Bradford makes an enthusiastic case for photovoltaic electricity.

books:


	• Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry Travis Bradford The MIT Press, 2006 - 254 pages average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Bradford makes an enthusiastic case for photovoltaic electricity.

We know that our descendents will eventually have to find some energy source other than oil & natural gas. While I think we should be making much more of our electricity with nuclear power, others disagree. Travis Bradford is a Harvard MBA who also has an MPA (master of public administration), also from Harvard. He is also the founder and president of the Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development and puts all his efforts into promoting business and market based sustainable energy. Obviously, when world governments are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into fossil fuels each year, there has to be a public policy component, as well.

Bradford sees photovoltaic generated electricity (solar cell) as a big part of our future. The price per kilowatt hour has been dropping and he sees the trend continuing so that it will converge and become competitive with fossil fuels, but with many advantages. The author sees PV cells as a solution for big utility companies that need to add peak demand capacity (which is during the day when the Sun is up), as a way to bring electricity to remote locations where it is impractical to bring in electricity or have large power plants. Homeowners who want to lessen their dependency on the grid can also add them to their energy mix rather simply.

However, he never addresses the pollution caused in making PV cells or the cost of disposing of them or the availability of the materials to make them. I guess he believes that if the cost is going down it must be confirmation that PV cells are a good thing. Look, I hope he is right. We do need more electricity available for people around the world to make their lives better. Still, the book does read somewhat boosterish for my taste.

for more information click here

Good, but a little too basic

I feel the basic assumptions in the book are reasonable. For example, one key point that he makes is with the issue of peak energy cost and how solar fits in nicely with satisfying this need. This itself will be a key driver for alternative, and specifically solar growth. Peak energy is about 30% of the total power requirement in many nations. Considering that solar currently only contributes around 0.01% of the world's total electricity needs, it is clear that it has a lot of room to grow.

Less convincing his is argument that local production and consumption will reduce distribution costs. I dont think this is a given as there may be large distances between production and consumption. This is after all how the feed in tarrif system is supposed to work. The only way distribution will be reduced significantly is if the bulk of the energy is consumed locally - and this will only take place if there is an efficient mechanism to store the surplus energy locally. Currently, there is none.

What I also found lacking was the derivation of costs (per watt hour or peak watts). He introduces these terms and presents various cost curves, but does not go into the details of how they are determined. In the end, it is all about costs and he should have spent more time on this topic.

for more information click here

La Energia del Futuro

Muy buen libro. Recomiendo su lectura ya que será la energía del futuro. Saludos
José

A comprehensive view of an off-the-grid future

Travis Bradford is the president and founder of a nonprofit organization that promotes the use of renewable energy. He is convinced of the necessity of solar energy and he wants to persuade you, too. He considers the various ways society currently produces power and the new technologies now underway, and makes the most generous assumptions in trends, advances and breakthroughs in favor of solar energy. Bradford's arguments are lucid, if a bit rose-colored. You may find them plausible or you may find them to be more advocacy than science. However, the world clearly needs new power sources and solar will undoubtedly play a significant role. We recommend this book to everyone who is concerned about global resources. You may not agree with its conclusions, but it is still worth reading for its information about the issues involved.

for more information click here

present and future of the PV industry

This is a great book. It talks about the Photovoltaics industry in a way that avoids traditional cliches. The authors approach the subject from a strictly economic point of view, preaching the inevitability of "the Solar Revolution," and supporting it with a series of logical arguments. Props to the authors.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

In Solar Revolution, fund manager and former corporate buyout specialist Travis Bradford argues--on the basis of standard business and economic forecasting models--that over the next two decades solar energy will increasingly become the best and cheapest choice for most electricity and energy applications. Solar Revolution outlines the path by which the transition to solar technology and sustainable energy practices will occur.

Developments in the photovoltaic (PV) industry over the last ten years have made direct electricity generation from PV cells a cost-effective and feasible energy solution, despite the common view that PV technology appeals only to a premium niche market. Bradford shows that PV electricity today has become the choice of hundreds of thousands of mainstream homeowners and businesses in many markets worldwide, including Japan, Germany, and the American Southwest.

Solar energy will eventually be the cheapest source of energy in nearly all markets and locations because PV can bypass the aging and fragile electricity grid and deliver its power directly to the end user, fundamentally changing the underlying economics of energy. As the scale of PV production increases and costs continue to decline at historic rates, demand for PV electricity will outpace supply of systems for years to come.

Ultimately, the shift from fossil fuels to solar energy will take place not because solar energy is better for the environment or energy security, or because of future government subsidies or as yet undeveloped technology. The solar revolution is already occurring through decisions made by self-interested energy users. The shift to solar energy is inevitable and will be as transformative as the last century's revolutions in information and communication technologies.

for more information click here

hot