Power to the People

"[Vaitheeswaran's] plainly written and accessible Power to the People is a window on a technology-driven, environmentally clean future where oil and coal will be relics of a dirty past and fuel cells will reign supreme. Mr. Vaitheeswaran, the energy and environment correspondent for The Economist, stays true to his magazine's free-market forces—much to the detriment of President Bush's Big Oil constituents—based on pure-burning hydrogen fuel and decentralized 'micropower' . . . In [this] thoroughly researched survey . . . we're treated to glimpses of 'feel-good' environmental projects that seek to buck the primacy of fossil fuels [and] examples are presented in vivid detail—without arcane science or thickets of techno-babble."—Gabriel Sherman, The New York Observer

"As good a manifesto for the new energy world as you will find."—Fred Pearce, New Scientist

"Vaitheeswaran tackles . . . hard questions at the core of society's energy dilemmas with style, balance, and insight. The style is entertaining and accessible. The balance is impeccable—Vaitheeswaran generally lets the most forceful and effective exponents on different sides of the major issues state their case in their own words—but after ventilating the various positions he is not afraid to let the reader know where he comes out . . . Vaitheeswaran brings to these questions the respect for markets and market-like mechanisms of a writer for The Economist, the understanding of technology of an M.I.T.-trained engineer, and the sympathy for the plight of the world's poor of an individual born in India—all of which he happens to be. He also happens to have, in my judgement, a good sense of how to think about—and convey—the interplay of the economic, technological, environmental, and socio-political dimensions of the energy issue, as well as the reasons that the uncertainties afflicting our knowledge of all the dimensions do not add up to a good reason for inaction . . . Vaitheeswaran's book is by far the most helpful, entertaining, up-to-date, and accessible treatment of the energy-economy-environment problematique available."—John P. Holdren, Scientific American

"In a crucial area of public discourse that is too often dominated by flamethrowers from either side of the political spectrum, Vijay Vaitheeswaran's Power to the People provides a welcome relief: a balanced assessment of where we are, how we got here, and where our actions today may be taking us in the years ahead."—Robert N. Stavins, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

"The post-fossil-fuel age is coming faster than you think, and Power to the People shows why. Discover the energy future in an important, lively and highly readable book."—Gregg Easterbrook, author of The Progress Paradox

"Written in the easy, fluent style that makes Vijay Vaitheeswaran so readable in The Economist, Power to the People examines the energy future, including the prospects for fossil fuels, with a calm rationality that will surely command the respect of people across the political spectrum. More to the point, it does so in a spirit of optimism that doesn't prescribe a disruptive trade-off between preserving our environment and providing enough energy for continuing human progress."—Lord Browne of Madingley, BP chief executive

"People need power. The challenge of meeting future energy needs has long moved beyond the realm of increased supply. Vaitheeswaran's analysis offers both a strategic ivory tower perspective as well as a breathtaking review of paradigm shifts and new technological frontiers. This is a book about the future—and the choices we face. Whether you are a pessimist, skeptic or optimist, Power to the People will challenge your assumptions without offering simplistic answers."—Achim Steiner, Director General, IUCN—The World Conservation Union

"The post-petroleum age is approaching rapidly, and who better to herald its arrival than a top journalist for The Economist. In Power to the People, Vijay Vaitheeswaran compellingly describes the vast innovations in technology and policy that are beginning to shake the energy industry to its core. It is a sign of the times that 'alternative' energy is now attracting as much interest from business executives focused on the bottom line as it is from ecologists focused on climate change: as described in this book, the 'coming energy revolution' is as logical, and perhaps as inevitable, as it is necessary."—Christopher Flavin, President, Worldwatch Institute

"We are at an energy crossroads, and the path taken in the next few years will affect every person on the planet. Vijay Vaitheeswaran has produced a thoughtful and provocative book that maps the choices we face and the trade-offs we will encounter. Power to the People explodes myths, highlights our energy options, and shows the way to an energy future that is very different from the past. This volume is must reading for anyone who cares about the environment."—Daniel Esty, Director, Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy

"Vijay Vaitheeswaran's analysis of where we stand right now on the energy front is well reasoned, insightful, and tempered. At a time when the whole world is increasingly worried about our energy future, Vaitheeswaran takes us on an engaging, and ultimately hopeful, exploratory journey, investigating the many choices that lie ahead."—Jeremy Rifkin, author of The Hydrogen Economy

"Many books on energy are filled with table after mind-numbing table, others with paeans to the all-powerful forces of free markets or the supposed magic of green energy technologies. Vaitheeswaran has written a book on energy that is factual, non-polemical and—can it really be?—fun to read! No one will agree with everything the author has to say about the world's energy future. Everyone will finish this book knowing much more about this important subject than they did before."—Paul R. Portney, President, Resources for the Future

"The best review of the world's energy situation that this reviewer has read. The author is extremely knowledgeable about the subject, and interviewed a wide variety of the most influential people in the field, e.g., the president of Exxon, the head of Britain's Power Grid, and similar movers and shakers. His questioning was razor sharp and far-reaching. This is not an easy field to master, and the literature is strewn with ignorant or biased appraisals, always presented as 'fair and balanced.' Trillions of dollars and the well-being of billions of people ride on the judgements and conclusions reached about this topic. The future of the Third World in particular will hinge on the wisdom of the decision-makers. The interview topics are right out of the headlines—Enron, California power, OPEC, the Kyoto treaty—and the conflicting answers the author got reveal the depth of the economic and political chasms that must be spanned . . . Essential. All levels."—J. C. Comer, Northern Illinois University (emeritus), Choice