PERFECT POWER: How the Microgrid Revolution Will Unleash Cleaner, Greener, More Abundant Energy [Hardcover]

Robert Galvin (Author), Kurt Yeager (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0071548823 | ISBN-13: 978-0071548823 | Edition: 1

What's the solution to the world's growing energy problem?

PERFECT POWER

Electric usage is rising. Fuel costs are rocketing. Blackouts are happening more frequently. Why? Because our electrical power system--built on a vast network of resources including nuclear energy, natural gas, water, and coal--has become woefully outdated, increasingly expensive, and dangerously fragile. We need to change the current system, and we need to do it now.

Written by business visionary and former Motorola chairman Robert Galvin, Perfect Power shows us how to create a “perfect” system that can deliver power where needed, at an astonishing reliability standard of 99.9999999 percent. By super-charging the “Six Sigma” concepts that Galvin developed as the founder and CEO at Motorola, we can

• Meet the energy reliability and quality needs of the Digital Age
• Generate new goods and services that create jobs, empower consumers, and lower energy cost
• Eliminate wasteful spending on our electrical infrastructure that can be used for peak power needs
• Facilitate local, regional, and, ultimately, national energy independence
• Fundamentally reduce the impact of energy on the environment
• Invest in the microgrid revolution

Energy providers and policy makers will reinvent today's centralized power systems and integrate them with new, efficient “microgrids." Investors and entrepreneurs will spot tomorrow's hottest technologies. Consumers will demand change from “the powers that be.” And environmentalists will take advantage of cleaner, greener energy sources available.

We have the power to fulfill our energy needs, fix our old systems, forge ahead with new ideas, and fuel our dreams. It's Perfect Power.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Book That Will Revolutionize and Electrify Our Energy Crisis

From Robert Galvin, Motorola's visionary leader and legendary former CEO, and Kurt Yeager, former CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute, comes a powerful wake-up call for the entire energy industry. A must-read for investors, entrepreneurs, homeowners, and environmentalists, Perfect Power offers bold new solutions, investments, and job opportunities that address the biggest energy problems we face today, including how to

• Meet the rising demands for more electricity
• Create “Perfect Power” that will withstand hurricanes, blackouts, terrorism, and technical malfunctions
• Implement clean, “green” alternatives by tapping the smart microgrid revolution
• Live “off the grid” and become energy self-sufficient
• Identify and invest in exciting new companies and technologies

“Reinventing our nation’s electric supply system is at the heart of solving our climate change and energy security problems. This book underscores the urgency of modernizing our grid and our business models to meet this challenge for our future generations.”
—James E. Rogers, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Duke Energy

About the Author

Robert Galvin is former Chairman and CEO of Motorola, Inc., where he pioneered the concept of “Six-Sigma Quality” and helped revolutionize telecommunications technology with government officials, regulators, and companies. He currently heads the Galvin Electricity Initiative, which supports “Perfect Power” innovations.

Kurt Yeager is former President and CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute, the electric power industry's leading think tank, which conducts research in the United States and forty countries.

Jay Stuller is the author of seven books and nearly a thousand articles. He has worked in public affairs and communications at Chevron Corporation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071548823
• ISBN-13: 978-0071548823
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #534,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing September 22, 2010

By jh127

Format:Hardcover

With tons of books on energy production but few on the actual transmission system, I was looking forward to picking up this book.

In a nutshell, it was a very disappointing read. The authors make one sweeping, vague claim after another with very little specific details or supporting evidence. Yes it's obvious that power generation needs to be more flexible and robust, but how exactly would micro grids address that? After 200+ pages I still don't know the answer. The book essentially meanders from one very high level thesis to another, with little in between to substantiate or clarify.

I felt like I just listened to a CEO ramble on for 2 hours about fluffy concepts like thought leadership, need for innovation, breaking the status quo when I really prefer to listen to the operations manager talk about how the plan will be implemented, the underlying science behind this movement, what the economics are and the risks along the way.

The writing style, like the content, is disorganized and meandering. I had to stop every few pages to collect myself and figure out exactly what point the book was trying to express at the moment. I'm not expecting Shakespearean prose but a technical subject like this should have a fairly straightforward presentation.

At the end of the read, I wondered to myself if I really learned anything substantive. Nope, not really. Did I at least enjoy the read? Nope, not really. I'd strongly recommend you find this book at a local bookstore first and attempt to read a few pages before you commit to purchasing.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Perfect Power" is the perfect introduction to microgrids July 23, 2009

By Barbara Bell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

As buzz words like "smart power" and "green revolution" enter our lexicon, one can't help but wonder what the fuss is all about. In "Perfect Power," Galvin and Yeager explain where the current problem with our system of electricity management lies (It's woefully outdated.), and the solution that will make it a better functioning and up-to-date system (microgrids).

The authors do a great job of introducing the concept to a cleantech neophyte, using analogies that explain the electric system infrastructure, citing historical examples with Thomas Alva Edison, highlighting the path to perfect power, describing the evolution of building technology, and their undertaking to put consumers at the controls.

The bonus of this book is at the end of each chapter. Here the reader finds "Institutions and Companies to Watch" with a blurb on each company's contribution to the green movement and a web address for further research and reading. What the authors mention in the chapter has been pulled out from the reading, tidied up into list form, and provided as a tidbit for personal research. The glossary at the end of the reading is a good resource, as well, listing everything from a Switching Station to Substation, and from AC to Watt hour.

"Perfect Power" opens and closes with the story of the 2006 power outage that occurred and how an event like this can be avoided if we had a better electricity management system. The excuses that power goes out due to a random thunderstorm or an errant squirrel are archaic in this day and time, and Galvin and Yeager have had enough. Through this book they bring the story of electricity from a global concern to a personal one. They close their argument for microgrids with the story of Dianne Odell, a casualty in the fight for reliable electricity.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Looks Doable January 11, 2011

By Steven Sharp

Format:Hardcover

This is a book for non-technical readers. It seems to me that the model they use (Six Sigma) is from manufacturing to improve the product (electricity) and its distribution (the grid) by decentralizing power production. One of the strengths of the book are the lists at the end of each chapter of companies and institutions that are developing the technology to make this happen.

I read the reviews here. The negative reviews seem to center on this book not being a technical document. I don't get the impression from the book that the authors are trying to squeeze money from the market to promote their organization. They seem to be trying to tighten up wastefulness and improve the quality and reliability of the electric grid by using established, successful manufacturing practices. They do this by explaining some of the history of the grid, giving specific examples of roadblocks to improving our electric system, and explaining why our current system is not sustainable.

If you're looking for a highly technical treatment of current technology, this is not the book for you. I liked it a great deal for its explanation of the current laws, policies, and politics that hinder upgrading our electrical system to one that is more efficient and reliable. The authors are pointing out that while nearly every other industry has incorporated manufacturing philosophies and techniques that reduce waste and improve efficiency, the utility industry has not. The authors make the case the we have the technology to make our electric grids much better; however, regulatory policies and entrenched practices keep this from happening.

As an example (mine, not from the book), consider building codes that specify what materials you must use for home construction instead of specifying benchmarks that the materials used must meet. In some cases building codes that are ostensibly for my benefit might preclude me from using a perfectly acceptable technology just because I am not using the materials specified by the code. In other words, give me criteria I must meet, but give me the freedom to meet the criteria as best suits me.