While there are some of us who, for reasons of dogma, of self-interest, or of simple cynicism, remain skeptical about anthropogenic climate change, this much we can all agree on. The Earth's supply of fossil fuels is finite. Regardless of whether or not, in the meantime, the climate collapses under the burden of excess CO2, the resources we rely upon to power all of our societies will eventually be exhausted. When that day comes, what will we fall back on to keep the lights of civilization burning? What will stand in for the oil, the coal, and the natural gas that have enabled humanity to transform itself from a species that admired the stars to one that ventures to them? Powering The Future does its best to provide a pragmatic answer to this difficult question.
From wind power to photovoltaics, from the dangers of the Plutonium Economy to the truths about electricity, Mr. Laughlin, a Nobel Laureate in physics and a professor of physics at Stanford University, examines each of the available, and theoretical, sources of alternative energy in an attempt to divine which of them will underpin future civilizations. In his investigation, he interrogates each energy source in the hopes of uncovering a few basic realities: its cost, its practicality and the extent to which it is renewable. Though Mr. Laughlin does not completely dismiss any of the candidates for the mantle of holy grail for humanity's energy needs, he concludes that none demonstrate the power to surpass, for efficiency and effectiveness, the fossil fuels we are so swiftly depleting. These deficiencies provoke Mr. Laughlin to give the reader a crash course on the science of hydrocarbons and what makes them so potent.
While Mr. Laughlin dispassionately explains the flaws of each of our available alternatives,he does hold out hope that some will surmount their challenges to fill in the gaps left behind by a post-hydrocarbon world. Of particular promise is, the prospect of transforming Earth's deserts into enormous, and powerful solar farms which would, at least during the daylight hours, provide colossal amounts of electricity to North America, Africa, Asia and Australia. However, without a practical way of storing the excess power during the daytime, this solution is utterly useless when the sun sets and there is no more power being generated. This crippling drawback turns Mr. Laughlin to so-called Breeder Reactors, nuclear power plants which are optimized to produce, as a waste product, enriched plutonium which can then be put back into the reactor as fuel. Unfortunately, such plutonium could be put to another purpose as well; nuclear bombs.
Powering The Future is as exciting as it is cynical. The extent to which Mr. Laughlin clearly and rationally lays out the pros and cons of each potential power source leaves the engaged reader dreaming about a future in which our needs are facilitated by any number of renewable alternatives that do not, as a consequence of our use, destroy Earth's environment. But for pouring some scientifically chilled water on the most outlandish options, the author does nothing to dissuade us from this optimistic notion.
However, Mr. Laughlin leaves little doubt of his own cynicism regarding human nature. Repeatedly, he spells out his belief that humans will ultimately choose the energy option that is cheapest for them regardless of the consequences to the environment, or to their fellows. This is not a ridiculous notion; after all, in many respects, the history of capitalism could be summed up as a competition to sell the most things at the cheapest cost. However, Mr. Laughlin bases his argument here on the vigor with which his father searched for the cheapest available gas. Yes, this is simply an illustration of his belief, but he makes no other attempt to corroborate his claim. It is clear, from the millions who have bought electric cars, to the hundreds of millions who recycle, that people, the world over, strive to consume responsibly. In assuming that every human will act as his father did, or as he does, Mr. Laughlin fails to account for any of the influences that animate those who are not like him.
This is a fast-paced, clearly articulated, and highly informative look into the question of alternative energy, an issue which will, short of some unforeseen, utopian development, dominate the decades to come. But while Mr. Laughlin is commendably without bias in his treatment of the various sources he scrutinizes here, the extent to which he rests his prediction for the future on a single assumption of human nature left me doubting his conclusion. Nonetheless, well worth the read. (3/5 Stars)
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