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The Solar Economy: Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future | 
 enlarge | Author: Hermann Scheer
Publisher: Earthscan Publications Ltd.
Category: Book
List Price: $35.00
Buy New: $23.10
You Save: $11.90 (34%)
New (7) Used (8) from $19.94
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 261872
Media: Paperback
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 1844070751
Dewey Decimal Number: 338
EAN: 9781844070756
ASIN: 1844070751
Publication Date: June 2004
Availability: Pre-Order (0-0 Business Days)
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Product Description
* Herman Scheer was awarded the Alternative Nobel Prize in 1999
The global economy and our way of life are based on the exploitation of fossil fuels, which not only threaten massive environmental and social disruption through global warming but, at present rates of consumption, will run out within decades, causing huge industrial dislocation and economic collapse. Even before then, the conflicts it causes in the Middle East and elsewhere will be frighteningly exacerbated.
The alternate exists: renewable energy from renewable sources – above all, solar. Substituting renewable for fossil resources will take a new industrial revolution to avert the worst of the damage and establish a new international order.
It can be done, and it can be done in time. “The Solar Economy,” by one of the world’s most effective analysts and advocates, lays out the blueprints, showing how the political, economic, and technological challenges can be met using indigenous, renewable, and universally available resources, and the enormous opportunities and benefits that will flow from doing so.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Excellent look at the energy industry as a WHOLE. September 5, 2007
Prash (UK)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
As another reviewer has pointed out this book will not be easy going for everyone. A lot of it written in rather a dry style and is dense with good points. i.e. it is not written in the style of a popular science book. On the other hand this is what makes it so interesting and convincing in its arguments.
The other thing I liked about it was that it takes a very broad view of different energy sources and considers their implications at every level. One of the main points is that when considering the efficiency of an energy source one should account for the energy wasted at every stage of the supply chain rather than the amount of energy going into and coming out of the generation plant. For example the supply chain for coal is Mining - Refining - Shipping - Coal-fired power station - National grid (high voltage) - NG (medium voltage) - Distribution (low voltage). Many of these are energy intensive processes. The supply chain for nuclear is even worse. Compare that to the on-site generation solar supply chain: PV installation - Distribution (indefinitely at no further cost). Many of the true costs of the fossil fuel supply chain is not paid by the consumer or even by the companies involved in supply. The author also considers the social costs involved, which many people seem to be willing to ignore.
There are also some good insights into the oil industry. The most interesting one that comes to mind is how the oil using industries are dependent on each other for the cheap prices of oil. When crude oil is refined the proportions of different products cannot be varied to a great degree. A certain proportion will be kerosene for plane fuel, a certain proportion will be for automobile fuel, a certain proportion usable by the chemicals industry and so on. If the demand for automobile fuel decreases due to efficient engines and the demand from other industries stays the same then the other industries oil prices will go up to cover the cost. This gives the reason for the chemicals industry's opposal to fuel duty. This gives all oil using industries an incentive to keep their demand in line with everybody else's i.e. steadily increasing.
An inspiring book that doesn't rely on its writing style. It gets by purely on its ideas.
Throw away society is flushing our planet down the pan August 6, 2007
Nigtomdaw (Spain)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I liked this book, it gets a bit heavey and technical at times and I indeed had to have a breather once or twice, but it is one of the few books I wanted to read again and had too. I was already a convert to living off grid in Spain with solar and wind energy and this book a surprise Xmas gift from my son only strenghed my renewable off grid living decision. Im no eco warrior or green fanatic Im just ahead of the game, this book lets you know how little of everything we have left not just oil and coal and gas but every metal and mineral we take for granted. Our throw away society is flushing this planet down the pan. Our response till its too late is like the drunk i the pub, mines a pint please, goodbye leave the light on it will turn its self off !
Current trends indicate the world wide burning of fossil fuels is likely to flare by 50 percent between 1990 and 2010 November 22, 2006
Golden Lion (North Ogden, Ut United States)
1 out of 7 found this review helpful
All economic activity relies on the physical and chemical conversion of materials from one form into another, and the conversion of fuels into the energy need to distribute and consume the resultant products.
Energy and raw materials are the fundament of our economies.
World energy consumption show that 32 per cent is generated by burning crude oil, 25 per cent by burning coal, and 17 per cent by burning natural gas. Five per cent comes from nuclear fuels, and another 14 per cent from combustion of biomass, and hydroelectricity accounts for 6 per cent of all energy consumption.
Current trends indicate the world wide burning of fossil fuels is likely to flare by 50 percent between 1990 and 2010.
Is Nuclear energy life threatening? No. New pebble reactors will provide safe energy and safeguard against the possibility a critical chain reaction. France is building a new experimental fusion reactor and if successful could move the world into a hydrogen society. Long-term the world has infinite energy.
Scheer wants an immediate shift away from "life threatening fossil fuel resource trap" Solar=Hydrogen=electrical, "Only with the transition to renewable resources, and thus to a solar global economy can economic logic and with it the future path of economic development be radically altered."
Fallacy #1: Sheer says, increases in productivity and efficiency must stabilize resource consumption at its current level. Energy stabilize needs to be replaced with energy expansion. Life gets better as more energy becomes available. Energy consumption will only increase, increasing many fold over the next decade. Allocative efficiency favors big business and restricts competition.
Fallacy #2: Sheer says, "as reserves of crude oil, natural gas and certain strategically important minerals approach exhaustion, resource crisis are becoming more intense." Who has economic control? Who sets the prices for crude? And in the end Who will pay for them? It takes time to migrate from one energy source to another. Large capital investment is required to build infrastructure. The point of no return begins as banks and corporations begin building the new energy future. Energy shortages are short term crisis that push innovation and adoption of newer and cheaper fuels. Capitalist use their profits from a crisis to build the new infrastructure and world keeps on running.
Fallacy #3. Sheer says, "Energy and mineral resources are found in relatively few locations around the globe". Wow, amazing fear factor. In the 70s and 80s the US reduced dependancy on foreign oil by 50% before oil became cheap again. Today, the US and Canada represent a vast empty quarter of oil in the form of shale and tar. Canada is becoming an important source of oil. Wyoming will be developed as a new Texas oil source. Cheaper oil extraction system will become popular and make accessible oil in the western hemisphere.
Sheer is the realist. Sheer responses "but which the modern techno-pundits now imbue with bright promise) has been dazzled by partial, faddishly exaggerated and overgeneralized reports of the actual developments". Change requires risk. Innovation surges and falls before maturing.
 Tough read, but interesting June 27, 2005
F. P. Becker (PA, USA)
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
The first time I tried to read this book, it confused me so much I had to put it down for a year. The author mixes a paragraph or two of insight and vision within pages of example and data. On, this my second, read I am doing better by skimming past the long lists of examples.
I would love to see this book boiled down to about 20 pages, with another 20 of optional documentation.
What the author does for the reader is lay out the foundation of the modern energy system, and its hidden costs. In great detail. Then he addresses the technical aspect of several different forms of "solar" or renewable energy technologies, and their potential.
I am learning quite a bit, even if I have to take it in small doses
 A warning... March 5, 2005
Chad M. Brick (Ann Arbor, Michigan USA)
24 out of 44 found this review helpful
Scheer's previous work on this matter was entitled "A Solar Manifesto". That should give you a pretty accurate idea as to his opinions on the matter. If you looking for a somewhat-balanced view of the coming renewable energy economy, look elsewhere (for example, Hawken's "Natural Capitalism"). If you looking for a neo-Luddite environmentalist rant, this book is exactly what you are looking for.
There are numerous flaws in Scheer's reasoning. For example,
1: He repeatedly calls lack of taxes a "subsidy".
2: He ignores that the most promising photovoltaic technologies are based on things like titanium and ruthenium, which are not renewable and by his own data are in short supply. Even in the best case they are a complex technology that requires big, centralized plants to product (reasonably) cheaply.
3: He a priori dismisses anything big or centralized.
4: He considers a system that uses more human labor a GOOD thing.
5: In 325 pages, he never mentions the cost of PV in $$/kwh, because it would undermine his point.
6: He repeatedly insults everyone who isn't in his camp. The word "blind" must appear a hundred times in this work.
I think the greatest example of Scheer's muddled thinking is the final sentence of the book.
"Renewable resources will bring a new era of wealth-creating economic development - initiated not by bureaucratic fiat, but by the free choices of individuals".
I think many people would agree with this. Now, if Scheer hadn't spent the previous two chapters describing in detail the many bureaucratic fiats he wanted in order to enforce his ends upon free people, he may actually finished his book with a coherent point.
From a little earlier...
"Instead [eco-taxation proposals] must be founded on a clearly articulated strategy to drive nuclear and fossil fuel out of the market...
At least he is honest.
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