David MacKay was a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and Regius Professor of Engineering at Cambridge University. He is internationally known for his research in machine learning, information theory, and communication systems, including the invention of Dasher, a software interface that enables efficient communication in any language with any muscle. David was previously a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Climate Change and Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change, and in the 2016 New Year's Honours List was awarded a knighthood for services to Scientific Advice in Government and Science Outreach. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 48.
Part I - Numbers, not adjectives
Motivations
The balance sheet
Cars
Wind
Planes
Solar
Heating and cooling
Hydroelectricity
Light
Offshore wind
Gadgets
Wave
Food and farming
Tide
Stuff
Geothermal
Public services
Can we live on renewables?
Part II - Making a difference
Every BIG helps
Better transport
Smarter heating
Efficient electricity use
Sustainable fossil fuels?
Nuclear?
Living on other countries' renewables?
Fluctuations and storage
Five energy plans for Britain
Putting costs in perspective
What to do now
Energy plans for Europe, America, and the World
The last thing we should talk about
Saying yes
Acknowledgments
Part III - Technical chapters
Cars II
Wind II
Planes II
Solar II
Heating II
Waves II
Tide II
Stuff II
Part IV - Useful data
Quick reference
Populations and areas
UK energy history
List of web links
Bibliography
Index
About the author
