4 "zap me with a golden fork" stars !!

My thanks go out to Netgalley, the author and Perseus Books for an e-copy. This was released March 2020. I am providing my honest review.

This book was a fascinating, clear and concise introduction to the history, economics and cultivation of electricity.

We rely more and more on electricity for our health, quality of life, economic well-being, comfort, learning and transportation. Think of how stressed and lost you feel when you experience a planned or unexpected blackout and it only lasts half an hour. Our world would quite literally fall apart without the commodity of electricity.

Mr. Bryce writes in a helpful, humorous and informative fashion about all that he has learned as a writer focusing on electricity on the world stage. He also presents a balanced presentation of the environmental damages that coal, natural gas, nuclear power, coal and mining rare metals has on our lives and future of our planet. He talks about some of the myths perpetrated by environmentalists about solar and wind power and the limitation of these forms of electricity generation. He visits various places in the world and talks about countries that have little electricity that does not supply society's needs and the impact has on the population's health and well-being and futures.

I am withdrawing a final star as he does not really talk about (in enough depth) non-resource related issues such as dire overpopulation, animal extinction, the true cost of climate change, western gluttony and greed and the criminality of electricity in poorer nation distribution.

This is a book that helped balance my views and open my eyes. Thank you Mr. Bryce !

Robert Bryce’s new non-fiction book examines the role of electricity in our world. Starting with the thesis “Electricity is the fuel of the twenty-first century”, his argument splits the books into four approximately equal parts. He starts with a discussion of the history of electricity, continuing to a discussion of the areas of the world without regular access to electricity, then to the parts of the world that do, ending with a discussion of the future. As I am a student of political science and history, my thoughts on this book might be different then someone who understands the scientific aspect or economic aspect of Bryce’s arguments. This review is also quite long as I tried to accurately describe my thoughts. I also received a copy of this book for free, special thanks to the publisher, PublicAffairs, a division of Hachette Book Group, and NetGalley!

This review will be split into different parts for each section of the book. The sections were very separated, with very little bleeding between sections, as well as chapters that did the same generally. I have seen reviews that found this distracting, but I do not share that viewpoint. If you are considering reading this book, this is purely a stylistic aspect that you should take into account.

The first section focused on the history of electricity from it’s introduction to the Second World War. This is probably my favourite part of the entire book, as the information is quite specific, meaning it feels like a deep dive into the subject, with the added bonus of general information, which was also revealed. Topics discussed include: a basic overview of the invention and it’s proliferation focussing on Edison and his employees, a look at the effects on the formation of cities, examining US policy that was meant to expand the grid into rural areas, and the effect the widespread introduction of electricity had on women.

All of these focused almost entirely on the United States, which I found interesting, but I would have liked to see the formation of the electrical systems in other countries. There are a few moments throughout the book that would have benefited from an overview of the history of their grid, including Iraq, India and Germany. As the future chapters explained his arguments, i found myself wondering what caused their grid to grow like that. The grid in Iraq is explained in more detail in it’s own chapter and that was another of the most interesting chapters.

The second section focuses on parts of the world where electricity use per capita is less than 4,000 kilowatt hours. This is the equivalent of about four refrigerators and is the largest level of electricity that affects the Human Development Index of a country. This means that countries lower than this level are detrimentally effected by their lack of electricity and countries that are higher that that value are not improved because of their electricity use, atleast in terms of their Human Development Index, which catalogs countries based on life expectancy, nutrition and other similar factors. Topics discussed include: the American military’s contribution to the lack of electricity in countries they’ve been at war with, what makes a stable electrical grid, and how countries with intermittent power are compensating for the fact.

I enjoyed reading about the different ways that countries were functioning without massive electricity use, but most the chapters were simply too long. The author kept restating his point and by the end of each chapter his position was getting a little old. I did enjoy the chapter on Iraq, which gave a bit more historical context than the other chapters, which generally just discussed the current issues.

At the end of this section hes discusses how developing countries, such as Iraq and India, were actually investing in fossil fuel plants, because of the cost effectiveness of those types of plants. This is where the book started to go downhill. Without explanation, the author chooses to ignore the fact that many developing countries are investing in alternative sources of energy, instead focusing on the coal plants that are being erected. I found this a little bit irritating, but as the section focussed on fossil fuel use primarily, I continued, hoping for an explanation. This is the closest I came to disliking the style of separated sections, as this explanation and his discussion of renewables only comes in the final section.

For the third section, the focus is on what he calls, High-Watt countries, which uses more than 4,000 kilowatt hours a year per capita. This is the section I could connect with the most, as I live in one such country, and I can say that this book gives me a greater appreciation of that. The fact that I can have this blog and connect with people around the world is because I can access electricity. This section discusses: The electricity used by Big Tech companies and their server farms, the uproot of traditional cash in favour of types that require electricity, such as credit cards and mobile apps, the creation of Bitcoin and their use of electricity, and the electricity used by the marijuana industry.

These types of issues are ones that I focus on in my studies and I found these chapters incredibly interesting, The author gives insider access into Bitcoin and marijuana farms, which were described in vivid detail and highlights the ways that High-Watt countries uses electricity in ways that do not improve lives. Highlights are given to the growth of these industries and their projected future electricity use. The chapters were also kept quite short, which also contributed to my enjoyment of this section.

Finally we get to the final section, which focuses on the future of electricity and the viability of different sources. This section makes up the authors argument, which is that the world needs to be producing more electricity to keep up with demand, renewables are unable to produce the level of electricity we need, as they require lots of space, requiring nuclear energy mixed with natural gas, to keep up. While I can understand the argument made, I found his analysis of renewable energy sources lacking.

The main argument of this book is that electricity is needed for modern life to function, but the author spends a large amount of time advocating for nuclear power. He sees nuclear power as the only source that can be scaled to prevent further climate change. This analysis of nuclear energy feels simplistic, as his discussion of the Fukashima disaster focuses on the fact that no one died, which ignores that fact that effects of that disaster’s radiation are not currently known and, he might have written this prior to the announcement, but one person has died and more are surely to come.

Bryce spends a whole chapter discussing the effects of areas going carbon neutral and another chapter analyzing renewable viability. These chapters are strangely organized in a way that is dissimilar to the rest of the book. These sections focus almost entirely on interview evidence, bouncing across the world in a very repetitive way. I found myself wondering why the information was arranged that way and the only thing I could come up with is that it makes his argument seem like it is challenged, but in a strawman sort of way. He does not once interview someone who supports renewable energy and it shows. The majority of interviewees are people who either own homes near wind turbines or are paying more for electricity because of fossil fuel plant closures.

The chapter discussing renewable viability was the most egregious example. Bryce spends the longest chapter focusing on wind turbines and the amount of space they take up. Most environmentalist agree that wind energy is the least viable source of renewable energy, with solar having great viability and geothermal and hydro-power also being quite viable, but in special circumstances. Even emerging technology for hydrogen fuel cells and tidal power is viable. Instead of having an overview of all the types the author spends about 40 pages on problems with wind turbines and 1 page on solar. The other types are only briefly mentioned in other chapters.

Overall, this book was interesting as one perspective on the global energy debate, but it fails to explain other sides of the argument. The historical portions of the book were well organized and enjoyable to read and the modern uses of energy were also extremely interesting. Many of the chapters felt very long and his argument was very repetitive throughout the book. I would recommend reading more perspectives on the subject rather than just this one.

I’ve noticed that I write differently in fiction vs. non-fiction reviews. This review is a pretty good example of that! I think I went into this a little too deep, but I couldn’t help myself. I hope spoilers don’t exist for non-fiction! Tell me in the comments if you like non-fiction reviews on this blog or if they don’t really fit in. Happy reading!

3 stars

Robert Bryce's A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations is a nonfiction book with a singular thesis: electricity is the fuel of the twenty-first century. Bryce delves into this argument examining many aspects of electricity, including why electricity means modernity, the vast disparity in electricity access around the world, why electricity demand continues to increase, and how the demand on the grid will continue to grow in the years to come. This exploration shows the reader how electricity and the invention of the elevator helped cities move up rather than out, how coal is still a booming source of power in nations like India, and how big companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are building their own grids to ensure they have enough electricity to power their enterprise even if the grid fails.

As a whole, Bryce's use of electricity as a lens allows him to bring in a multitude of topics that fit into a four part argument. I appreciated all the different ways that electricity can be examined and that Bryce has done extensive research into various aspects of electricity, as can be seen by the fact that the final quarter of the book is appendices, a bibliography, and notes. I learned a lot that I didn't know about electricity by reading A Question of Power.

However, there were a few things that frustrated me. For example, even though the four sections of the book did help group ideas, even with this grouping the chapters felt a bit disconnected, even with an overarching theme. Additionally, Bryce touts that nuclear power is the way of the clean energy future and explores how radiation concerns, waste, and cost have often been hurdles that limit the public perception of nuclear possibility. In fact, Bryce even goes so far as to say if the reader is anti-carbon and anti-nuclear, then they are pro-blackout. I understand Bryce's point, but I am also wary of nuclear energy. Within his argument, I can see how land disputes and health impacts of some renewable energy sources do show a continued need for nuclear energy on the grid.

However, as he breaks down the impact of nuclear waste, I would have liked a bit more information on how he examined this issue. I realize Bryce is covering several topics and has done extensive research, but this was an area where I thought the book fell a bit short. Citing Yucca Mountain as a possible place to put spent cores, Bryce missed the fact that Nevada ranks fourth in seismic activity and that several studies have been done about the possible consequences of mishandling of cores during transport that could render places like Las Vegas uninhabitable. Also, surveys of Yucca Mountain have suggested that since it is an aquifer water could render any kind of container moot after several hundred years. Not to mention that Yucca Mountain and the surrounding areas are lands that were central to several Native American peoples and have religious significance. Yet there were alternatives to Yucca Mountain, such as military bases that already specialize in nuclear power, that I thought were much more promising if transport and handling precautions are also considered.

Though as I said, I learned a lot by reading A Question of Power. My rating comes from the fact that the disjointed nature of the exploration hampered my reading. However, I agree with Bryce's ending note: electricity is a human right and everyone should have access.

We all sense the importance of electricity in our lives and in humanity's future, and "A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations," by journalist Robert Bryce, is an exuberant, stylish paean to what he labels "the juice." The best of this readable polemic is several first-hand accounts of electricity's vital importance and the problems of electricity failure. A particularly enjoyable chapter digs into the incredible electricity needs of the new tech giants such as Google and Facebook. Bryce is an unashamed champion of the doubling of global electricity over the next two decades, not just for us developed nations but for the sake of the poor of the world, and it's easy to get swept up in his polished prose. "A Question of Power" is a virile expression of a point of view that seems oddly old-fashioned in the new era of global warming urgency, and Bryce's "N2N" philosophy - of moving to natural gas then nuclear - is a well-trodden playbook that is rehashed without much life. But even if you feel his unalarmed policy prescriptions miss the point - as I do - there is much to relish in this romp through the Juice.

Really illuminating books on electrification, what it means worldwide, what the future of electricity does and should look like, and challenges to that vision.

I was looking forward to this book because I thought I was going to learn more about electricity and how it effect the human race, but it only discuss how electricity works and a little bit. Most of the book was a huge amount of a negative discussion on renewable energy and an endless confirmation on old, tired and polluting fuels.
I will agree that Wind is questionable source after reading the book, but for Solar the biggest problem that isn't talked about is when it generates more energy then the house needs and the city and utility don't want to accept it because they can't make as much money. Ex. Nevada versus Solar in 2016. With Nuclear he goes to say that the waste is not a concern because we have great secure places for it . I bet he doesn't have any of the waste in his backyard. So I question how objective this book is about electricity.
I know that this is a draft of the book, but I found the writing awkward and jumbled. Its not smooth.

This book is an interesting exploration of how electricity and access to it determine so much of the lives of people around the world. Indeed, areas with unreliable or limited access to electricity seem destined to lose out in the global socioeconomic competition. This is one clear source of inequalities being perpetuated, with solutions quite difficult to reach. I learned a lot about the brief but chaotic history of electrification from this book.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC!