A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations

by Robert Bryce

Overview

In the ancient world it was guns, germs, and steel that determined the fates of people and nations; now, more than ever, it is electricity.

Global demand for power is doubling every two decades, but electricity remains one of the most difficult forms of energy to supply and do so reliably. Today, some three billion people are still living in places where per-capita electricity use is less than what's used by an average American refrigerator. How we close the enormous gap between the electricity rich and the electricity poor will affect everything from women's rights and healthcare to warfare and climate change.

In A Question of Power, Robert Bryce tells the human story of electricity and explains why some countries have successfully electrified while so many others remain stuck in the dark. He shows how our cities, our money—our very lives—depend on reliable flows of electricity.

Electricity has fueled a new epoch in the history of civilization. A Question of Power explains how that happened and what it means for our future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781549157554
Publisher:	Public Affairs
Publication date:	03/10/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 5.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Robert Bryce is the acclaimed author of five previous books, including Smaller, Faster, Lighter, Denser, Cheaper and Power Hungry. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and National Review. He lives in Austin with his wife, Lorin.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction Barrio Antón Ruíz xvii

Part 1 Electricity Means Modernity

1 Electricity 101 3

2 The Transformative Power of Electricity 10

3 The Vertical City 22

4 The New (Electric) Deal 36

5 Wiring the Superpower 48

6 Women Unplugged 60

Part 2 Why Are Billions Still Stuck in the Dark? And What Are They Doing About It?

7 My Refrigerator Versus the World 73

8 The Power Imperatives: Integrity, Capital, and Fuel 80

9 The American Way of War 87

10 Beirut's Generator Mafia 96

11 It's Not Possible to Keep the Lights on Without Coal 105

Part 3 The View from on High-Watt

12 The New (Electric) Economy 119

13 Electrified Cash 133

14 Watts Into Weed 142

15 The Blackout Will Not Be Televised 152

Part 4 Twenty-First-Century Terawatts

16 The Terawatt Challenge 165

17 The All-Renewable Delusion 171

18 This Land Is My Land 189

19 The Nuclear Necessity 217

20 Future Grid 236

Conclusion 245

Appendix A 249

Appendix B 251

Notes 253

Bibliography 305

Index 309

Editorial Reviews

"Shocking revelations about electricity.... A robust look at where the juice flows around the planet-and its planetary implications."—Kirkus Reviews

"Of all the aspects of modern life in the developed world, flipping a switch and having the lights come on ranks as one of the most underrated. It's good to be reminded, as Bryce does through powerful examples, that such convenience was unheard of until the late nineteenth century...In this wide-ranging history of electricity, power expert Bryce takes readers beyond the table lamp and microwave to demonstrate how crucial safe, dependable, and plentiful electricity is to a host of contemporary innovations, from cryptocurrency mining to marijuana cultivation."—Booklist

"Informative and highly readable"—Foreign Affairs

From the Publisher

2019-12-08
Shocking revelations about electricity, "the apex predator of the energy kingdom."

Vladimir Lenin once said, "communism is Soviet power plus the electrification of the whole country." Energy journalist Bryce (Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper: How Innovation Keeps Proving the Catastrophists Wrong, 2014, etc.) writes that there are three categories by which the 200-odd nations of the world can be classified: the "unplugged countries," with electricity use under 1,000 kilowatt hours/capita/year; the "low-watt" countries, from 1,000 to 4,000 kWh; and the "high-watt" countries, where electricity use exceeds 4,000 kWh annually. In keeping with other economic gauges, it's disheartening to note that almost half of the planet's population falls into the first category, while many former communist nations are in the second, and the third, not surprisingly, has a far higher average GDP than the rest—and comprises less than 20% of the world's total population. Like so much else in the world, electricity is unevenly distributed, with marked disparities. Not that anyone should feel secure in the wealthier domains: Climate change is wreaking havoc with the grid while "saboteurs are constantly probing for weaknesses." With a growing world population, especially in developing countries, increased demand will prove a problem. As in past books, Bryce considers renewables to be less efficient than the fossil fuels that seem not yet to have reached their peak, to say nothing of nuclear power, which he advocates, deeming himself a "proponent of what I call N2N, or natural gas to nuclear." As he writes, "the hard reality is that there are no quick or easy solutions. Energy transitions take decades." That more fossil fuels mean more climate change doesn't seem to faze the author, but hard geopolitical and economic realities do: Iraq is now dependent on Iran for about 15% of its energy "despite objections from the Donald Trump administration," and the "Giant Five" tech companies—Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft—"are creating their own private grids," becoming, "in effect, electric utilities."

A robust look at where the juice flows around the planet—and its planetary implications.

Kirkus Reviews