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Future Energy
Book

Future Energy

How the New Oil Industry Will Change People, Politics and Portfolios

Bill Paul
Wiley, 2007
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Overview
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

A veteran Wall Street Journal reporter, Bill Paul takes the investor’s perspective on the development of alternative energy sources. In this easy-to-understand book he explains how particular companies, industry developments and strategic forces will propel the creation of a new energy industry. He covers all the bases: Mideast politics, synthetic fuels, oil shale, and energy synergies between electric and oil. He provides practical advice, including three appendices, a glossary and, most important, a list of 100 companies that are poised to make revolutionary innovations, for speculators who are seeking the next big thing. The writing is occasionally choppy, but this is not a significant flaw in a book that getAbstract believes is full of literally valuable information, some of which might help you strike it rich.

Summary

Oil: Scarcer and More Expensive Than Ever

Americans are paying more for gasoline, and national polls show that many believe oil companies are manipulating prices to maximize profits. They are correct, at least in part: Oil companies have a responsibility to their shareholders to make money. However, supply and demand are the main determinants of oil prices, and oil-producing countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, have even more control over the world oil supply than oil companies do. Furthermore, even they cannot prevent natural forces, such as hurricanes, or human ones, such as wars, from disrupting worldwide oil and natural gas supplies.

The U.S. has suffered from short-sighted energy policies, promoted by an auto industry that has failed to invest in new technologies to produce fuel-efficient cars, oil companies that have not explored new oil sources, stubborn environmentalists and politicians who misunderstand the economic consequences of their actions. The political failures are bipartisan: Five successive presidents, from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, have neglected to develop a national program to investigate alternatives to oil.

The situation ...

About the Author

Bill Paul has more than 30 years’ experience reporting for outlets including the Wall Street Journal and CNBC on the economic and political impact of energy and the environment. He appears regularly on radio and television shows to discuss these issues and trends.

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