Reinventing Fire (eBook)

1. Defossilizing fuels

The true cost of oil addiction

Oil and insecurity

Coal's hidden costs

Turning the supertanker

Lighting the new fire

No miracles required

2. Transportation : fitter vehicles, smarter use

Designing and building autos differently

Using autos more productively

The rest of the story : beyond automobiles

Powering vehicles with cleaner energy

Conclusion : better mobility at lower cost without oil

3. Buildings : designs for better living

Understanding today's building quagmire

The efficiency revolution : what's profitable and what's possible

The conundrum and the challenge

Solving the efficiency puzzle

Conclusion : more comfort, more productivity, less energy, stronger economics

4. Industry : remaking how we make things

How the industrial jungle drives U.S. energy demand

Viewing industry through the efficiency lens

How much more productive can industry become?

Transforming the industrial jungle

Conclusion : competitiveness through radical energy productivity

5. Electricity : repowering prosperity

Imagining the next electricity system

Maintain : the elusiveness of "business-as-usual"

Migrate : the conventional approach to "carbon-free" electricity

Renew : tapping nature's inexhaustible energy sources

Transform : a seismic shift in scale

Four cases, one broad direction

How do we get there from here?

Conclusion : the path forward

6. Many choices, one future

Looking back from 2050

How can reinventing fire evolve smoothly?

How do we seize the 2050 prize?

Kindling the new fire

lt;p>Book News-

Author Lovins, a government consultant on energy, is co-founder and chief scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute, an independent think-tank on the use of natural resources. In this color illustrated book for business leaders and others, Lovins predicts that if businesses start now to adopt currently available alternative energy technologies at normal rates of return, the US can realistically stop using oil and coal by 2050, for a savings of $5 trillion. The author argues that because the necessary legislation and public policy are already in place for the transition to clean power, the transition can come about through market-based innovation across many different industries. After explaining the true costs of oil and coal, the book focuses on transportation, building design, improvements in industry energy efficiency, and carbon-free electricity generation. The book's reader-friendly layout includes color photos, charts, and case and example boxes on every page, combined with an accessible writing style. While the contributors are all affiliated with Rocky Mountain Institute, the book's content has been reviewed by outside experts as well. A web site offers supporting methodological and technical material.

ForeWord Reviews-

Reinventing Fire is an engaging and comprehensive introduction to the issues and challenges tied to our nation's energy use. Amory Lovins is a noted authority on energy—especially its efficient use and sustainable supply. In 2009, Time named him among the world's 100 most influential people, and Foreign Policy, one of the 100 top global thinkers. In 1982, Lovins co-founded the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), an independent, nonprofit think tank focused on the ‘efficient and restorative use of resources.’  The team's expertise is evident, as Lovins and fellow RMI researchers outline the current state of energy use, including what they call the nation's "addiction to fossil fuels," and propose an array of transformational solutions. Their long-term view emphasizes smart business strategy over public policy as the route to the ‘new energy era.’ The ‘winners’ in this new era will be those companies, organizations—and even nations—nimble and innovative enough to anticipate and realize the opportunities.  Following a review of our energy profile today, the book sets the stage with two contrasting scenarios for energy consumption in 2050, one that is ‘business as usual’ and one that ‘reinvents fire.’ The optimal scenario would reduce overall energy consumption through innovation and efficiency, while increasing use of renewable sources and bringing a multitude of benefits—to the economy and the environment, as well as to our health and national security.  The challenges posed by this book are at once inspirational and daunting, but Reinventing Fire makes it clear that facing them with passion and ingenuity is essential to our future prosperity as a people and a nation.

Choice-

Energy forms the basis of modern living and is tied to every country's economic, political, social, health, and environmental policies. This well-documented work by energy expert Lovins (cofounder, Rocky Mountain Institute) and RMI staff begins by discussing the growing economic and environmental impact of fossil fuel dependence. Next, separate chapters address four different energy-intensive sectors in the US: transportation, buildings, industry, and electricity. Each chapter includes data on current energy consumption along with ways to change existing patterns (e.g., new designs, renewable sources, more-efficient practices). The concluding chapter ‘Many Choices, One Future,’ looks at the US in 2050: shortened workdays, decreased road traffic, a cleaner atmosphere, and a huge amount of capital formerly wasted on fossil fuels available to address various social challenges. This assumes that the path charted in ‘Reinventing Fire’ is at work. The authors argue that their proposal is economically feasible and would create jobs, positively impact the environment, and enhance the global competitiveness of the US. Among the barriers listed, the resistance of political incumbents and an absence of visionary political leaders committed to these fundamental changes stand out. A must read for anyone who deals with energy, especially decision makers. Summing up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals; general readers.