The Energy Construct is a 2007 non-fiction book by author Ben Cipiti that examines the challenge of achieving a clean, independent, and economical energy future for the United States. The book examines alternative transportation fuels, renewable energy, nuclear energy, and clean fossil energy to develop a path forward.
Book summary
The continued reliance on fossil fuels in the United States is having drastic consequences to the environment, and continued reliance on foreign oil threatens national security and economic well-being. Alternative energy technologies have a number of strengths and weaknesses. This book examines the various technologies from the standpoints of economics, environmental impact, domestic resource potential, public acceptability, and reliability to find a path forward.
The transportation alternatives to oil that are examined in the book include biofuels, hydrogen, and electric vehicles. The author concludes that only electric vehicles will achieve drastically reduced emissions in an efficient manner, and plug-in hybrids will be the first step that will lead to economical competitiveness.
Increased reliance on electricity will make it that much more important to develop clean power plants. Renewable energy will be part of the solution, but high costs are poor reliability continue to make renewable sources challenging to develop cost-effectively. The author concludes that wind energy has the greatest potential for near-term expansion. However, smaller-scale use of solar, geothermal, biomass, and ocean sources along with current hydroelectric sources could add up to make a significant contribution. The advantages and disadvantages of each renewable energy option are examined.
Nuclear energy is also supported by the author as the only way to produce large amounts of emission-free power. The author pays close attention to the safety of nuclear energy and provides a unique comparison of the safety of energy generation from a number of sources.
Fossil energy is then examined with a focus on the development of carbon sequestration technologies. Coal power plants will full carbon sequestration are shown to be competitive with existing natural gas plants due to the currently high natural gas prices. With abundant coal resources in the United States, the author concludes that coal will continue to be an important part of U.S. energy generation for many decades.