Crossing the Energy Divide: Moving from Fossil Fuel Dependence to a Clean-Energy Future [Hardcover]

Robert U. Ayres (Author), Edward H. Ayres (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0137015445 | ISBN-13: 978-0137015443 | Publication Date: December 30, 2009 | Edition: 1st

If we continue our highly inefficient, dangerous energy usage, we’re headed for both economic and environmental catastrophe. However, the hard truth is that alternative fuels can’t fully replace fossil fuels for decades. What’s more, new research indicates that energy inefficiencies are retarding economic growth even more than most experts ever realized.

 

Crossing the Energy Divide is about solving all these problems at once. The authors, two leading experts in energy and environmental economics, show how massive improvements in energy efficiency can bridge the global economy until clean renewables can fully replace fossil fuels.

 

Robert and Edward Ayres demonstrate how we can radically reform the way we manage our existing energy systems to double the amount of “energy service” we get from every drop of fossil fuel we use.

 

These techniques require no scientific breakthroughs: Many companies and institutions are applying them right now, but tens of thousands more could. This book offers a strategic guide for using them to solve the energy crisis once and for all—reducing carbon emissions, achieving true energy security, and reigniting economic growth for decades to come.

 

More energy, without more emissions

Recapturing lost energy from today’s fossil fuels

 

There is such a thing as a free lunch

Mitigating climate disaster and improving prosperity at the same time

 

The future of electricity

Reforming tomorrow’s electrical system: smarter, more productive, and more reliable

 

The implications for cities, transportation, business, and government

Making the decisions that prepare you for a high-cost energy future

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert U. Ayres is a physicist and economist noted for his work on the role of thermodynamics in the economic process, and more recently for his investigation of the role of energy in economic growth. He is Emeritus Professor of Economics and Technology at the international business school INSEAD, in France, where he has continued his lifelong, pioneering studies of materials/energy flows in the global economy. He originated the concept of industrial metabolism, which has since become a field of study explored by the Journal of Industrial Ecology.

 

Ayres was trained as a physicist at the University of Chicago, University of Maryland, and Kings College London (Ph.D. in Mathematical Physics). He was Professor of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh from 1979 until 1992, when he was appointed Professor of Environment and Management at INSEAD. He is also an Institute Scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria.

 

Ayres is author or coauthor of 18 books and more than 200 journal articles and book chapters. His books range from Alternatives to the Internal Combustion Engine, with Richard A. McKenna (Johns Hopkins Press, 1972), to Turning Point: The End of the Growth Paradigm (Earthscan, 1998) to The Economic Growth Engine: How Energy and Work Drive Material Prosperity, with Benjamin Warr (Edward Elgar, 2009). He and his wife reside in Paris.

 

Edward (Ed) H. Ayres was Editorial Director at the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, D.C. (publisher of the annual State of the World and bi-annual Vital Signs) from 1994 through 2005. He also served as editor of the bimonthly World Watch magazine during this period. World Watch articles and essays by Ayres were distributed to the global media by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. His writing has also appeared in Time magazine in its series “Beyond 2000: Your Health, Our Planet”; Utne Reader; The Ecologist; and other publications.

 

Ayres has pursued a lifelong interest in the relationships between individual human health and endurance and the sustainability of human societies. He was the third-place finisher in the first New York Marathon in 1970, and today continues to write and run long distances in the mountains of California, where he and his wife have built an eco-friendly house.

 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wharton School Publishing; 1st edition (December 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0137015445
• ISBN-13: 978-0137015443
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #760,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Crossing the Energy Divide, to a Better Tomorrow, February 23, 2010

By 

Bryan Carey "Bryan Carey" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crossing the Energy Divide: Moving from Fossil Fuel Dependence to a Clean-Energy Future (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Energy is critical to the functioning of any economy, but it is particularly important to an economy as large as that of the United States. For decades, Americans have relied on imported energy to satisfy our needs and many leaders have come forward, advocating a move toward cleaner energy and greater self- sufficiency. Crossing the Energy Divide is here to help make this transition as smooth as possible, covering topics such as renewable power, energy recycling, alternative modes of transportation, and more.

Crossing the Energy Divide takes a decidedly pro- efficiency, pro- change stand that encourages businesses and governments to work together, embrace technology, make sacrifices where necessary, and solve the energy crisis. The book places blame on both sides: Businesses are criticized for not recognizing the importance of energy in the formation of official policy and government is criticized for not eliminating some of the mindless regulations that stifle energy competition and prop up prices. Regulation of utilities is well known, but few people are aware of the extent of these regulations and how they are often detrimental in the long run- both to businesses and to individuals. This book talks at length about these needless regulations and how they hinder the move toward energy independence. The authors do not recommend eliminating all regulation of utilities. Rather, they recommend a reexamination of the regulations, the phasing out of those that are harmful to business and households, and the establishment of new regulations if they have efficiency and independence as their bottom- line goal.

One fact about this book that may surprise some readers is that it doesn't devote time or space to individual energy conservation. Instead, it spends its time talking about energy issues from a macroeconomic and government perspective because it is here where the greatest changes need to take place. Like the authors point out, individual energy conservation is already well- publicized and the green movement has a large following. To make a real dent in the problem for the nation as a whole will require cooperation from businesses and governments and these are the areas where the book focuses almost all of its energy.

As for the writing, Crossing the Energy Divide is very academic. It is written like an official research paper and thus is it will not earn many points among those who enjoy creative non- fiction. It is the type of book that would make a good reading choice for students of environmental engineering, geology, political science, or similar disciplines. The lack of creativity or entertainment value could lead some to label the book as a tad boring, but one must realize that the authors intend this as an educational volume. Their concerns are serious, and they dedicate the book to information and learning about energy production and use.

Energy is an important topic of political discussion and, in spite of the coverage it has already received, it isn't going to go away. Yes, energy prices have fallen in the past year or two but it is only a matter of time until finite resources become low in supply and prices rise once again. Crossing the Energy Divide is a very good book about the topic of energy and how we must embrace change for the betterment of all Americans. The book could use a little more length and deeper discussion of its key point, but it is still very good nonetheless; offering advice, presenting anecdotes, and summarizing its positions well. The authors feel that a change in energy policy and attitude is long overdue and the book presents many compelling reasons and good energy alternatives that will help stave off future shortages and pave the way to a more energy efficient tomorrow.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An economist's challenge to energy "independence", April 1, 2010

By 

Jason Stokes (St. Louis) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crossing the Energy Divide: Moving from Fossil Fuel Dependence to a Clean-Energy Future (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I've read a lot of books on energy, sustainable energy, urban planning, and so on. Somehow, this was the first book that ever even mentioned energy efficiency in terms of how much output we get per unit of input. I chalk it up to the writer being an economist and a physicist, and the interesting way he has melded the two topics together to discover the true needs for our energy future.

I applaud this books level headed, data driven decisions, and especially the framework of "girders" they've built to describe the methodology of moving into a clean energy future. Rather than relying on a magic bullet or massive investment, this book proscribes a theory of delivering small scale, affordable (even cost reducing) changes to business, utilities, and policy, in order to promote a path to the future. Rather than assuming we can move directly to the clean energy future, it discusses the gap between where we are now, and where we want to be in the future.

Overall, it's well written, easy to understand, and kept me engaged all the way through. At around 200 pages, it was pretty straightforward and quick to read, but contained some very powerful topics. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough dossier on macro-level changes needed for energy efficiency, December 12, 2010

By 

GW (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Crossing the Energy Divide: Moving from Fossil Fuel Dependence to a Clean-Energy Future (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This book is a great economically oriented dossier on macro-level changes - some which we have heard a lot about, and others which are presented in more nuance. Robert and Edward Ayres do an excellent job of conveying that America is only 13% energy efficient and this has widespread implications to our future economic growth.

The Ayres brothers bring a needed view about technologies which could help bring about change as well as speak to the challenges - often regulatory that need to be stirred up to help generate change. I think their conclusion that growth in the US is generally focus on short-term profits rather than long-term investments is accurate... but alas it seems inevitable in our business climate to change this.