Preface to First Edition xi

Preface to the Second Edition xiii

1 Our Hunger for Energy 1

1.1 Energy Supply - Yesterday and Today 2

1.1.1 From the French Revolution to the Early Twentieth Century 2

1.1.2 The Era of Black Gold 4

1.1.3 Natural Gas - The Newest Fossil Energy Source 7

1.1.4 Nuclear Power - Split Energy 8

1.1.5 The Century of Fossil Energy 12

1.1.6 The Renewables Century 13

1.2 Energy Needs - Who Needs What, Where, and How Much? 14

1.3 'Anyway' Energy 17

1.4 Energy Reserves -Wealth for a Time 20

1.4.1 Non-Conventional Reserves - Prolongation of the Oil Age 21

1.4.2 An End in Sight 22

1.4.3 The End of Fission 24

1.5 High Energy Prices - the Key to Climate Protection 24

2 The Climate Before the Collapse 27

2.1 It Is Getting Warm - Climate Changes Today 27

2.1.1 Accelerated Ice Melt 27

2.1.2 More Frequent Natural Catastrophes 30

2.2 The Guilty Parties - Causes of Climate Change 33

2.2.1 The Greenhouse Effect 33

2.2.2 The Prime Suspect: Carbon Dioxide 34

2.2.3 Other Culprits 38

2.3 Outlook and Recommendations -What Lies Ahead? 40

2.3.1 Will it Be Bitterly Cold in Europe? 43

2.3.2 Recommendations for Effective Climate Protection 45

2.4 A Difficult Birth - Politics and Climate Change 48

2.4.1 German Climate Policy 48

2.4.2 International Climate Policy 49

2.5 Self-Help Climate Protection 51

3 From Wasting Energy to Saving Energy and Reducing Carbon Dioxide 53

3.1 Inefficiency 53

3.2 Personal Energy Needs - Savings at Home 56

3.2.1 Domestic Electricity - Money Wasted 56

3.2.2 Heat - Surviving the Winter with Almost No Heating 60

3.2.3 Transport - Getting Somewhere Using Less Energy 64

3.3 Industry and Commerce - Everyone Else is to Blame 66

3.4 Your Personal Carbon Dioxide Balance 67

3.4.1 Emissions Caused Directly by One's Own Activities 67

3.4.2 Indirect Emissions 68

3.4.3 Total Emissions 71

3.5 The Sale of Ecological Indulgences 71

4 'Energiewende' (Energy Transition) - The Way to a Better Future? 75

4.1 Coal and Nuclear Power Plants - Crutch Instead of Bridge 75

4.1.1 Energy and Automotive Companies Have Bet on the Wrong Horse 76

4.1.2 Lignite - A Climate Killer Made in Germany 78

4.1.3 Carbon Dioxide Sequestration - Out of Sight, Out of Mind 81

4.1.4 Nuclear Power Comeback Was Not a Radiant Success 83

4.2 Efficiency and CHP - A Good Double for Starters 84

4.2.1 Combined Heat and Power - Using Fuel Twice 84

4.2.2 Saving Energy - Achieving More with Less 85

4.3 Renewables - Energy Without End 87

4.4 Germany Is Becoming Renewable 88

4.4.1 All Sectors Are Important 89

4.4.2 Energy Transition in the Heat Sector 90

4.4.3 Energy Transition in the Transport Sector 93

4.4.4 Energy Transition in the Electricity Sector 94

4.4.5 Reliable Supply Using Renewables 97

4.4.6 Decentralized Instead of Centralized - Fewer Power Lines 100

4.5 Not So Expensive - The Myth of Unaffordability 101

4.6 Energy Revolution Instead of Half-Hearted Energy Transition 103

4.6.1 German Energy Policy - In the Shadow of Corporations 103

4.6.2 Energy Transition in the Hands of the Citizens - A Revolution Is Imminent 104

5 Photovoltaics - Energy from Sand 107

5.1 Structure and Function 107

5.1.1 Electro