Hot off the press--Amory Lovins and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) put forth their vision for a fossil free energy future for the planet in 2050.
From transportation, "designing and building automobiles differently," to the efficiency revolution in building design to "imagining the next electrical system", the book outlines a a bold new energy path for all of us.
I asked my public library to order this book and they did. You can ask the library in your community to do this also.
The book is chock full details, yet also highly readable.
Here are some excerpts from one of my favorite sections--"Looking Back from 2050".
The coffee smells the same and the view outside the window of the house onto a quiet neighborhood looks fairly similar. But the house is so well designed and insulated that it needs no central source of heat...Not only that, but our house has become a modest income-earner. Instead of paying over $100 per month for household energy bills, we get a monthly check for the surplus electricity produced...Though our electric auto is three times lighter, slightly cheaper to buy, and far cheaper to run than autos were 40 years ago, it's safer, peppier, just as spacious and even more luxurious..American troops no longer guard oil, don't need it, and rejoice that it's no longer worth fighting over...My workspace is bathed in the warm glow of natural light, filtered through trees and nourishing the verdant gardens inside. There's no noisy ventilation system but plenty of naturally flowing fresh air, and every room has operable windows. Our building, like most, exports net electricity from its solar roof and walls...New industries have sprung up, while some old industries have waned...industrial cogeneration plants all run on waste or natural gas...more and more electricity comes from nearby..in my 2050, America no longer uses oil, nor can you expect to buy it where you recharge or refuel your car..the last shreds of coal for industrial process heat are being phased out. The last coal-fired power plant became an industrial museum in 2036...In short, one step at a time we have reinvented fire.
President Bill Clinton's endorsement graces the cover.
A wise, detailed, and comprehensive blueprint.
In our little community of rural Alaska, I can see us embracing the possibilities of more energy-efficient street lights, more energy-efficient construction, and the newly designed automobiles. Geothermal, solar, wind, and tidal power have potential if utility regulatory commissions create policies that require utilities to buy extra energy produced by individual entities on a small scale. We can work toward hydro-power projects that are NOT located on highly productive salmon streams.
It will take all of us working together within our own areas of influence and expertise to make this happen. Lovins helps jumpstart this essential discussion. The decisions we make now do matter.