Talking Renewables (Second Edition)

The highly successful first edition of Talking Renewables was published in early 2018. Since then, renewable energy has undergone a dramatic transformation, and its role within the energy sector has risen from relative insignificance to a position of prominence. This new edition of the book has been written in response to the new demands for knowledge and information on renewables brought about by this growing interest in the field.

The second edition retains the general aim of the first, which was to provide an introductory book on renewables for the benefit of the general readership. But its content has been expanded to address the new interest in renewables, which stems largely from its role in the energy transition driven by the Paris Agreement. This four-part book begins (as before) with a basic introduction to the science, technology and production of renewable energy (RE), followed by an introduction to the two main applications of RE prior to the energy transition era, namely energy security for the poor and climate change mitigation.

The last part is totally new, and is dedicated to a detailed introduction to the role of renewable energy in climate change mitigation. It begins with the science of climate change, presents a comprehensive account of the Paris Agreement and its implementation, and proceeds to describe the net-zero strategies and energy transition plans adopted by the Parties to the UNFCCC. This includes a critique of nuclear energy as an alternative clean energy source to RE. The book ends by pointing out the need for the adoption of a formal process for the development of net-zero strategies that includes key requirements for a viable strategy as a mandatory component.