the product causes, to place that cost back on the manufacturer. If this logical approach was applied to cars, the cost of an inefficient large car or so-called Sports Utility Vehicle would be much higher because the environmental cost of bringing that oil to the market would be placed back where it belongs; the costs of maintaining a large military presence in the Middle East, combined with the costs to the health care industry of car-related pollution and respiratory diseases, would not be paid for by society at large but by those who choose to buy those particular cars. This would encourage people to buy less of these wasteful and usually unnecessary vehicles until they became more energy efficient; it would also incentivise the auto industry to rekindle the spirit of fuel economies that was once so prevalent after the Arab oil embargo of the mid 1970s. Unfortunately, energy savings - energy capital - like this is often turned into an energy deficit, by having more people purchasing these aspirational vehicles. This leads to a paradox that the more energy we save, the more we end up consuming. This incredibly brief illustration, which probably does no justice to the original text, is but one of numerous examples that Roberts' provides.

Above all, Paul Roberts argues that a do nothing, business as usual approach to these problems is wilfully ignorant and that energy illiteracy will have severe and profound consequences for everybody. If you own a car, or consume anything made from oil - and that could be anything plastic, from a toothbrush to the mouse in your right hand - then The End of Oil should be read. The longer we as consumers and voters, the longer decision makers in the corporate and political structure wait, wait to see if climate change really is caused by human impact, to see if oil really is running out as rapidly as those wild people in the wings claim it is, the greater the problems will be when the shift from petroleum to a new energy order is forced upon us and the much more terrible that upheaval will be. Read this fascinating book, then watch the documentary, "The End of Suburbia."

if you wan to get a grip on peak oil read on, 18 Oct 2006
I have read many books on peakoil and found this one of the best. I agree it goes on a little at times but all in all a great read on the subject.

A little extensive, 11 Jun 2006
This book is a nice read about the subject.
The most relevant negative aspect is the fact that is too extensive. All that is said could have been said in far less pages.

About the content, it covers almost all the different aspects of the main problem. Doesn't provide a solution (if there is one), but it make a very good researchable analysis.

No worries! USA to the rescue!, 02 May 2006
Although the number of "alarmist" publications about energy and climate fill the shelves, this book doesn't fit that category. Roberts, although clearly concerned about energy consumption and the capacity to meet it, thinks demand can be met. That won't be achieved without some revision in outlook and actions. In this carefully structured and comprehensive study, readers will gain a firm grasp on the issues involved in making the transition from oil to alternative energy. It won't be cheap or painless, but it can be done, he proposes in this well-written account. You need only be prepared to take some first steps. The very first step is to read this book to overcome "energy illiteracy".

Changing the energy basis of a society isn't a novelty of the "modern" world, Roberts suggests. Humanity has shifted from wood fuel to coal, and from coal to petrochemicals. There was resistance in each case, because people cling to the known. Woodstoves might burn coal, but oil-fired systems are a major shift in technology. So, too, Roberts argues, will (be?) the replacements for oil furnaces or petrol burning autos, whether using natural gas, or hydrogen fuel cells. This approach enables the author to address both the existing patterns of energy extraction and use as well as the options facing us in making substitutions. He carefully examines the technology and economics of the various alternative energy supply methods. Hydrogen fuel cells are given a full hearing, with an account of Geoffrey Ballard's attempt to launch a successful production firm. Ballard didn't quite succeed, but the potential remains available. Roberts also examines solar panels and wind power for electricity generation. In Europe, of course, wind power is a major factor and growing rapidly. In Roberts' eyes, however, his own nation is less sympathetic over wind power. How much this is due to personal choice and how much to energy industry negative propaganda remains unclear. The energy lobbyists, as the author notes, have not been idle. Investment in coal and oil is too great to overturn readily.

Roberts squarely addresses the economic issues of new energy forms . If society is to endure a transition to wind, hydrogen or natural gas power, what will be the costs? "Consider the scale of the task", he says, noting that the conveyors and users of the primary fuels, coal and oil, have over ten trillion [US] dollars tied up in equipment. The transformation of such an immense investment, particularly in unproven technologies is a "colossal" enterprise, not entered lightly. He stresses, however, that such cost isn't sufficient excuse to delay or attempt to refute the need for it. The energy transformation must be made, partly because the world is running out of oil, and cannot afford to replace it with more severe polluters such as coal. The changeover must be undertaken, but it must be done with known technologies until the riskier ones are considered proven.

The cost of transition must also factor in the true cost of the fuels in use. The external costs of petroleum for example, are rarely calculated. Referring to a study by Joan Ogden, Roberts explains how real costs of using petrol actually make the hydrogen fuel cell a price competitive technology. Such calculations should lead to greater investment in alternative technologies. Roberts argues further that it will be the United States that will inevitably take the lead in the process, both in technology and investment. Citing changes in attitudes and policy resulting from the "Oil Embargo" of the 1970s, he suggests that these be reviewed and expanded to achieve the first steps in the transition to new energy forms. It is the US, as the greatest polluter and the greatest innovator, which must take the lead in the change. The energy purchasing power and world marketing skills of the US makes it the most likely promoter of the change. US-based technology is best suited to bringing higher energy levels to developing nations, while not condemning them to high pollution generation.

Roberts has challenged a large segment of his own population with this book. He notes that consumers are being confronted with need for change now, and they must ready themselves for it. A new age requires innovative thinking and changing some long-held views. The author wants that process to be as painless as possible.

Average. ok. mediocre. middling!, 22 Sep 2008
American publication and aimed at the American market. Wow, they use a lot of electricity so that puts some of the [rough] calculations in a different league to what I use at home and therefore much of it pretty irrelevant.

Ok as an introduction to the topic but nothing more. One or two good ideas and some things to get you thinking in "solar" terms.

Not very practical, 05 Sep 2008
This book was bought with the aim of using it as practical guide to purchase and installation of simple solar PV and water heating. Frankly the book is of little practical use, and for anyone with even basic knowledge, the level of information presented is very limited. There is not so much as a circuit diagram in anything but the most basic form.
Disappointing.

Not exactly a fun read, but....., 25 Sep 2007
Good, thorough accessible reference of energy systems, power systems etc - princples easy and cover generation technologies, energy systems, networks etc - good for (a) those entering the field, (b) BSc/MSc students (c) those working on the edges of the field or in related commercial areas, who want a reference to look things up or learn a little more. Little maths, well written, not for experts, nor for those seeking a totally fluffy read.

Sense, and sensibility, 08 Jan 2009
It's rare to find a book that is so full of good, scientific facts and well-researched figures, and yet is so enjoyable to read.

Well-worth reading from beginning to end, it's also fun to dip into. The prose is light-hearted and chatty - by far the best way to get across a serious message - and the book is beautifully produced, with interesting charts, page layouts and illustrations - even some of the captions make for amusing reading. You can feel the author's sense of humour leaking through all over the place.

I think we should be lobbying the BBC to make this into a documentary series. It would also be a great basis for A-level physics teaching. There aren't many books which fit both roles so well.

A splendid gift for anyone you know who is interested in realistic, rather than emotional, ways to deal with today's energy challenges. Recommended.

Superb, 20 Dec 2008
This book is wonderful, by far the best thing I have ever read on the oft-confused subject of sustainable energy. All politicians should be forced to read it from cover to cover, multiple times.

The most understandable book on the scale of our problem, 09 Dec 2008
This has to be one of the most well written books I have read in ages. Professor MacKay brings all forms of energy down to the rule of thumb, making the scale of the problem understandable.
I plan on buying this for everyone I know. The key message that I got from this book is that "every little helps, a little", which is to say that doing things like turning off a mobile phone charger will not fix global warming, we have to make big changes.
He also provides clearly detailed solutions.

Not enough fault finding, 11 May 2008
A lot of the book is taken up with bog standard items like pipe sizing, flues, health and safety, pipe freezers and "What is a Combi boiler" If you are CORGI registered you will know all of this and have a certificate to prove it. On a positive note the section on Fault Finding & Repair is brilliant, this guy knows his subject, I am disapointed, I would have liked more of it (fault finding)and less padding.

A great primer for going 12 Volt - not just solar, 11 Feb 2008
This review is for the original German version (a well-thumbed copy on my reference shelf).
I have been living off-grid with a 12 Volt system since 1995 and can honestly say that this book has been indispensable. A lot of the information applies to electricity, electronics, renewables and 12 volt in general, and can be viewed as an easy to understand basic course in those topics. This book first appeared in the German booklet series "Einfaelle statt Abfaelle", which loosely translates to "Ideas, not waste" (without the pun). In common with other booklets from that brilliant series, Michel's book inspires to be more self-reliant and creative, and to re-use, always keeping our beautiful planet in mind. The series is a perfect foundation course for any tinkerer, whether he/she drinks beer or anything else.

Good general overview, well presented, 18 Dec 2008
This is one of the first books I read on this subject. It's very well presented and written (like most open university materials). It has chapters on most of the important renewable energy technologies. It explains the principles and most important topics in an understanable way. It introduces some of the most important equations, but it's not a long list of mathematical derivations.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

OK, but could go further., 23 Jul 2008
Easily readable book covering the problems of further oil exploration, discovery and extraction, and then talks briefly about the problems of global warming. He then goes on to talk about alternatives to oil. Here he gets a little confused between two separate things, one, the source of energy, and two, the delivery of that energy to where it's needed. Oil does both of these. Roberts talks about a possible future "hydrogen economy" as the most viable alternative, while dismissing nuclear and renewables and other sources of energy, but hydrogen is not an energy source: it is an energy delivery method. Some energy source has to make the hydrogen in the first place. Therefore his dismissal of solar and nuclear is not as easy as he makes out. Also, he dismisses geothermal energy in less than a sentence, which is far less than it deserves. In doing this, he confuses the physically possible with the economically viable. Solar, nuclear and geothermal are at least physically viable as alternatives, as they can probably produce the required energy: the only question is their economics. His discussion of their economics is perhaps valid, but economics is all relative. The question is at what point other energy sources become economic and what the consequences of using them are.

All that is less of a review, and more of a critique. While the book is highly topical, and very readable without dumbing down, it confuses a number of points that need to be distinguished.

Peak Oil - and what happens next, 24 Apr 2007
Paul Roberts' The End of Oil, is a thorough and comprehensive study of the petroleum economy, a book that examines the three-pronged threats to the existing energy order: oil depletion, environmental [...] and geopolitical instability.

Roberts' analysis on depletion asks the question, `what should we do before the oil runs dry?' For run dry it will. Peak Oil, as the subject has come to be known, is based on variables, some known and some unknown. Disregarding the most wildly optimistic forecasts proposed by mouthpieces within the Saudi Arabian and United States' oil businesses (as well as those with the current occupiers of the pro-oil Whitehouse), production of oil is reasonably estimated to peak around the year 2025. After that, oil reserves will be in terminal decline (some analysts say that production has already peaked). If the developed countries of this planet are to maintain their standards of life and if less developed countries want to give their citizens the same access to energy (and everything that goes with it: education, health care, material goods and so forth), how is this to be achieved? What is the solution to demand that is rapidly escalating and oil supplies that are dwindling?

After articulating in some depth the scale of the problem, without reverting to "the end is nigh" doom-mongering, Roberts examines potential solutions: from coal (massive reserves but an environmental catastrophe) and nuclear (`clean' if you don't mind burying the waste in your back garden), to so-called `alternatives' such as solar and wind, to liquefied natural gas and hydrogen fuel cell micro grids (but no mention, alas, of the ellusive zero-point technologies).

These solutions also bring in the second facet of the book, environmental [...]. Just what is the impact of oil on the environment? This is not simply analysing the automotive industry's reaction to miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency, which Roberts does but also looking at the construction of modern buildings - how construction firms win bids by offering the lowest up-front costs, which often means incredibly wasteful energy usage; more expensive construction techniques that actually reduce long-term running costs by fuel efficiencies are often seen as uncompetitive in the immediate short-term. Roberts also discusses alternative energy generating techniques and just how much of an impact this could have, given the proper government backing. The Kyoto Protocol and carbon emissions - why 550 parts per million is pretty much the threshold below which the planet can sustain life without the threat of severe and permanent damage? Discussed. Why, even if carbon emissions were cut to zero immediately, they would still keep on rising? Discussed. What we can do about this? Discussed.

As with the rest of this book, Roberts' examines so many other issues that here I can only hint at the amount of information that this book contains.

Paul Roberts also breaks down the geopolitical implications of the existing order: why the price of oil is so volatile, what the relationship betwixt the U.S. and Saudi Arabia is based around (read Craig Unger's superb book, House of Bush, House of Saud, for much more on this disturbing connection), why Big Oil has a vested interest in the status quo, in that to upgrade existing energy infrastructure would literally take trillions of dollars and oil companies are making money without spending this capital on unproven energy technologies. Again, these few sentences can only hint at the thorough research that Roberts has undertaken, in order to bring these complex and often subtle factors to light.

Roberts does also pose solutions, not simply articulate the problems. In short, there is no magic bullet but a combination of several programmes might go some way to ensuring that all citizens of this planet have a future - ultimately a combination of energy efficiency strategies (supply is running out, so make savings in the consumption side of the equation) and alternative fuel sources, coupled with governmental incentives to consumers and suppliers, alongside benefits to less developed countries, to help them to modernise their energy economies and leapfrog the worst aspects of the West's industrial revolution development.

For just one example: with the car industry, an idea might be to internalise externalities. With the tobacco industry, the cost of growing the leaf and bringing it to market is quite low. The price of cigarettes is relatively high because governments' recognise that there are costs associated with smoking that are borne by society (the externalities) - most notably, hospital care for patients suffering from self-inflicted-smoking-related cancers. Therefore, cigarettes are highly taxed in order to off-set the costs that the product causes, to place that cost back on the manufacturer. If this logical approach was applied to cars, the cost of an inefficient large car or so-called Sports Utility Vehicle would be much higher because the environmental cost of bringing that oil to the market would be placed back where it belongs; the costs of maintaining a large military presence in the Middle East, combined with the costs to the health care industry of car-related pollution and respiratory diseases, would not be paid for by society at large but by those who choose to buy those particular cars. This would encourage people to buy less of these wasteful and usually unnecessary vehicles until they became more energy efficient; it would also incentivise the auto industry to rekindle the spirit of fuel economies that was once so prevalent after the Arab oil embargo of the mid 1970s. Unfortunately, energy savings - energy capital - like this is often turned into an energy deficit, by having more people purchasing these aspirational vehicles. This leads to a paradox that the more energy we save, the more we end up consuming. This incredibly brief illustration, which probably does no justice to the original text, is but one of numerous examples that Roberts' provides.

Above all, Paul Roberts argues that a do nothing, business as usual approach to these problems is wilfully ignorant and that energy illiteracy will have severe and profound consequences for everybody. If you own a car, or consume anything made from oil - and that could be anything plastic, from a toothbrush to the mouse in your right hand - then The End of Oil should be read. The longer we as consumers and voters, the longer decision makers in the corporate and political structure wait, wait to see if climate change really is caused by human impact, to see if oil really is running out as rapidly as those wild people in the wings claim it is, the greater the problems will be when the shift from petroleum to a new energy order is forced upon us and the much more terrible that upheaval will be. Read this fascinating book, then watch the documentary, "The End of Suburbia."

if you wan to get a grip on peak oil read on, 18 Oct 2006
I have read many books on peakoil and found this one of the best. I agree it goes on a little at times but all in all a great read on the subject.

A little extensive, 11 Jun 2006
This book is a nice read about the subject.
The most relevant negative aspect is the fact that is too extensive. All that is said could have been said in far less pages.

About the content, it covers almost all the different aspects of the main problem. Doesn't provide a solution (if there is one), but it make a very good researchable analysis.

No worries! USA to the rescue!, 02 May 2006
Although the number of "alarmist" publications about energy and climate fill the shelves, this book doesn't fit that category. Roberts, although clearly concerned about energy consumption and the capacity to meet it, thinks demand can be met. That won't be achieved without some revision in outlook and actions. In this carefully structured and comprehensive study, readers will gain a firm grasp on the issues involved in making the transition from oil to alternative energy. It won't be cheap or painless, but it can be done, he proposes in this well-written account. You need only be prepared to take some first steps. The very first step is to read this book to overcome "energy illiteracy".

Changing the energy basis of a society isn't a novelty of the "modern" world, Roberts suggests. Humanity has shifted from wood fuel to coal, and from coal to petrochemicals. There was resistance in each case, because people cling to the known. Woodstoves might burn coal, but oil-fired systems are a major shift in technology. So, too, Roberts argues, will (be?) the replacements for oil furnaces or petrol burning autos, whether using natural gas, or hydrogen fuel cells. This approach enables the author to address both the existing patterns of energy extraction and use as well as the options facing us in making substitutions. He carefully examines the technology and economics of the various alternative energy supply methods. Hydrogen fuel cells are given a full hearing, with an account of Geoffrey Ballard's attempt to launch a successful production firm. Ballard didn't quite succeed, but the potential remains available. Roberts also examines solar panels and wind power for electricity generation. In Europe, of course, wind power is a major factor and growing rapidly. In Roberts' eyes, however, his own nation is less sympathetic over wind power. How much this is due to personal choice and how much to energy industry negative propaganda remains unclear. The energy lobbyists, as the author notes, have not been idle. Investment in coal and oil is too great to overturn readily.

Roberts squarely addresses the economic issues of new energy forms . If society is to endure a transition to wind, hydrogen or natural gas power, what will be the costs? "Consider the scale of the task", he says, noting that the conveyors and users of the primary fuels, coal and oil, have over ten trillion [US] dollars tied up in equipment. The transformation of such an immense investment, particularly in unproven technologies is a "colossal" enterprise, not entered lightly. He stresses, however, that such cost isn't sufficient excuse to delay or attempt to refute the need for it. The energy transformation must be made, partly because the world is running out of oil, and cannot afford to replace it with more severe polluters such as coal. The changeover must be undertaken, but it must be done with known technologies until the riskier ones are considered proven.

The cost of transition must also factor in the true cost of the fuels in use. The external costs of petroleum for example, are rarely calculated. Referring to a study by Joan Ogden, Roberts explains how real costs of using petrol actually make the hydrogen fuel cell a price competitive technology. Such calculations should lead to greater investment in alternative technologies. Roberts argues further that it will be the United States that will inevitably take the lead in the process, both in technology and investment. Citing changes in attitudes and policy resulting from the "Oil Embargo" of the 1970s, he suggests that these be reviewed and expanded to achieve the first steps in the transition to new energy forms. It is the US, as the greatest polluter and the greatest innovator, which must take the lead in the change. The energy purchasing power and world marketing skills of the US makes it the most likely promoter of the change. US-based technology is best suited to bringing higher energy levels to developing nations, while not condemning them to high pollution generation.

Roberts has challenged a large segment of his own population with this book. He notes that consumers are being confronted with need for change now, and they must ready themselves for it. A new age requires innovative thinking and changing some long-held views. The author wants that process to be as painless as possible.

Average. ok. mediocre. middling!, 22 Sep 2008
American publication and aimed at the American market. Wow, they use a lot of electricity so that puts some of the [rough] calculations in a different league to what I use at home and therefore much of it pretty irrelevant.

Ok as an introduction to the topic but nothing more. One or two good ideas and some things to get you thinking in "solar" terms.

Not very practical, 05 Sep 2008
This book was bought with the aim of using it as practical guide to purchase and installation of simple solar PV and water heating. Frankly the book is of little practical use, and for anyone with even basic knowledge, the level of information presented is very limited. There is not so much as a circuit diagram in anything but the most basic form.
Disappointing.

Not exactly a fun read, but....., 25 Sep 2007
Good, thorough accessible reference of energy systems, power systems etc - princples easy and cover generation technologies, energy systems, networks etc - good for (a) those entering the field, (b) BSc/MSc students (c) those working on the edges of the field or in related commercial areas, who want a reference to look things up or learn a little more. Little maths, well written, not for experts, nor for those seeking a totally fluffy read.

Excellent, concise, practical, 11 Aug 2006
This 24 page booklet provides all the information needed to build and install a DIY solar heating system. The author is knowledgable and his text is pleasingly free from from padding and dogma - e.g. he suggests the ideal location and orientation for a solar collector then continues to specify a range of measurements within which the collector's performance won't be adversely affected.

The time I saved in not having to plough through pages of irrelevant Google results (as one other reviewer suggested) is worth far more to me than the modest cover price of this book. Probably the best "how to" book I've read.

Not worth £5.99, 22 May 2006
This book / phamplet is ok IF it was £1.99. With a bit of effort you can find all the information in this book via google. The design of the solar collector could be better and i'm not convinced that this book concentrates on a great design. Overall at £5.99 it is overpriced and the same information is probably available in an ebook for 99p on eBay. Informative for the complete novice.

Pamplet for 'Greenies', 11 May 2005
All the information is concise and valid - but this is not a book, it's a 'pamplet', and ought to be given away free with plumbers solder.

Don't devalue it's data, it's just that a good deal of the £5.99 charged SHOULD have gone to a good cause - say £5.98 of it.

An excellent guide for DIY solar panels., 15 Feb 2000
Although this publication is more a pamphlet then a book, it's contents had exactly everything I wanted - 1) How to make the panels, the recommended size and position on the roof, the plumbing layout 2) How to make the electronic pump controller, all the bits needed to do it yourself. and a simple circuit diagram (Well, not that simple, but just about within a DIY-ers capability) 3) Names and addresses of organisations that supply parts and advice