Energy Efficiency

Oil and co al have built our civilization,created our wealth, and enriched the livesof billions. Yet their rising costs to our security,economy, health, and environment nowoutweigh their benefits. Moreover, that longawaitedenergy tipping point—where alternativeswork better than oil and coal andcompete purely on cost—is no longer decadesin the future. It is here and now. And it is thefulcrum of economic transformation.A global clean-energy race has emergedwith astounding speed. The ability to operatewithout fossil fuels will define winners andlosers in business—and among nations.Now, in Reinventing Fire, Amory Lovinsand Rocky Mountain Institute offer a newvision to revitalize business models, endrunWashington gridlock, and win the clean-energyrace—not forced by public policy butled by business for enduring profit. Groundedin thirty years’ practical experience, thisground-breaking, peer-reviewed analysis integratesmarket-based solutions across transportation,buildings, industry, and electricity. Itmaps pathways and competitive strategies fora 158%-bigger 2050 U.S. economy that needsno oil, no coal, no nuclear energy, one-thirdless natural gas, and no new inventions.This transition would cost $5 trillion lessthan business-as-usual—without countingfossil fuels’ huge hidden costs. It requires nonew federal taxes, subsidies, mandates, orlaws. The policy innovations needed to unlockand speed it need no Act of Congress.Whether you care most about profits andjobs, national security, health, or environmentalstewardship, Reinventing Fire charts apragmatic course that makes sense and makesmoney. With clarity and mastery, Lovins andRMI reveal the astounding opportunities forenterprise to create the new energy era.