Energy and American Society Thirteen Myths

Top experts debunk and contextualize thirteen energy myths

This book explores the myths that continue to exist in American culture concerning energy, the environment, and society. It debunks and contextualizes thirteen energy myths relating to electric power, renewable energy, energy efficiency, transportation, and climate change. Twenty-four of the nation's top experts working on energy policy in industry, government laboratories, utilities, nonprofit organizations, and universities set the record straight in this book, providing important insight into how many energy challenges facing the country might be managed and resolved. The book will help start a conscious and informed dialogue, the first step to establishing a smart energy policy.

Enrolls 24 top experts on energy policy from a variety of fields Provides an interdisciplinary discussion of energy technologies Can serve as a text for energy studies Will appeal to an international audience

Auteur

Dr. Benjamin K. Sovacool is a Eugene P. Wigner Post-doctoral Fellow in Science Policy at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN. Previously, Dr. Sovacool served as a research analyst for the Consortium on Energy Restructuring, where he worked on a grant from the National Science Foundation's Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security Program investigating the social and legal impediments to renewable energy systems. He is also a former Senior Research Fellow at the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research in Blacksburg, Virginia, where he assessed renewable energy potential for the state of Virginia.

Dr. Marilyn A. Brown is Chair of Energy Policy in the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Distinguished Visiting Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dr. Brown is an internationally recognized expert on issues surrounding the commercialization of new energy and environmental technologies and the evaluation of government programs and policies. She has authored more than 150 publications and has been an expert witness in hearings before Committees of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. She is also a member of the National Commission on Energy Policy and the National Academies Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, and is a Certified Energy Manager.

Contenu
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 Problems.- 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 Reached Their Potential$1$.- 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 Energy And American Society.