---
product_id: 54172805
title: "Sustainable Energy - without the hot air: 2"
price: "217.27 DT"
currency: TND
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/54172805-sustainable-energy-without-the-hot-air-2
store_origin: TN
region: Tunisia
---

# Global energy scope Data-driven clarity Scholarly yet accessible Sustainable Energy - without the hot air: 2

**Price:** 217.27 DT
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🌱 Decode the energy crisis with facts, not fluff!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Sustainable Energy - without the hot air: 2
- **How much does it cost?** 217.27 DT with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/54172805-sustainable-energy-without-the-hot-air-2)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Numbers, Not Noise:** Cut through greenwash with hard data and clear math.
- • **Empower Your Decisions:** Make informed, realistic choices to lead sustainable change.
- • **Engaging & Jargon-Free:** Complex science explained with wit and clarity for professionals.
- • **Unbiased Energy Reality:** Objective analysis of renewables, nuclear, and fossil fuels.
- • **Global & Personal Impact:** Energy plans that scale from your home to the world stage.

## Overview

Sustainable Energy - without the hot air is a best-selling, rigorously researched book by David MacKay that demystifies the global energy challenge with clear data and objective analysis. It empowers readers—especially professionals and decision-makers—to understand real energy consumption, evaluate renewable and non-renewable options, and plan actionable, scalable solutions without hype or misinformation.

## Description

The enlightening, best-selling book on understanding sustainable energy and how we can make energy plans that add up. If you’ve ever wondered how much energy we use, and where it comes from – and where it could come from – but are fed up with all the hot air and ‘greenwash‘, this is the book for you. Renewable resources are ‘huge‘, but our energy consumption is also ‘huge‘. To compare ‘huge‘ things with each other, we need numbers, not adjectives. Sustainable Energy – without the hot air addresses the energy crisis objectively, cutting through all the contradictory statements from the media, government, and lobbies of all sides. It gives you the numbers and the facts you need, in bite-sized chunks, so you can understand the issues yourself and organises a plan for change on both a personal level and an international scale – for Europe, the United States, and the world. In case study format, this informative book also answers questions surrounding nuclear energy, the potential of sustainable fossil fuels, and the possibilities of sharing renewable power with foreign countries. Written by David MacKay, who was an esteemed Professor of Engineering at the University of Cambridge and Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Department of Climate Change, this is an uplifting, jargon-free and informative read for all. In it, David debunks misinformation and clearly explains the calculations of expenditure per person to encourage people to make individual changes that will benefit the world at large. If you've thrown your hands up in despair thinking no solution is possible, then read this book - it's an honest, realistic, and humorous discussion of all our energy options.

Review: Scholarly but written to be understood by a wider readership - For those who are looking for brief, summarised research into climate change and all related matters, this is not the book for you. It is a medium format book with 12pt text and very detailed. It is a scholarly text which will satisfy the most demanding readers. There are very few areas into which it does not look closely relating to the on-going climate change debate and, as the sub-title suggests, it a serious, scientific document. I am sure every reader will learn from it. Highly recommended. PS Out of curiosity I put the title in ChatGTP, a facility Professor MacKay, did not have at time of writing. I could not have put it better myself. 😳 “A phrase often associated with the book written by David MacKay. It is a comprehensive guide that explores realistic solutions for achieving sustainable energy without relying on misleading or emotionally charged rhetoric. The book emphasises the importance of data-driven discussions in addressing energy challenges.” PS I forgot to mention that (as a Scot interested in sustainability) I bought a used copy 😇😂 from an online bookshop listed in desertcart*. My text is covered in what look like a student’s or a passionate readers highlighting and annotations. Next to the current consumption per person 125kWh/d is MacKay’s prediction of our best 18kWh/d per person. In the margin next to a large asterisk is “Merde!” [my translation). * While desertcart is great, we also need to support bookshops.
Review: An admirably clear exposition of the facts needed to make judgements about sustainable energy - I cannot praise this book highly enough. With admirable clarity, honesty and lack of bias, David MacKay sets out the facts surrounding energy consumption and renewable energy generation. He explains, with the help of clear and not overly complicated mathematics, how much energy our different activities consume. He also explains, in a similar way, the capacity of different sustainable and non-carbon energy sources to meet that consumption. He enables the reader to understand the facts and make comparisons and informed moral choices. The result is quite sobering reading. For example, after reading and understanding this book you will realise that at present rates of individual consumption (flying abroad, driving around a lot, buying lots of consumer goods and turning up the thermostat) there is no way we can meet our energy needs from renewables without also including nuclear power in the mix and/or completely industrialising our landscape (assuming we want to stop using fossil fuels). However MacKay is NOT a doom-and-gloom merchant. The facts speak for themselves. While 'climate change denial' is not logically justifiable after reading this book, MacKay's view is: okay we've got a problem, so let's look at the facts and see what can be done. But let's not obfuscate and cover it up with platitudes like "we've got a huge amount of wind in Britain" ' - as he shows, 'huge' is relative, and it turns out that our consumption is a whole lot huger. The book is beautifully designed and illustrated with clear diagrams expressing all the information you need to understand this topic; all of it useful, and some of it alarming and/or surprising. It should be compulsory reading for students of Year 11 upwards, and should be tax deductable for the rest of us! Having said that, it is also in the public domain so you don't have to buy the book; you can find it online and download the PDF.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | 92,486 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 17 in Alternative Energy 28 in Energy 28 in Energy Engineering |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 565 Reviews |

## Images

![Sustainable Energy - without the hot air: 2 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/819NuRQ0hdL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Scholarly but written to be understood by a wider readership
*by R***R on 17 February 2024*

For those who are looking for brief, summarised research into climate change and all related matters, this is not the book for you. It is a medium format book with 12pt text and very detailed. It is a scholarly text which will satisfy the most demanding readers. There are very few areas into which it does not look closely relating to the on-going climate change debate and, as the sub-title suggests, it a serious, scientific document. I am sure every reader will learn from it. Highly recommended. PS Out of curiosity I put the title in ChatGTP, a facility Professor MacKay, did not have at time of writing. I could not have put it better myself. 😳 “A phrase often associated with the book written by David MacKay. It is a comprehensive guide that explores realistic solutions for achieving sustainable energy without relying on misleading or emotionally charged rhetoric. The book emphasises the importance of data-driven discussions in addressing energy challenges.” PS I forgot to mention that (as a Scot interested in sustainability) I bought a used copy 😇😂 from an online bookshop listed in Amazon*. My text is covered in what look like a student’s or a passionate readers highlighting and annotations. Next to the current consumption per person 125kWh/d is MacKay’s prediction of our best 18kWh/d per person. In the margin next to a large asterisk is “Merde!” [my translation). * While Amazon is great, we also need to support bookshops.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An admirably clear exposition of the facts needed to make judgements about sustainable energy
*by R***Y on 6 October 2014*

I cannot praise this book highly enough. With admirable clarity, honesty and lack of bias, David MacKay sets out the facts surrounding energy consumption and renewable energy generation. He explains, with the help of clear and not overly complicated mathematics, how much energy our different activities consume. He also explains, in a similar way, the capacity of different sustainable and non-carbon energy sources to meet that consumption. He enables the reader to understand the facts and make comparisons and informed moral choices. The result is quite sobering reading. For example, after reading and understanding this book you will realise that at present rates of individual consumption (flying abroad, driving around a lot, buying lots of consumer goods and turning up the thermostat) there is no way we can meet our energy needs from renewables without also including nuclear power in the mix and/or completely industrialising our landscape (assuming we want to stop using fossil fuels). However MacKay is NOT a doom-and-gloom merchant. The facts speak for themselves. While 'climate change denial' is not logically justifiable after reading this book, MacKay's view is: okay we've got a problem, so let's look at the facts and see what can be done. But let's not obfuscate and cover it up with platitudes like "we've got a huge amount of wind in Britain" ' - as he shows, 'huge' is relative, and it turns out that our consumption is a whole lot huger. The book is beautifully designed and illustrated with clear diagrams expressing all the information you need to understand this topic; all of it useful, and some of it alarming and/or surprising. It should be compulsory reading for students of Year 11 upwards, and should be tax deductable for the rest of us! Having said that, it is also in the public domain so you don't have to buy the book; you can find it online and download the PDF.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent overview of the options for meeting energy needs sustainably, though lacking political or economic considerations
*by S***R on 10 April 2017*

How are we going to switch to sustainable energy so as to avert the negative effects of climate change? This is what the late Cambridge physicist and Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change, David MacKay sets out to do in 'Sustainable Energy - without the hot air'. He does this by looking at the physical potential and limits of sustainable alternatives to powering present consumption patterns and desires, with the aid of simplifying assumptions and largely back-of-the-envelope calculations about each possible energy source and the main things that demand energy, such as transport, heating and electricity. The advantage of this transparent approach is that, as he explicitly states, readers can understand the methods behind such calculations and use these methods to do their own calculations. However, if you're happy to trust his workings and are only interested in his results, the disadvantage of course is that you have to wade through pages of calculations to find what you're after. Even so, it is worth noting his assumptions and the caveats to his workings, not least the one that the politics and economics of the energy options he explores are not considered. The TLDR summary of the book is that MacKay thinks that we can maintain present consumption levels sustainably, at least scientifically speaking. That is, there is sufficient energy from sustainable sources (defined as renewable energy or non-renewable energy sources that could be sustained for 1000 years at consumption rates growing annually by today's growth rates) globally to power a fleet of electric vehicles and sufficient technological advances to store and redirect this energy as appropriate. A key finding, indeed, is that the UK is unlikely to have enough sustainable energy to meet its needs, and so will have to import energy from other countries. I think the strengths of this book thus is its wide coverage of options and energy conundrums, transparent workings, debunking of various myths and indeed important warnings to the reader to be mindful of the 'hot air' and agendas behind the claims of some purported environmentalists. I definitely walked away feeling much better informed about the energy problems and possible sustainable solutions. The book is stuffed with interesting trivia that may be new to many readers e.g. Britain's original coalfields were comparable to Saudi Arabia's oil fields, and as a result, Britain is the country responsible for the second highest contribution to the CO2 levels in the atmosphere, historically speaking. Likewise, the finding that jetliners are four times more efficient in transporting people than ocean liners is interesting, even if sea-going freight is far more efficient than freight delivered by air. The main weakness in my view however is the inconsistent consideration of the economic or political implications of MacKay's proposals. Most of the time, MacKay ignores these considerations. For example, he says that there is sufficient sunshine in the Middle East and North Africa to meet the 2006 (when the book was written) energy needs of Europe and North Africa. But is such a setup politically and economically desirable? The concentration of oil in the Middle East has surely been a factor in the many conflicts there (and nothing emits CO2 like a war), while as of April 2017 much of North Africa is politically unstable. The political and economic options for constructing and protecting sufficient solar farms in the area are certainly not straightforward or cheap. Sometimes however, he does consider the political aspects of energy choices, notably in the five energy plans for Britain that he proposes, which illustrate how different energy choices could satisfy different desires (e.g. varying levels of domestic wind farms, nuclear power stations and imported energy). He also casually suggests that lowering consumption levels and hence demand for energy would be "unsellable", which is highly debatable in my opinion. Inevitably for a book written in 2006, its advice has dated somewhat: cheating car companies has meant that diesel has not been the 'green' solution hoped for, with an air pollution crisis in many UK cities instead. And of course, no-one in 2006 was predicting Brexit, which will occupy the UK civil service fully for the next few years at least, sapping the time available to make choices about sustainable energy. Indeed, the fact that surveys show many of those who voted for Brexit are also sceptical about climate change may result in the UK government putting off difficult decisions about energy choices, but we'll see. Nevertheless, for a purely scientific overview of the pros, cons and potential of meeting present and future demands for energy from a range of sustainable options, as well as plenty of interesting facts, historical and more recent, 'Sustainable Energy - without the hot air' is very much worth a read.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Sustainable Energy - without the hot air
- Energy and Civilization: A History (Mit Press)
- How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/54172805-sustainable-energy-without-the-hot-air-2](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/54172805-sustainable-energy-without-the-hot-air-2)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Tunisia*
*Store origin: TN*
*Last updated: 2026-09-09*