Barnham is a physicist who is very optimistic about the future of solar, having worked in photovoltaics for many years.
The first part focuses on explaining the physics of solar power and while Barnham tries to make it nontechnical, I feel that a reader would still require a good amount of experience in physics and chemistry in order to understand it.
The rest of the book is more accessible to a general audience and talks about how the solar revolution can pick up pace, regarding government policy and individual action.
He goes indepth about a number of renewable technologies and explains them, including geothermal, heat pumps, and wind turbines.
He also gives much information on the history of nuclear weapons and nuclear power and explains why nuclear is dangerous, expensive, and unnecessary for the future and we should be focusing on true renewables instead.
I greatly enjoyed Barnham's enthusiasm and optimism, I think that it can be tempered a bit by reading "the Conundrum" by David Owen, which points out that while it is possible to run on renewables, we also have to make a change and use less electricity in general in our everyday lives.
This book certainly points out several flaws in more pessimistic arguments and is presented logically and in a way that appeals to emotions.
If you are looking for information on the absurdity of fracked natural gas being presented as "green," this is a good place to get that information.
Also, he points out that nuclear fusion reactors are extremely expensive, unreliable, will cost taxpayers lots of money and lead to higher energy costs to pay for the construction of a new reactor, etc.
He also points out, correctly, the big elephant in the room when it comes to nuclear reactors, which is the Fukushima disaster, still contaminating the ocean more than half a decade after the disaster.
I recommend reading this book along with "the Conundrum" by David Owen and the "Encyclical on Climate Change and Inequality" by Pope Francis "the Conundrum" will point out that the reality of switching to renewables involves a personal change as well as a technological change, and the "Encyclical on Climate Change and Inequality" gives some ideas of how to make that personal change.
I was very impressed with all the information on solar power that was described in this book, There is so much to learn about energy consumption and use rom the author, Now I think differently about the resources we use to power our homes and businesses, Thank you for all the research and information you have given and a well written book,
Thank you GoodReads.
Thank you Keith for sharing : Barnham definitely makes the case for alternative energy, especially solar, While it was an interesting read, it was definitely beyond my ability to comprehend the science at times, This book is a wonderful tool for the wouldbe environmental warrior, It is filled with knowledge of how fight the good fight for Mother Earth, His passion comes shining through in the final chapter as he lays out a game plan for those who may wish to join in the fight.
An inspiring and informative read on the current situation of renewable energy in parts of the world, I did feel that it was a bit repetitive in some parts it could have been edited down maybeorpages.
Overall I recommend it to anyone who is at all interested in renewable energy or the future of our planet.
Using the littleknown equationEhfas the foundation for a compelling new vision, The Burning Answer reveals the importance of embracing solar energy as the only solution to the global energy crisis.
Our society faces a choice, We could be enjoying a sustainable lifestyle but we have chosen not to, In three generations we have consumed half the oil produced by photosynthesis over eight million generations, In two generations we have used half our uranium resources, With threats from global warming, oil depletion and nuclear disaster, we are running out
of options, Solar power, as Keith Barnham explains, is our necessary solution,
In The Burning Answer he uncovers the connections between physics and politics that have resulted in our dependence on a highcarbon lifestyle, which only a solar revolution can now overcome.
Einstein's famous equation Emcled to the atomic bomb and the widespread use of nuclear energy it has delayed a solar revolution in many countries.
In a fascinating tour of recent scientific history, Keith Barnham reveals Einstein's other, less famous equation, the equation the world could have relied on.
Barnham explains that the roots of solar energy lie in a little known equation Ehf, an equation which was coincidentally celebrated and explained to the world by Einstein in the same year he discovered Emc.
He alleges that the former equation has been overlooked in favor of the latter, much to our detriment, and Barnham is here to offer us a solution: we can still turn things around and solar energy is the key.
While everyone is aware of solar energy, people are still not paying enough attention, and so as well as explaining the science behind it, Barnham takes his subject forward to advise on what we should be doing to utilize this amazing energy source.
In this provocative, inspiring, passionately argued book, Keith Barnham outlines actions that any one and all of us can take to make an impact now and on future generations.
The Burning Answer is a solar manifesto for the new climateaware generation and a mustread for climatechange skeptics.
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