Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air

I came upon a very interesting book the other day that can be read online for free. The title is "Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air" and it is written by David J.C. MacKay, a Cambridge professor. The text can be found at withouthotair.com. The book is almost 400 pages long, but the good news is that if you aren't quite up to this challenge, MacKay also provides a four page summary of his work, which I think is defintiely worth a read. MacKay's main point seems to be that though the potential for renewable energy may be huge, our current demand for energy is more huge (huger?).

The ways in which this discrepancy can be met include nuclear power, population reduction, or lifestyle change. Of the three, lifestyle changes seem to be the most wise from a long term perspective, even if nuclear power may be easier in the short run. Nuclear waste is already piling up from our current nuclear plants, and there just aren't that many options for dealing with nuclear waste. 

MacKay's work definitely opens one's eyes to the current state of our consumption. He states that his main objective was to put numbers to the situation. In other words, we know we use a lot of energy, but how much is a lot? 

Of course, I don't want to discourage anyone from making sustainable changes in their lives. In fact, I encourage everyone to try to reduce their impact and their consumption. At the same time, I do feel that this work does not fully consider the future of renewable technology. In 2008, it would require a large area of land to collect the necessary solar power to keep us moving, but in ten years time the efficiency of these solar panels may have gone through the roof. In fact, it is very reasonable to assume that these technologies will become much more efficient. So perhaps, our lifestyle changes and these improvements in available technology will meet at a happy equilibrium.

Researchers are clearly doing their part. I see stories about new and better solar technologies almost every day. Now it's time to do your part, and make the little changes in your life to make it more sustainable and more supportable in the years to come.