Format: Paperback 

ISBN: 1933392127

Pages: 299

Copyright Year: 2007

Availability: Usually ships within 24 to 48 hours unless otherwise noted in the product description.

Global warming is for real and getting worse faster than previously expected. This 299-page book provides a clear-eyed view of the current energy situation and points to a sustainable path. Author Greg Pahl examines renewable energy technologies currently available and hones in on strategies that can be adopted by individuals and, especially, communities. Such cooperative initiatives have been common in Europe for years and are beginning to gain a foothold in the U.S. because these medium-scale projects successfully bring people together to create collective energy security for a neighborhood, town, or region while strengthening the local economy.

Each chapter focuses on a different renewable energy sector — solar, wind, water, biomass, liquid biofuels, and geothermal — then reviews their advantages and disadvantages and describes numerous examples of proven local initiatives. The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook is both an eloquent appeal and a practical handbook for community and regional activists to tackle environmental challenges head-on and take responsibility for energy supplies currently controlled by large, distant utilities and consortiums. This is the book for anyone ready to take meaningful steps toward a more sustainable future.