A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations
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- Author：Robert Bryce
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Summary
Historically， it was guns， germs， and steel that determined the fates of people and nations。 Now， more than ever， it is electricity。
Global demand for power is doubling every two decades， but electricity remains one of the most difficult forms of energy to supply and do so reliably。 Today， some three billion people live in places where per-capita electricity use is less than what's used by an average American refrigerator。 How we close the colossal gap between the electricity rich and the electricity poor will determine our success in addressing issues like women's rights， inequality， and climate change。
In A Question of Power ， veteran journalist Robert Bryce tells the human story of electricity， the world's most important form of energy。 Through onsite reporting from India， Iceland， Lebanon， Puerto Rico， New York， and Colorado， he shows how our cities， our money--our very lives--depend on reliable flows of electricity。 He highlights the factors needed for successful electrification and explains why so many people are still stuck in the dark。
With vivid writing and incisive analysis， he powerfully debunks the notion that our energy needs can be met solely with renewables and demonstrates why--if we are serious about addressing climate change--nuclear energy must play a much bigger role。
Electricity has fueled a new epoch in the history of civilization。 A Question of Power explains how that happened and what it means for our future。
Global demand for power is doubling every two decades， but electricity remains one of the most difficult forms of energy to supply and do so reliably。 Today， some three billion people live in places where per-capita electricity use is less than what's used by an average American refrigerator。 How we close the colossal gap between the electricity rich and the electricity poor will determine our success in addressing issues like women's rights， inequality， and climate change。
In A Question of Power ， veteran journalist Robert Bryce tells the human story of electricity， the world's most important form of energy。 Through onsite reporting from India， Iceland， Lebanon， Puerto Rico， New York， and Colorado， he shows how our cities， our money--our very lives--depend on reliable flows of electricity。 He highlights the factors needed for successful electrification and explains why so many people are still stuck in the dark。
With vivid writing and incisive analysis， he powerfully debunks the notion that our energy needs can be met solely with renewables and demonstrates why--if we are serious about addressing climate change--nuclear energy must play a much bigger role。
Electricity has fueled a new epoch in the history of civilization。 A Question of Power explains how that happened and what it means for our future。
Reviews
Adam
，
Very enlightening （pun intended） read。 Well written， highly recommend
Steven Beningo
，
A very good review of the current state of the electricity around the world and what the future of electricity may be。
Amora
，
It’s no longer guns， germs， and steel that determines the wealth of nations， it’s electricity。 Bryce tells the story of how electricity was responsible for “vertical cities，” expanding women’s rights， and the lifting of all tides。 When talking about the present， Bryce talks about how we can continue to progress and why renewables aren’t the solution for more electricity
Ian
，
As of the date of this review， October 2022， TV news programmes in the UK are battering us with warnings that we might face electricity blackouts in winter due to supply side shortages arising from the Russia-Ukraine War。 Personally I suspect there is a fair amount of press scaremongering behind the stories， at least as far as the UK is concerned， but time will tell。 However， given the topicality of the subject I felt this book might be a useful way of improving my understanding。 It was written As of the date of this review， October 2022， TV news programmes in the UK are battering us with warnings that we might face electricity blackouts in winter due to supply side shortages arising from the Russia-Ukraine War。 Personally I suspect there is a fair amount of press scaremongering behind the stories， at least as far as the UK is concerned， but time will tell。 However， given the topicality of the subject I felt this book might be a useful way of improving my understanding。 It was written before the current crisis， but most of the information remains relevant。I’ll say at the outset that this book has a hard-hitting message for the environmental lobby， especially for those within it （a large majority I think） who are opposed to the use of nuclear energy。 More on that later。The book has an American focus and I found some early parts a bit slow， for example when the author gave us a history of electricity generation in the U。S。 It picks up when it describes the current issues around electricity generation， and the likely future pressures。 It looks at the substantial energy requirements of what he calls the “big five” tech companies – Amazon， Apple， Facebook， Google and Microsoft， as well as at relatively new developments such as cryptocurrency， the “mining” of which is enormously energy-intensive。 One thing I hadn’t suspected was the amount of energy consumed by indoor cannabis cultivation。 The book advises that “According to one estimate， the carbon dioxide emissions associated with American cannabis production are roughly equal to the emissions from three million automobiles。” （！）Other future pressures include the huge growth in the use of electric vehicles， and air conditioning。 At present few of the people in the world’s hottest countries have access to air conditioning， but expect this to change in the future。 The overall effect of all these pressures means that in the next few decades demand for electricity will grow enormously。This brings the author to one of his main points， which is to argue， bluntly， that it is wishful thinking to believe that the world’s future electricity needs will be met via renewables。 （Actually he is lot more blunt than that）。 He quotes a Cambridge University physicist， the late David J。 C。 MacKay， as saying “I love renewables， but I am also pro-arithmetic。” Cost， storage and land use are all significant barriers。 It’s a feature of electricity that， for the most part， it has to be consumed as it is generated。 It is possible to store electricity of course， but capacity is very limited。 Wind and solar power are unpredictable – the opposite of what people require from electricity， which is a stable supply， available when they want it。 The author argues that it would be indefensible to keep hundreds of millions of people in the dark to protect the climate， and personally I’m with him on that。 He continues by saying that we will need all the available fuels， including wind and solar， to meet our future needs， but he feels that the biggest contributions will have to come from nuclear energy and from natural gas （which produces less CO² than other fossil fuels）。The author isn’t keen on wind turbines， and I felt his criticisms of them were a bit excessive， but overall he argues his case well， citing lots of research and quoting statistics。 I daresay the message of this book will be unwelcome to many， but I suspect energy policy is an area where some tough choices will have to be made。 。。。more
Eric Chevlen
，
"If you are anti-carbon and antinuclear， you are pro-blackout。 There is simply no way to slash global carbon dioxide emissions without big increases in our use of nuclear energy。"This book was written before Russia squeezed Europe's energy supply as a buttress for its invasion of Ukraine。 It was written before the Biden administration signaled that it would impede development of domestic fossil fuel energy sources。 It was written before increasing tension with China made obvious the security haz "If you are anti-carbon and antinuclear， you are pro-blackout。 There is simply no way to slash global carbon dioxide emissions without big increases in our use of nuclear energy。"This book was written before Russia squeezed Europe's energy supply as a buttress for its invasion of Ukraine。 It was written before the Biden administration signaled that it would impede development of domestic fossil fuel energy sources。 It was written before increasing tension with China made obvious the security hazard of our dependence on its control of 80% of the world's lithium resource。 Although these political perspectives are only a minor part of the author's thesis， if the book were updated now， the last chapter might be titled "I Told You So。"Author Robert Bryce reviews the role of electricity in a growing world。 There is a complete correlation between a region's electrification and its productivity （and therefore wealth）。 Correlation does not always confirm causation， but in this case there is indeed a causal link in both directions。 As a society grows more wealthy， it can afford to create reliable power supplies to create electricity， and grids to distribute electricity。 Similarly， the more the society has reliable and distributed electricity， the more productive and wealthy it can become。 This is not an abstract concept。 Electrification can raise societies from the drudgery of manual domestic chores， illiteracy， and water contamination。 Electrification can reduce the number of deaths due to heat waves （without air conditioning） and cold spells （without heating）。 By keeping energy extraction far from urban centers， electricity grids can reduce air urban pollution， another threat to human life。As world population growth and the wave of modernization continue， the world will need huge increases in energy supplies。 The author refers to this as the Terawatt Challenge。 （A terawatt is 10^12 watts， that is， a million million watts。） Experts estimate that in the coming decades， the growing world population will need to add 6 terawatts of power。 "To put that in perspective， recall that the United States currently has about 1 terawatt of generation capacity。 Therefore， over the next three decades or so， the countries of the world will have to add six grids the size of the existing US grid。" To accomplish this task with non-nuclear renewable energy sources is impossible。 The author describes four reasons why this is so。 I'll merely touch on them here:COST。 Renewable energy sources are far more expensive than traditional fossil fuel energy sources。 Their displacement of fossil fuel as an energy source would result （and has already resulted） in decline of manufacturing， and increase in unemployment with all its attendant pathologies。STORAGE。 Since wind blows and the sun shines intermittently， any power produced from those sources must be stored for later use。 The current technology to do that （batteries） is enormously expensive， and the duration of storage in batteries is woefully brief。 Using renewable energy sources to power the synthesis of methane （via electrolysis of water and harvesting of carbon dioxide） is an emerging technology that could provide important improvement on storage of energy， but in itself is not a complete answer to the Terawatt Challenge。SCALE。 The demand for electricity is growing much faster than solar and wind energy systems can be implemented。 "Just to keep pace with the growth in global electricity demand， the world would have to install fourteen times as much solar capacity as now exists in Germany， and it would have to do so every year。"LAND USE。 For example， "relying on large wind turbines to supply all US electricity demand。。。would require installing about 1。8 terawatts of new generating capacity。" That would "require 900，000 square kilometers of land--nearly a tenth of the country's land， or roughly the area of Texas and Kansas combined。" I recommend this book for curious readers who care about the prospects for human flourishing and the global environment， and who also want to face the reality of the challenges before us， rather than to embrace the blandishments of pious environmental posturing。 。。。more
Horia
，
This book is US centered。 Even if there are some info at the global level， I deeply felt that both the narrative and the overarching message are tailored for the average US citizen。The book starts OK-ish by painting the historical and current curent picture （from the US POV）， and does OK-ish again by sharing some info at global level， all with hand picked stories from around the world。 So far， so good， your average book on a given domain。All that just to f**k it all up by having chapters long st This book is US centered。 Even if there are some info at the global level， I deeply felt that both the narrative and the overarching message are tailored for the average US citizen。The book starts OK-ish by painting the historical and current curent picture （from the US POV）， and does OK-ish again by sharing some info at global level， all with hand picked stories from around the world。 So far， so good， your average book on a given domain。All that just to f**k it all up by having chapters long stories about the weed industry and how large marijuana consumption is in the US and then to the end with a tirade against green energy。 WTF！？Doesn't deserv 2 stars， but i found at least two interesting models inside， so it'll have to do。No！ 。。。more
David Lockhart
，
Excellent read， easy to digest information and data。 Thought provoking and truthful realism that shows why electricity is vital to human advancement， and necessary to uplift societies out of poverty。 The realities of land use， convenience， and improved quality of life in many ways directly conflict with 21st century climate goals seen so frequently in the first world。 Highly recommend to anyone interested in climate change， geopolitics， energy， or business/economics。
Megan
，
Generally， I'd consider this a good introduction to the subject。 It covers a wide range of topics and really provides a firm foundation on the role of electricity in modern society。 I found the chapters on the Lebanese Generator Mafia and Bitcoin particularly compelling （for instance， it was very helpful to begin thinking of Bitcoin mining as electricity arbitrage）。 But I was bothered by the way he presented his policy preferences as if they were objectively better。 I'm all about leveraging more Generally， I'd consider this a good introduction to the subject。 It covers a wide range of topics and really provides a firm foundation on the role of electricity in modern society。 I found the chapters on the Lebanese Generator Mafia and Bitcoin particularly compelling （for instance， it was very helpful to begin thinking of Bitcoin mining as electricity arbitrage）。 But I was bothered by the way he presented his policy preferences as if they were objectively better。 I'm all about leveraging more nuclear energy， so it's not like I disagree with his conclusions。 But I found him inconsistent in the way he weighed the trade-offs between the energy sources he supported （like nuclear） and those he did not （like wind）。 He also fails to recognize the way his values bias his conclusions。 Everyone's values bias their conclusions！ So it's not a bad thing in and of itself。 It's just bad when you present your point of view without any seeming awareness that there are other vantage points to be had。 。。。more
Jeanette
，
Good summation on electricity。 it is the pivotal crux between how humans lived in the past and how/where/work/longevity they do now。 Every poverty depths nearly everywhere are scarred by not having electricity。 Without electricity， productivity becomes quite upon another scale。For me the book was at least 3。5 stars but I rounded it up for the common sense （REAL MATH） and applications for the reality of/for quantitative renewable sources for power grids。 New technology （entire/ original and mostl Good summation on electricity。 it is the pivotal crux between how humans lived in the past and how/where/work/longevity they do now。 Every poverty depths nearly everywhere are scarred by not having electricity。 Without electricity， productivity becomes quite upon another scale。For me the book was at least 3。5 stars but I rounded it up for the common sense （REAL MATH） and applications for the reality of/for quantitative renewable sources for power grids。 New technology （entire/ original and mostly innovative and yet undiscovered） will probably arise。 He is optimistic。 Air and solar are nowhere near the scales or possibilities for replacing fossil fuels or water power sources。Some of the chapters were math heavy and excellent。 Nuclear power is one of the keys that some people will not accept as approaching green "standards"。 Some countries use nuclear power for a great predominance of their needs。 Nuclear is absolutely a factor。 Europe on the whole successfully。This book made me remember that two poor souls who were trying to keep the Venezuela grids up all by themselves during the collapse of those systems in that country。 As soon as floating power outages begin in major cities- you will hear more about this subject。Good book， but also hard to digest。 Most of the humans alive now in industrialized societies could not live where they live and how they live without electricity。 Especially in very hot or cold climates。 But also re work， goods production or 1000's of other factors。 Longevity will/would shrink immensely regardless。 We can't all just use less of everything and return to pre-electric livability。 Being the least you can be will never do it。 I have already seen generators being powered by gasoline in storm times。 Present batteries all have their problems。 I loved the charting on battery power near the end。 。。。more
Shana Yates
，
2。5 stars。Portions of this book are well written and well reasoned。 Bryce looks at a world that has an ever-increasing demand for electricity， what supplying electricity requires， and the huge difference in quality of life electricity allows （lifting people out of poverty， advancing women and girls toward equality， a release from drudgery）。 These parts of the book are interesting and engaging。 When it comes to how we are to supply the world with electricity is where what could have been a powerf 2。5 stars。Portions of this book are well written and well reasoned。 Bryce looks at a world that has an ever-increasing demand for electricity， what supplying electricity requires， and the huge difference in quality of life electricity allows （lifting people out of poverty， advancing women and girls toward equality， a release from drudgery）。 These parts of the book are interesting and engaging。 When it comes to how we are to supply the world with electricity is where what could have been a powerful book falters。 Bryce clearly has a strong opinion -- namely that the proponents of 100% renewable energy are， at best， Pollyannas， and at worst， dishonest fear-mongers。 Some of his points about the goal of 100% renewable are well-taken。 The world would be hard-pressed to find the space to deploy renewables sufficient to supply the current energy needs of the world， let alone the needs as the developing world （rightfully） tries to improve its lot。 But he undercuts his own arguments by not applying the same rigor to his preferred course of action （which includes a large dose of nuclear power） as he does to the courses of action he disapproves of。 I am not saying his conclusions are necessary wrong， but that his condescending and at times flippant dismissal of some ideas and arguments is glaring and could make readers question those conclusions due to his failure to attempt an even-handed assessment。 A few arguments make prime examples。 At one point in the book he dismisses concerns about the dangers of radiation exposure by stressing that only two people died as a result of the Fukushima disaster， that deaths from Chernobyl were not as extensive as people thought they would be， and by pointing out we are exposed to radiation on a daily basis。 Oh， and that radiation can be therapeutic -- which almost made me laugh， as if its use in small doses concentrated on tiny parts of the body make it no big deal。 （He also appears to be cherry-picking experts to quote without critically questioning them。） In contrast， when he is attacking renewables and especially wind farms/turbines， he talks about health risks， saying that some preliminary studies and anecdotal reports support the idea that people are right to have doubts about wind farms。 Again， I'm not saying there are not health effects -- but if he were to apply the same standard to wind that he did to nuclear I could see him saying wind farms are fine because no one has died from the effects of a turbine。 The other rhetorical device that lessened the quality of his book was to repeatedly point out how much energy a particular renewable generated and then say that the amount generated wouldn't even supply enough energy to [fill in the blank]。 He then would talk about how much landmass would be needed to supply the world with energy if using that particular renewable。 This was incredibly disappointing because it tacitly suggests that renewables are unrealistic because any one of them （solar， wind， water， geothermal） is not enough to meet universal needs。 The better and more honest point is that different renewables are suitable for different parts of the world （solar panels don't work in Seattle， but might work in the dessert）， and that by developing and deploying renewables in intelligent ways they can in coming years supply a growing percentage of world needs。 A last example of how he applied different standards depending on his personal point of view is evident in his evaluation of different energy sources and their impact on the environment。 He talks about fracking/extracting oil from shale and use of carbon-based fuels in a fairly cavalier way， with minimal attention given to environmental hazards （both potential and already perpetrated in our centuries of mining）。 Then he switches to discussing renewables and stresses the numbers of bats and birds killed by turbines。 Then he talks nuclear and never discusses the impact on wildlife of either Chernobyl or Fukushima， only saying at a later point that because nuclear has a smaller footprint you can preserve more of nature than with renewables。 Again， no one point is wrong， but the inconsistent weight given to the same type of argument makes him seem， to be charitable， fickle。Nothing disappoints me more than a book on an interesting and important topic where the author is so invested in making a point they give short shrift to the facts。 Bryce should have been confident enough in his conclusions （namely， that renewables cannot in the near-term， and maybe ever， fully supply our human civilization that has a monstrous need for power， and that use of nuclear energy is necessary if the goal of reducing carbon emissions is to be met） to have given a fair hearing to renewables。For anyone looking for a more balanced assessment of energy， I'd highly recommend Professor Micheal E。 Wysession's Great Courses lectures， The Science of Energy: Resources and Power Explained。 The Professor did what Bryce didn't - offered the reader a clear-eyed explanation of the various sources of power， their pros and cons， and the pragmatic conclusion that to supply the world is likely to take a mixture of renewables， an eventual phasing out of mass use of carbon-based fuels， and the greater integration of nuclear energy。 No panacea there or diatribe， just an objective evaluation of the state of energy in the world。 。。。more
Paul
，
You will not learn anything about the power grid。 This is mostly about politics with some random trivia thrown in。 Personally I agree with the authors opinions on the need to maintain the non-renewable backbones out of shear necessity but I wanted to learn about the grid not listen to someone ranting against wind turbines。
Vosheck
，
On one hand， Bryce defends non-renewables with the insignificant argument that ~50 yearly bald eagle die because of windmills。 On the other hand， Bryce minimizes the impact of nuclear plants by generalizing that "radiation can be therapeutic"。 Yes， radiation is useful against cancer by making the whole body weaker， but it doesn't mean that radiation promotes health of cancer-free people。Extremely biased。 On one hand， Bryce defends non-renewables with the insignificant argument that ~50 yearly bald eagle die because of windmills。 On the other hand， Bryce minimizes the impact of nuclear plants by generalizing that "radiation can be therapeutic"。 Yes， radiation is useful against cancer by making the whole body weaker， but it doesn't mean that radiation promotes health of cancer-free people。Extremely biased。 。。。more
Greg Humphreys
，
fantastic read。 An informative and easy read for anyone wanting to know more about electricity and how it powers the world。
Ben Rogers
，
This was a very good book。 I really enjoyed reading this。 An important book on energy and the environment。 Would highly recommend！4。7/5
Hardy Bazyani
，
O。K he makes a good case for nuclear power but thinks it is important to take into account a couple of 70 year olds headache when it comes to wind but Nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl disaster and Fukushima have not really hurt anybody。
The Inquisitive Biologist
，
Part history and reportage on electricity， A Question of Power is a thought-provoking book that is sure to ruffle feathers with its pro-nuclear outlook。 See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist。com/2022。。。 Part history and reportage on electricity， A Question of Power is a thought-provoking book that is sure to ruffle feathers with its pro-nuclear outlook。 See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist。com/2022。。。 。。。more
Katie
，
Most of us know remarkably little about the electricity that powers nearly everything in our lives。 Yet billions of people not all that different from us live short， backbreaking lives with little to no electricity， trapped in poverty and sickness the electrified West escaped centuries ago。 Through both science and story， this book explains the history of electricity， how it improves human lives， whether renewable energy is really better for the environment， and the incredible potential access t Most of us know remarkably little about the electricity that powers nearly everything in our lives。 Yet billions of people not all that different from us live short， backbreaking lives with little to no electricity， trapped in poverty and sickness the electrified West escaped centuries ago。 Through both science and story， this book explains the history of electricity， how it improves human lives， whether renewable energy is really better for the environment， and the incredible potential access to energy holds for the developing world。 。。。more
Luciano Costa
，
Did you know that the combined power consumption of the so-called Big Tech （Amazon， Google， Facebook， Microsoft） equals to demand of a whole country such as Ireland？ Energy currently used to power cannabis growing in US is almost the same ammount consumed by Peru。 This book brings several interesting data on the energy economics， explaining how electric power can be considered the most important force of our times。
Parker
，
Maybe I misread what this book was about。 Only about the first third of the book was about electricity's role in the wealth of nations （which was interesting） and the need for electrification。 But the next third was about the problem with renewables， and last part about the need for nuclear。 Which is all fine， but felt like a separate appendix。 Maybe I misread what this book was about。 Only about the first third of the book was about electricity's role in the wealth of nations （which was interesting） and the need for electrification。 But the next third was about the problem with renewables， and last part about the need for nuclear。 Which is all fine， but felt like a separate appendix。 。。。more
L。A。 Starks
，
This book， which is all about the importance of electricity in the entire world， especially where people don't have it--had the misfortune of being published right as the first wave of Covid-19 hit the US in March 2020。 Because we didn't know what the new normal would look like （hopefully a lot like the old normal， it now appears） I set this book aside until recently。 For readers concerned about having affordable， reliable electricity in the US， and more especially in places like India and Afric This book， which is all about the importance of electricity in the entire world， especially where people don't have it--had the misfortune of being published right as the first wave of Covid-19 hit the US in March 2020。 Because we didn't know what the new normal would look like （hopefully a lot like the old normal， it now appears） I set this book aside until recently。 For readers concerned about having affordable， reliable electricity in the US， and more especially in places like India and Africa， Bryce drills down to how that can be achieved。 There is no one fuel source （natural gas， coal， oil/diesel， nuclear， solar， wind） for electricity generation that is a panacea。 What Bryce illuminates， so to speak， is that solar & wind have big land use and trillion-dollar capital requirements， while nuclear， coal， and natural gas are very energy-dense。 Like his earlier book， Power Hungry， and an extension of a more recent book-- Smaller， Faster， Lighter， Denser， Cheaper--Bryce sees natural gas as a powerful transition fuel and nuclear as the best large-scale， long-term option。I recommend this book to those （and only those） nonfiction readers interested in the economics， business， technology and policy of electricity globally and--yes--climate change。 。。。more
Bookich Store
，
Buy the ebook from the cheap Store on the market: A Question of Power Electricity and the Wealth of Nations Buy the ebook from the cheap Store on the market: A Question of Power Electricity and the Wealth of Nations 。。。more
John Vincent
，
The book exhaustively and comprehensively covers all the pros and cons surrounding the generation and distribution of electricity and the restrictions that have limited it’s broader use in the past， present and potentially into the future。 My only concern is the author fails to realize， when he claims that electricity is a right that should provide to all through government intervention， is that that is in fact the primary source of the problem restricting it’s broader use。
Hill Krishnan
，
Electricity1。 No low energy and high income country。2。 Hurricane & no power。3。 Globally 1 billion has no access to electricity and 2 billion limited access。4。 Electricity is a big poverty killer。5。 Density: highly ordered energy。 Stack them。 Electricity great precision than steam engine。6。 Power density—tiny in farming。 7。 More electricity consumption improves country’s economics。8。 Bahrain， Iceland， Norway—rich electricity consumption 9。 Haiti， Ethiopian， Tanzania —poor 10。 Vertical CITY: heigh Electricity1。 No low energy and high income country。2。 Hurricane & no power。3。 Globally 1 billion has no access to electricity and 2 billion limited access。4。 Electricity is a big poverty killer。5。 Density: highly ordered energy。 Stack them。 Electricity great precision than steam engine。6。 Power density—tiny in farming。 7。 More electricity consumption improves country’s economics。8。 Bahrain， Iceland， Norway—rich electricity consumption 9。 Haiti， Ethiopian， Tanzania —poor 10。 Vertical CITY: height is electricity and more people to live。 Elevator & electricity。 ~9 millions NYC because of electricity。11。 Washing machine freed so many women from burden to slavery in impoverished countries！12。 Electricity & women enfranchisement are followed in many countries！13。 Life expectancy is 16 years lesser among unplugged countries！ Low education achievement too！14。 Globalization of electricity is almost none。 It has to be produced inside！ Loss of power in transportation and sovereignty are the problems。so， can’t import。15。 INTEGRITY （no leakage—no stealing like in Pakistan）:， CAPITAL—most capital intensive industry & FUEL—coal。 16。 Destroying electricity—Iraqi war—electric grid using tomahawks missiles。 —humanitarian crisis。 Even in 2015 they were able to produce only 4 hours of electricity！17。 Lebanon: generator mafia。 Only few hours by the government。 Israel v。 Lebanon—Israeli hit $200 million electricity grid。 18。 India: coal—“Dirty electricity。” 300 million Indians in poverty and can’t abandon the above。 So， China is 50% of global coal consumption。19。 US & Australia have 300 years of coal。 Russian 400 years！20。 Giant 5: new data center and own electricity grid。 Together they consume as much as Ireland。 It’s demand increase dramatically！21。 Crypto currency looking for cheap power usage。 Switzerland because cold and data storage doesn’t need a lot of a/c 22。 EMP attack: 4 to 10 years no electricity in America。 “Book: Lights out。”23。 2018 only 5% of homes have a/c。 10 a/c sold every second in the next decades！ 24。 Desalination plants need enormous electricity。 Water demand is going up！25。 Republicans support nuclear energy more than democrats since 1972。 26。 3 problems of renewable energy: Cost; storage （storing power and waste in nuclear） and land usage！ 27。 Natural gas is more future usage。 。。。more
Boothby
，
He has an ax to grind about wind power， which undercut the reliability of many of his claims about the environmental movement。 For example， he's willing to argue that the energy from natural gas extraction outweighs its industrial run-off， earthquakes， but not to wind power for。。。 noise pollution and the aesthetic objections of homeowners。 However， the brief history of the history of America's electrification was good。 The necessities of electricity， and the considerations of building up a relia He has an ax to grind about wind power， which undercut the reliability of many of his claims about the environmental movement。 For example， he's willing to argue that the energy from natural gas extraction outweighs its industrial run-off， earthquakes， but not to wind power for。。。 noise pollution and the aesthetic objections of homeowners。 However， the brief history of the history of America's electrification was good。 The necessities of electricity， and the considerations of building up a reliable grid were well developed and argued。 。。。more
Robert
，
A really well-researched and written discussion on electricity， access to power （electricity）， and its implications for personal and state （government） wealth。 I learned a LOT from Robert Bryce in this expose。 Everyone， seriously， everyone should read this book。
Fearless Leader
，
Completely worthless book
Jaidee
，
4 "zap me with a golden fork" stars ！！ Runner Up -The Pleasant Surprise Award of 2021 My thanks go out to Netgalley， the author and Perseus Books for an e-copy。 This was released March 2020。 I am providing my honest review。 This book was a fascinating， clear and concise introduction to the history， economics and cultivation of electricity。 We rely more and more on electricity for our health， quality of life， economic well-being， comfort， learning and transportation。 Think of how stressed and lo 4 "zap me with a golden fork" stars ！！ Runner Up -The Pleasant Surprise Award of 2021 My thanks go out to Netgalley， the author and Perseus Books for an e-copy。 This was released March 2020。 I am providing my honest review。 This book was a fascinating， clear and concise introduction to the history， economics and cultivation of electricity。 We rely more and more on electricity for our health， quality of life， economic well-being， comfort， learning and transportation。 Think of how stressed and lost you feel when you experience a planned or unexpected blackout and it only lasts half an hour。 Our world would quite literally fall apart without the commodity of electricity。 Mr。 Bryce writes in a helpful， humorous and informative fashion about all that he has learned as a writer focusing on electricity on the world stage。 He also presents a balanced presentation of the environmental damages that coal， natural gas， nuclear power， coal and mining rare metals has on our lives and future of our planet。 He talks about some of the myths perpetrated by environmentalists about solar and wind power and the limitation of these forms of electricity generation。 He visits various places in the world and talks about countries that have little electricity that does not supply society's needs and the impact has on the population's health and well-being and futures。 I am withdrawing a final star as he does not really talk about （in enough depth） non-resource related issues such as dire overpopulation， animal extinction， the true cost of climate change， western gluttony and greed and the criminality of electricity in poorer nation distribution。 This is a book that helped balance my views and open my eyes。 Thank you Mr。 Bryce ！ 。。。more
Connor Wytko
，
More about societal impactI have read one book previously by Mr。 Bryce （Power Hungry） which was much more technical and focused with just the numbers。 This one keeps some of the numbers while presenting the great sweeps and trends of each of the major power producers。
Peter S
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The first 3 quarters of this book were not very interesting to me - his narrative about grids， cities， etc。 was somewhat obvious。 I really， however， liked the fourth part where the author discussed the amount of power we need globally moving forward to sustain modern life and how we are （and aren't） going to be able to do it。 Solar is great but without extreme advances in batteries， can only be so useful at helping us get to all of our needs。 Wind is similar， but way more of a nuisance to rural The first 3 quarters of this book were not very interesting to me - his narrative about grids， cities， etc。 was somewhat obvious。 I really， however， liked the fourth part where the author discussed the amount of power we need globally moving forward to sustain modern life and how we are （and aren't） going to be able to do it。 Solar is great but without extreme advances in batteries， can only be so useful at helping us get to all of our needs。 Wind is similar， but way more of a nuisance to rural people if they are on land。 Nuclear has to play a bigger role。 Leaning into all three is important， but recognizing each of their deficiencies in setting up future power generation is also crucial。 。。。more
Davin
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Outstanding and fascinating read would highly recommend
tpg0
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As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions， but I can provide information about the book 'A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations'。 The book 'A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations' is written by Robert Bryce， a journalist and author。 The book explores how electricity has influenced the economic and political development of countries around the world。 The book also addresses the importance of electricity as a resource to grow the economy and to promote human development。 Robert Bryce argues that access to electricity is a key issue for poor and developing countries to address。 The book is a fascinating read for anyone interested in energy policy， economic development， and how electricity shapes modern society。
tpg1
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As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions or preferences， but I can provide an objective overview of the book 'A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations。' Written by Robert Bryce， this compelling book explores the complex relationship between electricity and economic growth in various countries around the world。 Bryce argues that access to reliable and affordable electricity is a critical factor in determining a nation's economic well-being， and that those countries that have invested in the development of their power infrastructure have achieved greater prosperity over time。 The author highlights the challenges and opportunities presented by the current global energy landscape， including the growth of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power。 Bryce also discusses the potential consequences of a world increasingly dependent on electricity， including issues related to climate change and security。 Overall， 'A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations' provides a thought-provoking look at one of the most important issues facing societies today。 It is well-researched， engagingly written， and should be of interest to academics， policymakers， and general readers alike。
tpg2
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As an AI language model， I cannot have personal opinions or reviews about a book， but I can provide you with some information。 'A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations' is a non-fiction book written by Robert Bryce。 In this book， the author explores the role of electricity in the economic growth and development of nations。 He argues that access to reliable and affordable electricity is essential for a country's ability to compete in the global marketplace。 Through a combination of historical research and contemporary analysis， Bryce examines the ways in which electricity has shaped modern societies and economies。 He also explores the challenges involved in providing universal access to electricity and the potential for renewable energy sources to transform the energy landscape。 Overall， 'A Question of Power' is a thought-provoking book that sheds light on the critical role that electricity plays in today's world。 It is recommended for readers interested in energy policy， economic development， and global affairs。
Tag
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a question of power electricity and the wealth of nations