Renewable Energy

Bruce Usher

From wood to coal to oil and gas, the sources of energy on which civilization depends have always changed as technology advances. Now renewables are overtaking fossil fuels, with wind and solar energy becoming cheaper and more competitive every year. Growth in renewable energy will further accelerate as electric vehicles become less expensive than traditional automobiles. Understanding the implications of the energy transition will prepare us for the many changes ahead. Usher dissects the winners and losers, illustrating how governments and businesses with a far-sighted approach will reap long-term benefits while others will trail behind. Alongside the business and finance case for renewable energy, he provides a timely illustration of the threat of catastrophic climate change and the perils of delay. A short and powerful guide to our energy present and future, this book makes it clear that, from both economic and environmental perspectives, there is no time to lose.

Preface: Setting the Record Straight1. Renewable Energy in the Twenty-First Century2. Energy Transitions: Fire to Electricity3. The Rise of Renewables4. Renewable Wind Energy5. Renewable Solar Energy6. Financing Renewable Energy7. Energy Transitions: Oats to Oil8. The Rise of Electric Vehicles9. Parity10. Convergence11. Consequences12. No Time to LoseAppendix A. Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE)Appendix B. The Transition to Renewable EnergyGlossaryNotesIndex