Green Energy Futures: A Big Change for the Good

What will replace fossil fuel? Is there a way forward using renewable energy sources while avoiding nuclear power? This book argues that nuclear is unlikely to have much of a role in future, and shows that the pro- and anti-nuclear debate has absorbed too much time and energy over the years. This has been to the detriment of a more relevant, interesting and increasingly urgent debate over what sort of renewable/efficiency mix we need. This book engages in that debate, exploring the implications of shifting to greener, cleaner energy sources. Importantly, David Elliott argues there is no one green future. There is a range of possible options of various types and scales: we need to choose amongst them. This book offers an overview of the technical, economic and environmental issues to help scholars, professionals and policy makers involved in discussing those options.

David Elliott is Emeritus Professor of Technology Policy, Co-Director of the Energy and Environment Research Unit at The Open University as well as editor of its journal Renew. He has been involved with the production of a range of OU courses in Design and Innovation, with an emphasis on how the design and innovation process can be steered towards the development of socially and environmentally appropriate technologies. His main research interests relate to the development of sustainable energy technologies, and in particular renewable energy based systems.