Many people wonder: Are we really running out of oil or is it all a ruse to drive prices up?
Is nuclear power safe and economical? Is solar energy really the key to providing plenty of
carbon-free energy? Do we have enough natural gas or coal to make any loss of oil production
irrelevant? In Power Plays: Energy Options in the Age of Peak Oil energy expert Robert Rapier
helps readers sort through energy hype doom and gloom and misinformation to understand what
really matters in energy and how it impacts individuals investors businesspeople and policy
makers worldwide. The book covers the overall global energy situation the particular risks for
the U.S. with its present energy mix the energy outlook for the developed world and emerging
economies like China and India what peak oil really means and the present and likely future
of natural gas coal oil nuclear power and alternative energy sources. The book also
addresses common misconceptions. For instance most readers are likely unaware that the U.S. is
the third-largest oil producer in the world. Or that Canada leads the U.S. in per capita oil
consumption. It will also highlight interesting facts-for example China has solved part of its
energy challenge by mandating solar hot water systems in all new construction. Most importantly
the book will provide specific energy insights unavailable elsewhere and help individuals and
business planners chart future actions and decisions. With the disaster at Fukushima the
discovery of the Marcellus shale natural gas deposits the increasing efficiency of solar
electricity installations and the unsustainable supply of oil the energy outlook has changed
greatly over the last couple of years. What's now required is just what this book delivers: a
sober even-handed account of our energy resources present and future that will help people
plan for a world without cheap energy.
