[.uk] The Solar Fraud: Why Solar Energy Won't Run the World, ... (ISBN 0971484546)

Book Description:
Solar energy has its uses many of them but running the world isnt one of them. Solar energy has always and will always provide some fraction of the worlds energy budget. The question is how much? By and large, that fraction has been on a steady decline not just for decades, but for centuries. The Solar Fraud presents the physics behind the hype, explaining why the problem is not technology, but rather the dilute nature of sunlight.

some truth mixed in with a jumble of misleading statements:
page 10 is misleading, comparing the 6% output of solar power generation versus the predicted 36% of 2000 projection of "soft energy paths". So the author is equating all soft energies with just solar. Amory Lovins soft energy paths wasn't just talking about solar, it was talking about all soft energies (all different types of renewables AND co-generation!) in that 36%, which turned out to be very close to projection. This is an example of the lack of thoroughness, or possibly, intentional misleading by the author. I agree that solar is an expensive technology for the efficiency rates it achieves, but consider this: If we had the same subsidies in renewable technologies as coal and oil do, how much better would they be now? Seems like coal and oil are the only ones that don't play by the rules of the "free market" w/o help, especially if you take into account the indirect subsidies of needing to protect pipelines or go to war.

Misses the Point:
Mr. Hayden does a Herculean job at trashing alternative energy but misses the main point: GLOBAL WARMING. We have no choice but to search for non-carbon alternatives that by necessity entail paying a short-term price for a long term good (survival). He would do more service to humanity by eliminating the clichés, childish adjectives and invectives and focusing on least cost alternatives to hydrocarbons. Furthermore, he totally downplays the role of technological innovation in reducing cost. Mr. Hayden, if we spent $\o...\c billion on R & D instead of energy wars, what could we have accomplished? Don Reid \o...\c

don't bother:
The Solar Fraud: Why Solar Energy Won't Run the World, Second Edition I found this book to be an utter triple waste. A waste of money buying it; a waste of time reading it; and waste of paper (and trees) printing it. Mr. Hayden offers nothing but quibbling, carping, and criticism; no valid solutions whatsoever for the energy predicament in which we find ourselves. If I could give this book zero stars, or a negative number of them, I would.

This book is Out of Date and Wrong:
First of all, there is plenty of daytime solar and nighttime wind energy to meet our national and global energy needs. Check out Scientific American, January 2008 issue, which says 69% of US energy needs can be met by solar by 2050. Secondly, this was written before First Solar is now at $1.14 cost of production per watt with 10.6% solar efficiency (source - latest First Solar conference call). First Solar expects grid parity by 2012! This book, in my opinion, is poorly written and a waste of time. Thank you.

Hard Science, Clearly Delivered:
This book is much the best introduction to solar energy's prospects and possibilities. It makes the science easy, and puts the politics of solar energy firmly in the context of the physics of the possible. A highly recommended guide for anyone considering a solar project, and also a superb guide for those who seek to influence or to understand energy policy.