 Well-written and extremely interesting, 2010-02-13
I have only scanned the book for several hours, since it was a gift, but it was a very good experience. The book is about UK's energy balance, and how to make it more dependent on renewables than on coal and oil.
Although the subject of energy is inherently technical, the author managed to give an overview which does not bore. I recommend the book to everyone interested in what is really important if we want renewable energy to become our main source, nationwide or Europe-wide, not only on a 1-5% scale. And this is given without political or business lobbying.
An amazing book on sustainable energy, 2010-02-03
I spend my days swinging from one extreme to the other: worrying that we're going to run out of oil within mere decades and then marvelling at the technological improvements and scientific developments that may help us to live a carbon-free society within our lifetimes.
There is a lot of guff out there on sustainable energy. If you read only ONE book on the topic, it has to be this one. The book is cleverly structured so there is all of the content that a student or academic wanting lots of technical information could need. However, each chapter is also well-written and interesting and informative for the non-technical layperson such as myself.
If you enjoyed Freakonomics or any of Malcolm Gladwell's books, you will enjoy the facts and implications that are put together in MacKay's book. Highly recommended.
Excellent in every department., 2010-02-16
Much was made in the lead up to, during and after Copenhagen. Add to this, the hysteria over UEA 'emailgate' and recent admissions from IPCC regarding "errors" in their recent climate-change reports and you have quite a mix. There have been dozens of claims, counter-claims, allegations, death threats, mud-slinging contests over the last few months and it is getting harder and harder to differentiate between genuine climate change believers, genuine sceptics and many of the ill-informed imbeciles in-between.
I happen to believe in man made Climate Change or AGW or whatever way you like to term it - i have done for some time. I never, however, had a solid grasp of WHY i believed it or the actual science behind it. I just believed it. This book, i found, gave a balanced, well-reasoned, thorough account of what climate is, how it has been created and what our options in confronting it. It avoids all the hyperbole been thrown around by the media and campaigners from various sides. If you want to get informed, away from much of the media sensationalism etc that is out there then take some time out and read this book.
Sensible, rational, balanced. Thoroughly recommended.
 Please Seriously Query this Book before Walking away from it, 2010-02-07
There are important issues with Prof. David JC Mackay's book. It is certainly written pleasantly, and quantified information is provided clearly. HOWEVER, in practice it is likely that most readers will go away from the book insufficiently questioning the data provided therein, and start to base decisions, procurements, even policies upon it's data and/or conclusions, and not least this may in part be due to people falling for pleasant presentation, and/or work where it appears that someone else has done all the work and so one can then in-effect close one's mind and go to sleep. This may be a serious error. The presentation is most akin to that of the prevailing supermarket-esque economic system, whereby 'energy' values are evaluated in a manner that is akin to, "Is is cheap and easy at the point of sale/use, at the point of the consumer, at the point of flicking on the switch? Can I power what I want this way?" What the presentation barely does at all is consider the entirety of the Energy expenditures and costs of the ENTIRE supply and production lines and complete lifecycles and maintenance and repairs and decommissioning of the equipments and homes and offices and vehicles and ships and satellites and gadgets etc.. concerned and that are actually utilised and manufactured and powered in or for people's places of work and home and elsewhere - i.e. humanity's entire materialistic lifestyle energy equations. Additionally, the book does not consider the very real energy cost and expenditure of powering yet more future creations using such techniques, and so supporting the same, because providing x number of Wind Turbines now might meet energy desires now, but it is opening Pandora's box, it is widening a motorway so that even more cars and vehicles will be fit through in the future to lay swathes over yet more land and ecosystems. Most important, data is specific and unique to a certain SET. If one changed the length of a game of soccer to 30 minutes, instead of 90 mins, then who would be the champions, the result, the score, the data, might be different. If, as this book does, one forgets the entirety but provides consumer-focussed data, and then if a reader unquestioningly runs away with that data as if it were valid, and uses it to procure, to produce policy, etc... then the equation, and its data, as far as Nature is concerned, will be 'incorrect' and not balanced... Please read the book, but I personally would strongly urge not trusting the numbers beyond the book's chosen SET remit, which is not remotely the ENTIRE reality. So very much depends upon this! Best Wishes and Good Luck!
Good book, be careful before buying!!, 2010-03-10
It is a good book, clear and easy to read.
The content has a lot of discussion information, nothing particular.
But after purchasing it, you will learn that you can download the book for free.
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