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Review
It is impossible to think of a better introduction to the essentials of energy in the 21st Century ... above all, the value of The Quest is in the clarity and fair-mindedness of Yergin's thought ... the definitive guide to how we got here (Ed Crooks Financial Times )
Required reading ...The Quest is a masterly piece of work and, as a comprehensive guide to the world's great energy needs and dilemmas, it will be hard to beat (The Economist )
If you were in any doubt about what makes the world go round, Daniel Yergin can enlighten you ... a comprehensive picture of the nexus between power, politics and oil (Danny Fortson Sunday Times )
Required reading ...The Quest is a masterly piece of work and, as a comprehensive guide to the world's great energy needs and dilemmas, it will be hard to beat (The Economist )
If you were in any doubt about what makes the world go round, Daniel Yergin can enlighten you ... a comprehensive picture of the nexus between power, politics and oil (Danny Fortson Sunday Times )
Product Description
The Quest continues the riveting story Daniel Yergin began twenty years ago with his No.1 International Bestseller The Prize, revealing the on-going quest to meet the world's energy needs - and the power and riches that come with it.
A master story teller as well as our most expert analyst, Yergin proves that energy is truly the engine of global political and economic change. From the jammed streets of Beijing, the shores of the Caspian Sea, and the conflicts in the Middle East, to Capitol Hill and Silicon Valley, Yergin tells the inside stories of the oil market, the rise of the 'petrostate', the race to control the resources of the former Soviet empire, and the massive corporate mergers that have transformed the oil landscape. He shows how the drama of oil - the struggle for access to it, the battle for control, the insecurity of supply, its impact on the global economy, and the geopolitics that dominate it - will continue to shape our world. And he takes on the toughest questions: will we run out; are China and the United States destined for conflict; what of climate change? Yergin also reveals the surprising and turbulent histories of nuclear, coal, and natural gas, and investigates the 'rebirth of renewables'- biofuels, wind, and solar energy - showing how understanding this greening landscape and its future role are crucial to the needs of a growing world economy.
The Quest presents an extraordinary range of characters and dramatic stories to illustrate the principles that will shape our energy security system for the decades to come. It is essential reading.
Inside This Book
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This remarkable book covers the whole subject of energy, its history, science, economics and politics. Yergin examines oil, coal, gas (both conventional and unconventional), nuclear power, climate change, the electric age, new energies, and roads to the future.
He notes, "In a carbon-conscious world, nuclear power's great advantages are not only the traditional ones of fuel diversification and self-sufficiency. It is also the only large-scale, well-established, broadly deployable source of electric generation currently available that is carbon free."
US nuclear plants require a licence from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate. These licences were originally granted for 40 years. In 1995 the end of the 40 years was coming into view for many plants. Without extensions, US nuclear supply would have shut down.
In the mid-1980s, the USA's nuclear plants worked at only about 55 per cent of their capacity. Now they work at more than 90 per cent of capacity.
Yergin points out, "The operating record of the nuclear industry had clearly improved, and substantially so. In fact, companies were coming to the commission to request permission for power upgrades, above what had been their maximum output, because of their increased efficiency. In support of license extension, the NRC launched a crucial new initiative to update the safety system that governed the industry, using new tools and capabilities." So the Commission extended licences for another 20 years.
Germany's nuclear plants supply a quarter of its electricity. In 2010 a new law extended their life by another 12 years.
By contrast, here in Britain, the EU Large Combustion Plant Directive will force the closure of 9.8 gigawatts of oil- and coal-fired generation - 12 per cent of our total capacity - by the end of 2013.
The fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, issued in 2007, said that the Himalayas' glaciers, including the Gangroti which feeds the river Ganges, would vanish by 2035, `if not sooner'. By contrast, India's Environment Ministry said that the Gangroti was `practically at a standstill'. It turned out that the 2035 date was from a 1999 phone interview with a scientist who later denied ever giving any date!
In 1979 President Carter forecast that 20 per cent of US energy would come from solar power by 2000. But by 2010, renewables accounted for just 8 per cent of US energy supply: 1.5 per cent from solar and wind, 6.5 per cent from hydropower and biomass.
The fifth fuel is often said to be energy efficiency. A fine example is Japan's 1998 Top Runner programme which finds the most efficient appliance of its kind, then requires that all such appliances exceed the efficiency of that `Top Runner' by a specified date - as a result, TV sets, for example, improved by 26 per cent between 1997 and 2003.
It is not always possible to be self-sufficient economically, particularly for energy sources, but it is possible to be independent, that is, as self-reliant as possible, dependent on no one supplier, by using a diversified range of sources - oil, gas, coal, renewables and nuclear.
To rebuild Britain, we need more R&D, consistent, long-term thinking planning and investment, and security and sustainability of energy.
He notes, "In a carbon-conscious world, nuclear power's great advantages are not only the traditional ones of fuel diversification and self-sufficiency. It is also the only large-scale, well-established, broadly deployable source of electric generation currently available that is carbon free."
US nuclear plants require a licence from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate. These licences were originally granted for 40 years. In 1995 the end of the 40 years was coming into view for many plants. Without extensions, US nuclear supply would have shut down.
In the mid-1980s, the USA's nuclear plants worked at only about 55 per cent of their capacity. Now they work at more than 90 per cent of capacity.
Yergin points out, "The operating record of the nuclear industry had clearly improved, and substantially so. In fact, companies were coming to the commission to request permission for power upgrades, above what had been their maximum output, because of their increased efficiency. In support of license extension, the NRC launched a crucial new initiative to update the safety system that governed the industry, using new tools and capabilities." So the Commission extended licences for another 20 years.
Germany's nuclear plants supply a quarter of its electricity. In 2010 a new law extended their life by another 12 years.
By contrast, here in Britain, the EU Large Combustion Plant Directive will force the closure of 9.8 gigawatts of oil- and coal-fired generation - 12 per cent of our total capacity - by the end of 2013.
The fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, issued in 2007, said that the Himalayas' glaciers, including the Gangroti which feeds the river Ganges, would vanish by 2035, `if not sooner'. By contrast, India's Environment Ministry said that the Gangroti was `practically at a standstill'. It turned out that the 2035 date was from a 1999 phone interview with a scientist who later denied ever giving any date!
In 1979 President Carter forecast that 20 per cent of US energy would come from solar power by 2000. But by 2010, renewables accounted for just 8 per cent of US energy supply: 1.5 per cent from solar and wind, 6.5 per cent from hydropower and biomass.
The fifth fuel is often said to be energy efficiency. A fine example is Japan's 1998 Top Runner programme which finds the most efficient appliance of its kind, then requires that all such appliances exceed the efficiency of that `Top Runner' by a specified date - as a result, TV sets, for example, improved by 26 per cent between 1997 and 2003.
It is not always possible to be self-sufficient economically, particularly for energy sources, but it is possible to be independent, that is, as self-reliant as possible, dependent on no one supplier, by using a diversified range of sources - oil, gas, coal, renewables and nuclear.
To rebuild Britain, we need more R&D, consistent, long-term thinking planning and investment, and security and sustainability of energy.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the most comprehensive and comprehendable book on the world of energy I have read to date.
Whether you are experienced with the energy business or a newcomer, the book provides you with insight and knowledge on most aspects of the energy business. Mr Yergin takes the reader through both historical developments and modern-day dilemmas in the world of energy, and has an exceptional ability to provide high-level context combined with details knowledge on more technical aspects.
Ranging from geopolitical issues in the Middle East and increasing energy demand in China to the politics of climate change and the technical difficulties of commercialising solar powar, Yergin has written a clear and jargon-free book that is a true masterpiece in the the energy world's library. In short, a truly remarkable book.
Whether you are experienced with the energy business or a newcomer, the book provides you with insight and knowledge on most aspects of the energy business. Mr Yergin takes the reader through both historical developments and modern-day dilemmas in the world of energy, and has an exceptional ability to provide high-level context combined with details knowledge on more technical aspects.
Ranging from geopolitical issues in the Middle East and increasing energy demand in China to the politics of climate change and the technical difficulties of commercialising solar powar, Yergin has written a clear and jargon-free book that is a true masterpiece in the the energy world's library. In short, a truly remarkable book.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Whether you agree with Yergin or not on "Peak Oil", this book is essential reading. The prose is nicely jargon free and an easy read especially for those with a bit of background knowledge of the energy industry. As long as you're aware of Yergin's orientation - which is basically pro oil company and anti "peak oil" - then there is a feast of information here. He even has good things to say about wind power, solar and energy efficiency - with nice summaries of how the renewables industry has developed over the last few decades (how does this benefit the oil companies??). In summary, an excellent update to "the Prize". I've given it 4 stars because it would have to be completely free of bias to warrant 5 stars.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Must for All Investors
Ordereded this book a bit back , but had to wait as none where in stock .
The wait was worth it , the book was mentioned on a bb forum , the GKP
to be specific . Read more
The wait was worth it , the book was mentioned on a bb forum , the GKP
to be specific . Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael Gibson
Good review of modern energy politics and options
Yergin covers the modern energy markets in this well written tome - mainly oil & gas but with substantial reviews of unconventional and alternatives as well as the consumption... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Robert Wallace
The Prize for the 21st Century!
In contrast to his previous epic of energy, The Prize, Yergin's updated offering, The Quest, deals with a far more complex, and controversial matter, energy diversity and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. J. Smith
Mostly for us and our parents than for our children
I have not read "The Prize" so I can't compare. I launched into this 800 pages long book thinking that Mr Yergin would be able to sort out where we are and where we are going. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Strv 74
Superb guide to one of the most fundamental issues facing the global...
This book is level-headed, sober and deeply informed account of humanity's quest for a sustainable energy system. Read more
Published 3 months ago by thejollypilgrim
The 'Quest' for energy security vis-à-vis geopolitics
The current disruption of the geostrategic balance that had underpinned the Middle East for decades is bound to cause ripples in energy markets. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Gaurav Sharma
Authoritative account of world energy
With The Prize written some 20 years ago, Daniel Yergin established himself as the authority on the development of the oil industry. Read more
Published 6 months ago by M. Hillmann
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