Energy Autonomy: The Economic, Social and Technological Case for Renewable Energy
For 200 years industrial civilization has relied on the combustion of abundant and cheap carbon fuels. But continued reliance has lead to perilous consequences. On the one hand, the insecurity of relying on the world’s most unstable region–the Middle East–compounded by the imminence of Peak Oil, growing scarcity, and mounting prices.
Yet there is an answer: to make the transition to renewable sources of energy and to distributed, decentralized energy generation. It is a model that has been proven, technologically, commercially and politically, as Scheer comprehensively demonstrates. He shows that the widely advocated return to nuclear power is compromised and illusory.
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Energy Autonomy: The Economic, Social and Technological Case for Renewable Energy
Posted in Renewable Energy | 
Tags: Autonomy, Case, Economic, Energy, Renewable, Social, Technological
Hermann Scheer’s book is not as much about energy autonomy as it is about battling the fossil fuel and nuclear energy industries.
Scheer pays no attention to the past when Germany used little fossil fuels and no nuclear power. He doesn’t mention that many poor countries are still as free from fossil fuels as Germany hopes to become years hence.
Nature, the beauty of sunlight, the excitement of towns, buildings and travels as seasons change, these topics don’t come up in Energy Autonomy. Does Scheer notice nature, the sun and the seasons? I think he is too absorbed in battle to consider what the battle is for.
Nevertheless, however focused on a grim cloud bank, Scheer is a smart, stalwart solar advocate with a great deal of combat experience. He has grappled with the most powerful and wiley groups who insist on overfeeding us fossil fuels and nuclear power.
I would have read the entire book just to learn what a quango is (a non governmental organization that has become overwhelmingly and permanently dependant on government money), or to read his thoughts on “proactive neutralization”.
Give this veteran an iron cross, and a long vacation in a sunny land. On his next campaign the sun will touch him; he will awake from the German (and American) spell and see the goal is not to be rich and fat, Energy Autonomy and Gluttony, but a new civilization.
Rating: 3 / 5
I bought this book after hearing an interview with Mr. Scheer on NPR. I must say the interview was much more interesting that the book proved to be.
Mr. Scheer is very thorough in making his arguments and I sure this is necessary to convince government and industry but it sure makes for dry reading for the average lay person.
Rating: 3 / 5
This is an exciting read. Full of facts about current problems, but also with suggested solutions to these problems. Those solutions are then carefully outlined. Mr. Scheers ideas are genereally not very investor friendly, therfore they do not get their deserved attention. A very important book in my opinion.
Rating: 5 / 5
Written by German parliament member, Hermann Scheer, Energy Autonomy makes a strong case for the decentralization of energy production. Scheer was an instrumental part of passing legislation in Germany which has created the solar and wind boom in that country. Clearly writing with a very solid grasp on the politics of renewable energy, Scheer’s argument is powerful and cogently presented.
This book is not just for policy wonks, renewable energy advocates, green investors and environmentalists. But the book is also very approachable for those with less background in the science, technology and politics of renewable energy. If you have never heard the term, ‘distributed generation’ you should read this book because you will find it fascinating. If you already find distributed generation fascinating, YOU MUST read this book because YOU WILL LOVE IT.
Rating: 5 / 5
Energy Autonomy is a refreshing and thorough look at how the traditional fossil energy industry (oil, natural gas, nuclear), with its finite energy availability and its polluting characteristics, uses Mafia tactics to perpetuate its existence, allthewhile trying to keep renewable energy in a cozy, non-threatening corner. I attended a presentation last month by Dr. Scheer in Toronto, and was impressed by his cogent, well-researched argument in favor of promoting renewable energy. As Dr. Scheer said, the price of fossil energy will only go up, going forward, and renewable energy costs will only go down. Anyone who relies on traditional fossil energy does so at their own peril.
Thanks to this book, I am much more optimistic about the energy future for humanity, although there are huge political barriers to overcome, as the lobbyists working for the oil and nuclear industries will never give up their belittling the potential role of renewable energy, and gun-shy governments are fearful of the consequences of cutting off the huge subsidies to the fossil energy industry.
Rating: 5 / 5