Public Energy

The transition to clean energy is moving far too slowly. Trapped by a century of fossil fuel investments and politicians that struggle to plan beyond the next election, the “Big Grid” that powers our modern world is outdated and in dire need of an upgrade. Freeing Energy offers a new and faster path towards a clean energy future — one that is more reliable, more equitable, and cheaper.

The grid is an accident of history and of culture, in no way intrinsic to how we produce, deliver and consume electrical power. Yet this is the system the United States ended up with, a jerry-built structure now so rickety and near collapse that a strong wind or a hot day can bring it to a grinding halt. The grid is now under threat from a new source: renewable and variable energy, which puts stress on its logics as much as its components.

A “meticulously researched” (The New York Times Book Review) examination of energy transitions over time and an exploration of the current challenges presented by global warming, a surging world population, and renewable energy—from Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author...

What happens when the President of the United States governs one Tweet at a time? When the elected leader of the free world may not have a firm grasp on the names of government agencies, much less an understanding of their intricate inner-workings? In the days following the 2016 inauguration, government personnel searched for answers that didn’t exist, while White House staff scoured halls for employees who would never be appointed.

Lithium, a crucial input in the batteries powering electric vehicles, has the potential to save the world from climate change. But even green solutions come at a cost. Mining lithium is environmentally destructive. We therefore confront a dilemma: Is it possible to save the world by harming it in the process? Having spent over a decade researching mining and oil sectors in Latin America, Thea Riofrancos is a leading voice on resource extraction. In Extraction, she draws on groundbreaking fieldwork on the global race for lithium.

The definitive account of India’s energy journey and a blueprint for an energy-efficient future. The historic oil crisis of 1973, which permanently altered significant economic policies worldwide, marked a turning point in India’s energy odyssey, putting the country on the path towards energy efficiency. A young energy researcher at the National Productivity Council at the time, Padu Padmanabhan soon found himself at a juncture that would lead him to the many watershed moments of this journey.

Wildcatters is the amazing story of greed, corruption, and scandal in the framing of one of the most famous oil families in Texas and the subsequent IRS raid of unprecedental proprtions. This book will confirm your suspicions of the IRS yet provides a glimmer of hope in our criminal justice system.

Griffith paints an inspiring yet practical picture of empowered local communities acting collectively when it comes to renewable energy, and benefiting financially. He considers both equity and security – an end to dependence on foreign oil, for instance. He explores the rejuvenation of regional Australia, as well as the rise of a new populist movement driven by Australian women. And he explodes once and for all the trees v. jobs binary. This is an electrifying essay about building a better world, one community at a time.

Nuclear energy stands at the crossroads of fear and necessity, science and public imagination, catastrophe and promise. This book offers a clear, penetrating examination of one of humanity’s most consequential technologies—its origins in cosmic processes, its role in the modern energy landscape, the accidents that shaped its reputation, and the profound ethical questions that surround its use. Rather than taking sides, it illuminates the hidden mechanisms, political pressures, psychological forces, and historical legacies that form the real structure of the nuclear debate.

Billions lack safe water. AI drives energy demand. Resources and time are scarce. Climate anxiety rises; old solutions can't keep up What if the answer is a technology set aside decades ago—not for failure, but because gas was cheap and this fuel wasn't weaponized? Thorium.

In BOOM, prize-winning reporter Tony Horwitz takes a spirited road trip through the wild new frontier of energy in North America. His journey begins in subarctic Alberta, where thousands of miners labor in an industrial moonscape to extract the region's oil-rich tar sands. Horwitz then follows the route of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline that may carry tar-sands oil from Canada across Montana, the Dakotas, and Nebraska en route to Gulf Coast refineries.

A Sweeping History of the Great State of Wyoming Wyoming is America's least populated state, a vast expanse of mountains and high plains where fierce independence meets harsh reality. This sweeping history traces how a remote frontier territory became synonymous with the American West—and why it now faces an uncertain future. From Paleo-Indian hunters to fur trappers, from cattle barons to energy executives, Wyoming has always been defined by extraction and extremity. It was the land of mountain men and the Oregon Trail, of Red Cloud's War and the transcontinental railroad, of open-range ...

Most of the universe is missing—and this book finally makes sense of it. For decades, astronomers have known that everything we can see, touch, and measure accounts for only a tiny fraction of reality. The rest—an astonishing ninety‑five percent—is made of dark matter and dark energy, two invisible forces that shape galaxies, bend starlight, accelerate cosmic expansion, and determine the fate of the cosmos. This plain‑English guide cuts through the confusion and explains the biggest mystery in modern science with clarity, storytelling, and real scientific history. The book ...

The clean energy transition is humanity's biggest ever economic challenge. In Powering Up, former Australian chief scientist Alan Finkel shows how to remove the barriers that prevent nations transforming from petrostate to electrostate. Finkel considers the entire supply chain, from raw materials through power infrastructure, the workforce, transportation and household customers. He reveals the outlines of a new geo-economic order and explains in persuasive, practical terms how we can get there.

What happens to our trash after we throw it away? Most of us never see where it goes — yet the systems that handle waste are some of the most important inventions in human history. The Mountains We Make takes readers on a clear and engaging journey through the story of waste and landfill engineering — from ancient refuse piles to today’s massive, carefully designed disposal systems. Written for curious teens and young adults (and adults who love real-world history), this book explains how trash has shaped cities, technology, and everyday life. Inside, readers will discover: How ...

Climate of Contempt offers a voter-centric, bottom-up explanation of national climate and energy politics, one that pinpoints bitter partisanship as the key impediment to transitioning to a net zero carbon future.

The Cellular Grid: How Distributed Energy Will Power AI, Data Centers, and the Next Industrial Era by Donald Williams confronts a quiet but defining constraint of our time: the world’s hunger for electricity is outpacing the systems built to supply it. In this sharply reasoned and forward-looking work, Williams traces the fault lines in today’s centralized power grids, systems designed for a different century, now straining under the weight of artificial intelligence, hyperscale data centers, and electrified industry. What emerges is not a story of collapse, but of transformation.

Die Energiekrise erschüttert die globale Wirtschaft. Gas und Öl werden als geopolitische Waffen eingesetzt. Zugleich spüren wir die Vorboten der drohenden Klimakatastrophe. Daraus baut eine mächtige Lobby den künstlichen Gegensatz zwischen Klima und Frieden auf. Plötzlich sind Kohle, Fracking und Atomkraft wieder auf der Tagesordnung. Doch wer zahlt den Preis? Haben wir überhaupt noch eine Chance, uns aus den Abhängigkeiten zu befreien? Und wie wird die Energie gerecht verteilt? Deutschlands renommierteste Energieökonomin Professor Dr. Claudia Kemfert gibt Antworten.

In ihrem neuen Hörbuch konfrontiert Claudia Kemfert uns mit den heute neu gestellten klimapolitischen Fragen und deckt auf, wo Mythen gefährliche Realitäten verschleiern. Sie zeigt, welche Technologien noch funktionieren könnten und wie der Gasausstieg Deutschland zum Technologie-Weltmarktführer macht – wenn uns die Zeit bleibt. Ein Hörbuch für alle, die sich der Illusion verweigern, dass es noch einfache Antworten gibt. Klima und Wirtschaft lassen sich nicht gegeneinander ausspielen.

Artificial Intelligence promises a future of extraordinary productivity, scientific breakthroughs, and economic transformation. But beneath the excitement lies a question few people are asking: Who pays for it? As technology giants race toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), billions of dollars are pouring into massive data centers, power-hungry computing clusters, electrical infrastructure upgrades, and water-intensive cooling systems. While investors celebrate soaring valuations and AI breakthroughs dominate headlines, a quieter story is unfolding across rural communities, utility ...