Smart Power: An Urban Guide to Renewable Energy and Efficiency

Smart Power- A fairly smart buy (but not the best) William H. Kemp would probably have sold more copies of this very well done volume if he had called it Smart Power: A Primer on Energy Independence. Drilling ANWR and using the resulting oil as our sole source (a bad choice on a good day) would result in about a 500 day supply for the U.S., so Kemp's message is urgently important. Nonetheless, he has done an excellent job of compiling information regarding energy efficiency, covering everything from renewable energy for space heating and cooling, biofuels and energy efficient transportation, photovoltaics and wind power, to the use of fossil fueled backup power and integrating the whole. Particularly useful are his appendices, especially his resource guide (most useful to tracking down where one gets the bits and pieces to achieve energy independence). This is a solid, all-in-one-place resource for achieving greater energy independence and examining (an essential component of economic stability and national security, elements the author doesn't touch on There are only two complaint that keeps this from being rated as a 5 star resource. There are occasional (and thankfully rare) outrageous statements like oil prices in the U.S. are virtually untaxed, when in reality federal and state governments derive many billions of dollars of tax revenue from gasoline, diesel and oil sales annually, and that a quart of bottled H2O cost more than a quart of oil (the example he provided was totally off, with the synthetic oil cited costing about four times as much per quart as the drinking water mentioned). The other reason this volume doesn't deserve a 5 star rating is that Kemp's later volume The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living beats this book both for its more in-depth examination of the parts, as well as some of the updates found in the more recent tome. Apart from that, this book only has 416 pages, versus 567 pages in The Renewable Energy Handbook. This reader's recommendation? Cut to the chase and get the newer book--they even have the same list price!

This is a great introduction to energy efficiency and urban renewable energy sources. The author provides down to earth descriptions of a smörgåsbord of generation and conservation methods in a form that is easy to understand and apply, from the simple wood stove to (at least for me) complex topic of wind turbines and solar electricity generation. After reading this book most people are going to be able to take some measures to save power (from better insulation to selecting more efficient electrical devices). I was converted to the concept of energy efficiency before reading this book (at least to the point of buying a hybrid and ensuring my house is well insulated) - this book has provided me with a few more ideas to investigate and implement. Enough details are provided to understand the basics of power generation and the components that would be required. There is an easy to understand description of dc/ac conversion and battery management. However, building and implementing a power generation system is clearly very involved. While this book provides a start in this area; more practical and technical skills than any one book could provide would be required to do this effectively and safely. Well worth the cover price. If you do go ahead with a project, make sure to research any tax savings - these can provide the added incentive to implement a project or make a better purchase (e.g. solar electricity, hybrid - for now - 2006).

In my 30 years' professional experience in remote wind and solar power, I've seen good books, bad books, and obsolete books so I appreciate this one! It's up-to-date for 2005, and will remain useful for years to come. The author gets his priorities straight, putting high emphasis on conservation and efficiency, which is the key to making renewable energy economical. This book will be useful for both homeowners and professionals who need a practical introduction and hands-on guidance.