A Question of Power by Robert Bryce

A Question of Power

Electricity and the Wealth of Nations

Robert Bryce

PublicAffairs · Print & ebook · March 10, 2020

An “informative and highly readable” (Foreign Affairs) breakdown of the history of electricity and the impact of global energy use on the world and the environment 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.

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Who it’s for
Trace how reliable electricity shapes prosperity, daily life, and the choices ahead on climate change.
Genres
Electrical Power, Technology, Energy Policy
Published
PublicAffairs, March 10, 2020

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About this book

An “informative and highly readable” (Foreign Affairs) breakdown of the history of electricity and the impact of global energy use on the world and the environment 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.

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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.

Power, Plainly

Trace how reliable electricity shapes prosperity, daily life, and the choices ahead on climate change.

Come here for

  • A clear-eyed history of electricity and its human stakes
  • Energy access, inequality, and climate change in the same frame

Expect

  • Readable explanation grounded in reporting across several countries
  • Direct analysis of electrification and the energy choices it demands

Where it sits

Energy Policy42%
Technology42%
Electrical Power27%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Energy Industry
  • Globalization
  • Energy Policy
Authors
Robert Bryce
Publisher
PublicAffairs
Published
March 10, 2020
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Energy Industry