Energy and American Society - Thirteen Myths

Hardback  371 pp  ISBN 9781402055638      £42.00

This book takes on a central quandary in the study of energy and environmental policy: What myths continue to exist in American culture concerning energy, the environment, and society? It enrolls twenty-four of the nation's top experts working on energy policy in industry, government laboratories, utilities, nonprofit organizations, and universities to debunk and contextualize thirteen energy myths relating to electric power, renewable energy, energy efficiency, transportation, and climate change.

While the book focuses on the American experience, it will be of interest to those working in the fields of energy policy, energy and the environment, and technology assessment worldwide.

Contents

• About the Authors.
• Introduction
• The Compelling Tangle of Energy and American Society.
• Energy Myth One - Today's Energy Crisis is "Hype".
• Energy Myth Two - The Public is Well Informed about Energy.
• Energy Myth Three - High Land Requirements and an Unfavorable Energy Balance Preclude Biomass Ethanol from Playing a Large Role in Providing Energy Services.
• Energy Myth Four - The Hydrogen Economy is a Panacea to the Nation's Energy Problem.
• Energy Myth Five - Price Signals are Insufficient to Induce Efficient Energy Investments.
• Energy Myth Six - The Barriers to New and Innovative Energy Technologies are Primarily Technical: The Case of Distributed Generation (DG).
• Energy Myth Seven - Renewable Energy Systems Could Never Meet Growing Electricity Demand in America
• Energy Myth Eight - Worldwide Power Systems are Economically and Environmentally Optimal.
• Energy Myth Nine - Energy Efficiency Improvements Have Already Maximized Their Potential.
• Energy Myth Ten - Energy Efficiency Measures are Unreliable, Unpredictable, and Unenforceable
• Energy Myth Eleven - Energy R&D Investment Takes Decades to Reach the Market.
• Energy Myth Twelve - Climate Policy will Bankrupt the U.S. Economy.
• Energy Myth Thirteen - Developing Countries Are Not Doing Their Part in Responding to Concerns about Climate Change.
• Conclusions - Replacing Myths with Maxims: Rethinking the Relationship Between Society, Energy, the Future, and Sustainability.

Acronyms.
Index