Review of Lights Out: The Electricity Crisis, the Global Economy, and What It Means To You (Hardcover)

If you wonder how our country may be vulnerable in respect to the next national disaster, either via home-grown or foreign terrorist strike or climactic catastrophe or even simple human error....

If you are frustrated with recent power outages affecting your business or neighborhood and don't know why they are (and will keep) occurring...

If you wonder how we can get from "here" to "there" regarding our current reliance on overseas oil and fossil fuel-generated power to a more reliable, efficient and sustainable form of energy supply and transmission...

If you are someone in the industry who is frustrated with the merger and acquisition aspect of making the business end work and need both optimism and practical ideas for growth in this field.....

If you are, like me, a consumer who just wants to know what is behind the wall...

The answers, the ideas, and the possibilities are in this book.

I read "Lights Out" in two days.Informational without being grossly technical, provocative without demonizing any particular person or group, and at times bitingly funny, Jason Makansi writes in an accessible way about a complex subject, drawn from his deep background in the field and an honest, almost Trumanesque prose style.With no real understanding of how my lights go on, or any more than a consumer's investment in this industry--I was engaged from start to finish.This book sounds the alarm, describes the problems, and ignites a passion for taking the next step before we are facing a greater crisis.

For example, in the chapter titled, "Savvy Consumption, Empowering Ratepayers" he writes, "What if you also quantified the value of energy independence.....Imagine going to a filling station and seeing not only the price per gallon, but the hidden cost per gallon to protect our petroleum supply lines, fight wars in countries with oil and natural gas reserves, and lead global military defense!"

Did I mention he writes provocatively?

Regarding some of the dilemmas facing those in the industry he writes, "Both strategies for growth---'if we build it, Wall Street will come' and 'If we merge, business will surge'--are giving utilities fits.The problem is that delays, the money wasted on lawyers and consultants, and the general malaise that overtakes an organization under siege, drain time and money from real needs, like modernizing the infrastructure."

Did I mention he doesn't waste time demonizing but cuts straight to the problem?

And finally, from the chapter, "A Vision For The Future" he writes, "Imagine going to your local electricity store, just like you go to a car dealership, and picking out the model you want custom-built into your new home. What this industry needs more than anything else are entrepreneurial companies that provide home-and business-based electricity systems with the same quality and attention to detail of a home entertainment system:Maybe I want one that makes me feel better because it offers the lowest carbon dioxide emissions.Maybe I just want to be the 'baddest' dude in the neighborhood and pick out something that rumbles when I crank it up."

Did I mention he is funny?

There is so much more in this book, about the supply, the demand, the global structure of our fossil fuel reliance and the impending energy needs of other countries, to what is, in his view, the greatest concern:transmission.Along with a reasonable advocacy for taking a second look at nuclear power generating plants, (something I was previously opposed to), he also includes exciting ideas for new technologies and research, such as recycling the waste heat generated from all sources not just power plants, to a home meter that clearly and understandably shows the consumer how much energy is being used and when, to the idea of a national commission to unite and oversee power transmission from state to state.As Mr. Makansi puts it, "Why not?"

Can we reliably keep the lights on at our current levels of energy consumption?Are our grids vulnerable to sabotage and attack?Are there intermediate solutions that can be made within the industry and by our government that are practical, safe, climate sensitive and affordable now?Can I personally change the way I consume and view my own energy use?And what steps can be taken to affect the change that is needed?

Lights Out connects all interests on the way toward a more logical, more sustainable, more humane and renewable use of energy in today's world.The only question remaining:When will we take the next step?




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