John M. Deutch

An exemplar of "applied history" as pioneered by Ernest May and Richard Neustadt, Fifty Years of Energy Policy, 1973-2023 by John Deutch masterfully demonstrates how analyzing the consequences of past policy decisions can help anticipate likely outcomes of different policy choices today. The high stakes of energy policy and practice are higher than ever making Fifty Years of Energy Policy timely for a wide range of readers--specialists in related fields, policy makers, investors, voters. John Deutch's combination of technical expertise, policy experience at the highest levels of government, and his natural instincts as a teacher makes for an unusually accessible book about a complex and fast-evolving topic. The structure of Fifty Years of Energy Policy is elegant: brief and astute summaries of energy developments and policies from the Nixon to the Biden administrations followed by a concluding section that identifies five distinctive features of the past fifty years that remain relevant to current energy policy assessments. Deutch applies these to frame his insightful evaluation of climate change policies today. Deutch's approach to "applied history" will appeal to readers looking to evaluate a wide range of daunting issues--the food system, cryptocurrencies, social media, healthcare, housing, and transportation among them. The more complex and consequential the policy domain, the more valuable Fifty Years of Energy Policy becomes. --John M Deutch

This book presents fifteen cases of technology applications in the energy and environment sectors, including solar, wind, fuel cell, nuclear, coal combustion and emission control technologies. The case studies demonstrate the importance of an interdisciplinary approach, integrating technical and non-technical aspects of the problem. They also introduce a toolbox of analytical techniques useful in the context of realistic technology application. These techniques include energy and mass balances, project financial analysis tools, treatment of external costs and benefits, probabilistic risk assessment, learning curves, regression analysis, and life cycle costing. Each case study presents a description of the relevant technology at a level accessible to anyone familiar with elementary concepts in basic science and engineering. The book is addressed to upper-level undergraduate students in the natural sciences, engineering and the social sciences who are interested in learning about problems of technology application, as well as technology practitioners in industry and government.

This book presents fifteen cases of technology applications in the energy and environment sectors, including solar, wind, fuel cell, nuclear, coal combustion and emission control technologies. The case studies demonstrate the importance of an interdisciplinary approach, integrating technical and non-technical aspects of the problem. They also introduce a toolbox of analytical techniques useful in the context of realistic technology application. These techniques include energy and mass balances, project financial analysis tools, treatment of external costs and benefits, probabilistic risk assessment, learning curves, regression analysis, and life cycle costing. Each case study presents a description of the relevant technology at a level accessible to anyone familiar with elementary concepts in basic science and engineering. The book is addressed to upper-level undergraduate students in the natural sciences, engineering and the social sciences who are interested in learning about problems of technology application, as well as technology practitioners in industry and government.