The Tesla Revolution : Why Big Oil Is Losing the Energy War

Though oil prices have been on a downward trajectory in recent months, that doesn't obscure the fact that fossil fuels are finite, and we will eventually have to grapple with the end of their dominance. At the same time, however, skepticism about the alternatives remains: we've never quite achieved the promised 'too cheap to meter' power of the future, be it nuclear, solar, or wind. And hydrogen and bio-based fuels are thus far a disappointment. So what does the future of energy look like? __The Tesla Revolution__ has the answers. In clear, unsensational style, Willem Middelkoop and Rembrandt Koppelaar offer a layman's tour of the energy landscape, now and to come. They show how rapid technological advances in batteries and solar technologies are already driving large-scale transformations in power supply, while economic and geopolitical changes, combined with a growing political awareness that there are alternatives to fossil fuels will combine in the coming years to bring an energy revolution ever closer. Within in our lifetimes, the authors argue, we will see changes that will reshape economics, the balance of political power, and even the most mundane aspects of our daily lives. Determinedly forward-looking and optimistic, though never straying from hard facts, __The Tesla Revolution__ paints a striking picture of our global energy future. Cover 1 Table of Contents 6 Prologue 8 Special Introduction 14 Chapter 1 – The Tesla Revolution 28 1. Did Tesla pay you to use this title? 31 2. What makes Tesla such an important part of this revolution? 33 3. What is Tesla’s history? 35 4. What is Elon Musk’s goal? 37 5. Tesla’s master plan doesn’t stop with cars, does it? 40 6. Is cheap solar energy the other driver of this revolution? 43 7. Will electric cars really take over before 2030? 46 8. Why is the price of electric cars declining so rapidly? 52 9. How do developments in fuel cell cars compare? 55 10. What makes the Tesla Revolution so different from previous energy transformations? 57 11. Have we already entered an era moving away from fossil fuels? 60 12. How much energy does the world need? 64 13. From fossil fuels to alternatives, what are the scenarios? 68 14. So Big Oil is losing the energy war? 70 15. What needs to be done to accelerate the Tesla Revolution? 72 16. Are governments serious enough about this Revolution? 77 17. Is this energy Revolution possible without subsidies? 80 18. Why are low-income countries potentially winners? 83 Chapter 2 – A History of Fossil Fuel Dominance 86 19. So the first Tesla Revolution started a good 100 years ago? 88 20. What was the second chapter of the industrial energy revolution? 90 21. How did the 1970s-1980s oil crises change our energy outlook? 93 22. When did we discover oil? 96 23. What was our main source of energy before oil? 99 24. What’s the ‘miracle of oil’? 102 25. Are we still discovering enough oil ? 106 26. What is the history of solar energy? 109 27. How much does it cost to live off the grid? 113 28. Is wind energy a great success as well? 118 Chapter 3 – The Petrodollar and the Geopolitics of Oil 122 29. Oil and power—who is leading whom? 124 30. What happened after the Second World War? 126 31. Wasn’t the war in Iraq after 9/11 all about oil as well? 131 32. Didn’t oil play a role in the first Gulf war too? 135 33. What’s all this talk about the petrodollar? 137 34. So oil is a weapon in a financial, economic war? 139 35. Does natural gas play a role in this new ‘cold war’ too? 142 Chapter 4 – Peak Oil Revisited: The End of Cheap Oil 146 36. Why hasn’t world oil production peaked yet? 150 37. When will we reach world peak oil? 153 38. So the era of cheap oil is already over? 160 39. How did shale oil grow so quickly? 164 40. Why are experts and the media always wrong on oil prices? 167 41. What are the oil market implications of rising oil prices? 170 42. Is future oil production at risk? 172 43. How much can ‘cheap’ OPEC production grow? 175 44. How important is Saudi Arabia in this respect? 179 Chapter 5 – Climate Change and the World of Energy 182 45. Is the climate really changing? 184 46. What is the role of carbon dioxide (CO2)? 187 47. Hasn’t climate always changed? 190 48. What is different this time? 194 49. What are the risks of our ‘climate experiment’? 198 50. What is the consensus among scientists? 202 51. Are climate change policies leading to lower coal use? 204 52. Will fossil fuels become obsolete? 207 Chapter 6 – What Will the Energy Mix of the Future Be? 210 53. Why is the electricity mix based on coal and gas? 213 54. Can shale gas fuel the US economy for decades to come? 216 55. What about shale plays in the rest of the world? 219 56. Can cleaner natural gas replace coal? 223 57. Do we need to reduce world coal use? 227 58. Will coal be phased out because of pollution? 229 59. What role will nuclear energy play in the future? 234 60. Can we rely on wind and solar for our electricity needs? 239 61. Should we all share energy through a worldwide grid? 243 62. Can 24/7 trucking and shipping be converted to electric? 247 63. So biofuels are not a big success? 249 64. How much money is needed to build a clean energy infrastructure? 251 Epilogue 254 Appendix 258 References Prologue 262 Register 332 Présentation de l'éditeur : "Though oil prices have been on a downward trajectory in recent months, that doesn't obscure the fact that fossil fuels are finite, and we will eventually have to grapple with the end of their dominance. At the same time, however, skepticism about the alternatives remains: we've never quite achieved the promised "too cheap to meter" power of the future, be it nuclear, solar, or wind. And hydrogen and bio-based fuels are thus far a disappointment. So what does the future of energy look like? The Tesla Revolution has the answers. In clear, unsensational style, Willem Middelkoop and Rembrandt Koppelaar offer a layman's tour of the energy landscape, now and to come. They show how rapid technological advances in batteries and solar technologies are already driving large-scale transformations in power supply, while economic and geopolitical changes, combined with a growing political awareness that there are alternatives to fossil fuels will combine in the coming years to bring an energy revolution ever closer. Within our lifetimes, the authors argue, we will see changes that will reshape economics, the balance of political power, and even the most mundane aspects of our daily lives. Determinedly forward-looking and optimistic, though never straying from hard facts, The Tesla Revolution paints a striking picture of our global energy future." Though oil prices have been on a downward trajectory in recent months, that doesn't obscure the fact that fossil fuels are finite, and we will eventually have to grapple with the end of their dominance. At the same time, however, skepticism about the alternatives remains: we've never quite achieved the promised 'too cheap to meter' power of the future, be it nuclear, solar, or wind. And hydrogen and bio-based fuels are thus far a disappointment. So what does the future of energy look like? The Tesla Revolution has the answers. In clear, unsensational style, Willem Middelkoop and Rembrandt Koppelaar offer a layman's tour of the energy landscape, now and to come. They show how rapid technological advances in batteries and solar technologies are already driving large-scale transformations in power supply, while economic and geopolitical changes, combined with a growing political awareness that there are alternatives to fossil fuels will combine in the coming years to bring an energy revolution ever closer. Within in our lifetimes, the authors argue, we will see changes that will reshape economics, the balance of political power, and even the most mundane aspects of our daily lives. Determinedly forward-looking and optimistic, though never straying from hard facts, The Tesla Revolution paints a striking picture of our global energy future.www.theteslarevolution.com The Invention Of The Electric Car Is Reshaping The Global Economy, Its Dependence On Oil, And Reducing The Impact On Climate. The Tesla Revolution -- A History Of Fossil Fuel Dominance -- The Petrodollar And The Geopolitics Of Oil -- Peak Oil Revisited: The End Of Cheap Oil -- Climate Change And The World Of Energy -- What Will The Energy Mix Of The Future Be? Rembrandt Koppelaar And Willem Middelkoop. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 261-330)