The Switch: How solar, storage and new tech means cheap power for all - Softcover

Goodall, Chris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1781256357 ISBN 13: 9781781256350

Publisher: IPS - Profile Books, 2016

Synopsis

How will the world be powered in ten years' time? Not by fossil fuels. Energy experts are all saying the same thing: solar photovoltaics (PV) is our future. Reports from universities, investment banks, international institutions and large investors agree. It's not about whether the switch from fossil fuels to solar power will happen, but when.
Solar panels are being made that will last longer than ever hoped; investors are seeing the benefits of the long-term rewards provided by investing in solar; in the Middle East, a contractor can now offer solar-powered electricity far cheaper than that of a coal-fired power station. The Switch tracks the transition away from coal, oil and gas to a world in which the limitless energy of the sun provides much of the energy the 10 billion people of this planet will need. It examines both the solar future and how we will get there, and the ways in which we will provide stored power when the sun isn't shining.
We learn about artificial photosynthesis from a start-up in the US that is making petrol from just CO2 and sunlight; ideas on energy storage are drawn from a company in Germany that makes batteries for homes; in the UK, a small company in Swindon has the story of wind turbines; and in Switzerland, a developer shows how we can use hydrogen to make 'renewable' natural gas for heating.
Told through the stories of entrepreneurs, inventors and scientists from around the world, and using the latest research and studies, The Switch provides a positive solution to the climate change crisis, and looks to a brighter future ahead.

About this title

About the Author

Chris Goodall is a consultant and adviser to investors and companies across the fields of low-carbon energy and the circular economy. He is an academic referee for the journal Biomass and Bioenergy and his writing has appeared in the Guardian, The Ecologist and Abundance Generation. He is author of four books on energy and the environment, including Ten Technologies to Fix Energy and Climate, The Green Guide for Business and How to Live a Low-carbon Life. He lives in Oxford.

From the Back Cover

There's a revolution going on. Every two years, solar energy is doubling in size and falling twenty per cent in price. In places as different as India, Brazil and parts of the United States, solar is now cheaper than coal. And batteries are following the same curve. By 2030, fossil fuels - oil and gas, as well as coal - will be fighting for survival.

Why has this happened? The answer lies in the almost magical qualities of the Experience Curve which pushes costs down rapidly as production ramps up. We've known for decades that PV will get cheaper and cheaper. But the speed of The Switch has taken analysts and governments by surprise.

Energy from the sun will give us cheap, low-carbon electricity - and with new battery technologies this will be all most of the world's population needs. In northerly climes, and for transport, we need further innovations, to turn surplus summer electricity into renewable natural gas and liquid fuels that can be stored for months or even years. This, too, is happening.

The Switch is inevitable. And it is changing everything.

Edition details

• Publisher: IPS - Profile Books
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1781256357
• ISBN 13: 9781781256350
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288