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Taming the Sun: Innovations to Harness Solar Energy and Power the Planet
by
How solar could spark a clean-energy transition through transformative innovation--creative financing, revolutionary technologies, and flexible energy systems.
Solar energy, once a niche application for a limited market, has become the cheapest and fastest-growing power source on earth. What's more, its potential is nearly limitless--every hour the sun beams down more energ ...more
Solar energy, once a niche application for a limited market, has become the cheapest and fastest-growing power source on earth. What's more, its potential is nearly limitless--every hour the sun beams down more energ ...more
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Hardcover, 392 pages
Published
March 2nd 2018
by MIT Press
(first published 2018)
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Start your review of Taming the Sun: Innovations to Harness Solar Energy and Power the Planet
I have been reading a lot about renewable energy recently, and this is by far the best book I have read to understand the entire solar energy landscape and limitations. Thank you!
I didn't realize how much I didn't know about harvesting the energy of the sun. Without exaggeration, my very favorite thing in the world to think about and study is how forms take in, circulate, and expel energy. It's an obsession really. People, especially people in my family, are sick of me talking about it. I want to think about it and talk about all day.
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Sivaram started off by providing a history of how human's tried to harness solar energy:
- Mostly civilizations focused on using ...more
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Sivaram started off by providing a history of how human's tried to harness solar energy:
- Mostly civilizations focused on using ...more
This book paints a very bleak picture of the future, and I found myself walking away from it doubtful that the nations of the world would be able to make their commitments to the Paris Accord.
Namely the deficiencies to the current status quo are as follows:
- Nuclear power investment and research are floundering. Paradoxically, Fukushima has made most nations and companies involved in pushing the envelope on newer safer reactor designs retreat and disinvest. Nuclear power is the only base power t ...more
Namely the deficiencies to the current status quo are as follows:
- Nuclear power investment and research are floundering. Paradoxically, Fukushima has made most nations and companies involved in pushing the envelope on newer safer reactor designs retreat and disinvest. Nuclear power is the only base power t ...more
Listened to on Audible.
Very informative and fascinating, whether you're interested in renewables, technology and innovation or the environment (and where it's going), or for those with business/entrepreneurial interests.
Highly recommended. ...more
Very informative and fascinating, whether you're interested in renewables, technology and innovation or the environment (and where it's going), or for those with business/entrepreneurial interests.
Highly recommended. ...more
Much more innovation required for the solar revolution to succeed
“Taming the Sun” is an excellent survey of the current state of play in the solar industry, written by a US based energy expert Dr. Varun Sivaram. By discussing the challenges, potential and pitfalls facing the industry, the book provides a relatively dispassionate analysis of a field which while full of either true believers who aver that renewable energy-based future is the only possible one, or sceptics who don’t wish to see bey ...more
“Taming the Sun” is an excellent survey of the current state of play in the solar industry, written by a US based energy expert Dr. Varun Sivaram. By discussing the challenges, potential and pitfalls facing the industry, the book provides a relatively dispassionate analysis of a field which while full of either true believers who aver that renewable energy-based future is the only possible one, or sceptics who don’t wish to see bey ...more
An excellent book with great insights into the state and possible futures of the solar industry. Very well researched with around 60 papers/references per chapter.
The book is accessible to both industry insiders and novices as it introduces concepts clearly before elaborating. It starts by imagining different future outcomes then describes the current context and history of the solar industry. I have appreciated, in particular, the analysis given of the silicon valley clean-tech boom and bust of ...more
The book is accessible to both industry insiders and novices as it introduces concepts clearly before elaborating. It starts by imagining different future outcomes then describes the current context and history of the solar industry. I have appreciated, in particular, the analysis given of the silicon valley clean-tech boom and bust of ...more
From the outset, one thing is clear. Varun loves going solar. Who doesn't? It's cheap (~now), it's carbon free, and it's everywhere. Just install lot of solar panels and let the markets figure out rest of the stuff. Like all the questions in life, the answer is not so simple. Imagine having an erratic partner who can only shine love on you for half of the day, who brings a set of additional problems to you in mingling with your family and whom can't trust because you can't seek help when you mos
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For utility / energy / solar nerds. Discusses next steps in solar. Great read if that's your thing.
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I really tried to enjoy this book, but I couldn’t. Although it is very informative and an important topic to tackle specially with our current issues on climate change. I liked the different ideas on how to invest/finance solar/clean energy projects and how sad that we are very far away from achieving huge milestones in replacing fossil fuels.
Great inspiring book about the latest advances in solar but importantly clearly outlining few paths that for the future - which is a first in this literature done at such a technical level.
Varun Sivaram delivers a wealth of information on the subject of current solar energy in this extensive and topical book on the subject. Plucked from his final year in a Ph.D. program studying an esoteric new solar cell technology at Oxford University to help advise Mayor Villaraigosa's energy policy team in 2012, Sivaram shows no shortage of knowledge about the potential and also the potholes that the future of solar energy encounters. His book is a great read for those interested in energy, bu
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My rating might be a little harsh. This book is a comprehensive and technically detailed survey of large-scale solar power generation and grid-based distribution. I also work in the tech industry where it touches renewable energy and preventing future catastrophe, and from this perspective I have a few issues:
First, the writing style is a bit tedious. I don’t mind the technical details but I do mind when the author alternates between arguments, repeats himself, or tries to add dramatic flair. To ...more
First, the writing style is a bit tedious. I don’t mind the technical details but I do mind when the author alternates between arguments, repeats himself, or tries to add dramatic flair. To ...more
I was pleasantly surprised by the width of topics covered in this book. It isn’t aimed at individual home owners, but describes the technology and its use at a high level. I found the discussion on the economics of solar in comparison with other energy sources, and the outcome that wasn’t black or white, but gray, was refreshing. The author explains how solar works well with other sources of energy filling in when the sun’s down. Obvious, yes, but it leads to conclusions that aren’t always talke
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Review of Taming the Sun (Heard on Audible)
* Might not be the perfect book from a technical perspective but does balance some technical pieces. (Tech part wasn’t fun while listening to it) Multiple repetitions at the start of the book.
* Germany and Japan are huge players who took the baton from US when they wanted to focus on nuclear.
* Solar became a dirty word in Silicon Valley after most companies filed for bankruptcy.
* Mention of the company sun power from the US that still manufactures effi ...more
* Might not be the perfect book from a technical perspective but does balance some technical pieces. (Tech part wasn’t fun while listening to it) Multiple repetitions at the start of the book.
* Germany and Japan are huge players who took the baton from US when they wanted to focus on nuclear.
* Solar became a dirty word in Silicon Valley after most companies filed for bankruptcy.
* Mention of the company sun power from the US that still manufactures effi ...more
Taming the Sun's singular purpose is to convince you of the necessity of investing in early-stage solar energy technologies, but in the process, Varun Sivaram delivers a simply-stated and comprehensive summary of the intertwined issues solar faces in scaling to a level that will deliver global carbon benefits. The second chapter - which sets out the stakes for a solar plateau mid-century - is a must-read for everyone in the energy industry; even oil & gas analysts will find their concerns fairly
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Excellent insight into the workings of the energy sector and the challenges facing deep decarbonization. The author very clearly presents the problems, potential solutions, and potential pitfalls in a relatable manner, though seems to enjoy taking shots at academia and heaping adulation on Elon Musk whom he mentions in the book more than any other person or thing other than solar power.
I’m not sure how much of Sivaram’s vision/timeline still holds now that the Trump administration has set US ene ...more
I’m not sure how much of Sivaram’s vision/timeline still holds now that the Trump administration has set US ene ...more
The challenge of incorporating renewable energy (solar and wind, for example) is a business challenge as much as they are a technological challenge. Here the book focuses on solar energy, which holds more promise in penetrating the energy market with its many forms including solar panels, solar thermal, and solar fuels. Varun outlines that the greatest threat to the future of the solar industry right now is actually silicon solar panels - their low-cost brings risks of locking in the industry an
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This book provides prospective on solar power and its realistic role in power generation for the future. It discusses the limitations of the system (the electric grid, other power plants, storage, how the grid is used) and solar itself. He outlines how to achieve better improvements in efficiency, cost, and storage. Varun isnt afraid to highlight the shortcomings of solar and the diminishing return that solar panels offer above a certain saturation point ~30%. He does this with examples of areas
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This book is the opportunity to get an interesting and informative overview of the technical and economic challenges of rebalancing our energy system from carbon to solar and alternative options. There is more detailed economic rationale presented than I expected, but the reality is economics combined with technology will determine the fate of mankind. We are beyond the precipice and experiencing the incremental impact of the anthropogenic age changing the earth’s climate. Bending the curve from
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Very insightful book! It gives a good perspective on what innovation means for solar sector and a simple and brilliant, overview of cost vs value evolution.
Also interesting is the comparison between solar and nuclear technology lock in, they definitely have some common patterned and if nothing changes, that might well be the next step into solar PV.
Nevertheless, and as much as PV should be focused, other technologies we’re mentioned , even if they are a bit far from commercial stage, competing w ...more
Also interesting is the comparison between solar and nuclear technology lock in, they definitely have some common patterned and if nothing changes, that might well be the next step into solar PV.
Nevertheless, and as much as PV should be focused, other technologies we’re mentioned , even if they are a bit far from commercial stage, competing w ...more
Lots of information almost none of which I was familiar with beforehand concerning the state of solar power and different difficulties/opportunities it faces in the future. A book I somewhat wish I had read because it was a lot to process over audio without background familiarity, but also felt somewhat repetitive, so maybe would have gotten too bored reading. I'm struck by the potential solar seemingly has to transform energy usage, and if his arguments are believed, how silly it is that the ty
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This book is essential for anyone trying to understand how the U.S. energy grid operates (as in, the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity) as well as how it *needs* to operate in order to decarbonize our electricty use, an essential element in our ongoing climate change struggle.
Sivaram is persuasive in arguing that some current trends that favor solar energy are not unequivocally moving us in the right direction: 1) the production of cheap, silicon PV panels risks technolo ...more
Sivaram is persuasive in arguing that some current trends that favor solar energy are not unequivocally moving us in the right direction: 1) the production of cheap, silicon PV panels risks technolo ...more
My first serious book in the Sustainable Energy topic and it delivered exactly what I expected (and needed). There is some technical details however easily understandable if you still know the basics of physics. The overview of each topic usually brushes upon radical (albeit too radical at times) ideas and focuses on more practical implementations of the current situations, which I found very interesting.
If you want to learn more about solar energy for work or a long-term involvement, this is a ...more
If you want to learn more about solar energy for work or a long-term involvement, this is a ...more
The world is at the early stages of what will likely be a long and difficult journey away from relying on fossil fuels to supply our energy. Depending on your views on nuclear energy, solar power is probably the only low-carbon energy source that can provide enough energy to meet our voracious energy demands. This was a very readable and engaging book by an expert on the history and technology of solar power, and the technical, economic, and policy challenges on how to scale up solar power and m
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I admittedly found this a bit to be more like reading for work than for pleasure since I am a researcher working on the low-cost solar technology discussed in the book. That said, I found that the author was able to present the theory of solar energy in a way that was creative and with allusions that I had not encountered previously; his explanation of a comparing a semiconductor band gap's selective absorption of light to the force needed to push ketchup out of a bottle was absolute genius. Thi
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Excellent intro to renewable energy for anyone interested in the field. The thing I found most interesting about this book is that it is extremely pragmatic in it's consideration of technologies and clears up a lot of commonly held inaccurate beliefs. For instance, it might come as a surprise to you, but simply installing more and more solar panels across the world is not the answer, net metering while consumer friendly it probably bad for the collective, and that value deflation is going to slo
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I pulled this off the shelf at my local library branch because it happened to be one of only a few books about solar energy. I'm glad that it worked out that way, because this is an amazingly comprehensive and accessible read addressing how the US needs to move forward on energy policy. It is quite detailed but also meticulously explained and easy to understand. While Sivaram's expertise on many subjects is the key attraction, he also throws in some personal anecdotes that serve to break up the
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A well written overview of the supply and demand side of renewable future, focused on solar. The author makes a good case for a broader view on sourcing power instead of saying that 100% of the energy has to be renewable. He gives us an understanding on the practical challenges and the expense on trying to shoot for complete renewable future today without significant improvements in storage and transmission technologies. He also pushes for more funding into basic and applied research into solar.
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Energy, how to envision a different future.
We can not live as we do without reliable and affordable energy. Thinking the problem through and looking at alternatives to what has gotten us to our current state is what this book does well. We all need to work the problem and be part of the solution. Carin has done a service to all in laying out the scientific challenge. We need to work towards the solution.
We can not live as we do without reliable and affordable energy. Thinking the problem through and looking at alternatives to what has gotten us to our current state is what this book does well. We all need to work the problem and be part of the solution. Carin has done a service to all in laying out the scientific challenge. We need to work towards the solution.
An important book for anyone interested in the functional present realities and future potential of solar beyond fluffy pronunciations about its being the right thing. Solar is definately the future and its potential is limitless if we can get from where we are now. I admit I skipped thorugh a few chapters. This is a technical guide that misses nothing so that policymakers and the public can move forward toward the most important energy transistion since the Industrial Revolution.
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Dr. Varun Sivaram is a physicist, bestselling author, and clean energy technology expert with experience spanning the corporate, policy, and academic sectors—most recently as Chief Technology Officer of ReNew Power Limited, a multi-billion dollar renewable-energy firm that is India's largest. He is currently a visiting senior fellow at the Columbia University Center for Global Energy Policy and wa
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“In 2015, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk quipped, “We have this handy fusion reactor in the sky called the sun. You don’t have to do anything. It just works. It shows up every day and produces ridiculous amounts of power.”
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“But my colleagues in academia had shown me that solar technologies far superior to today’s already exist in the lab. If they could be refined and mass-produced, they could one day make it possible to harness the sun’s energy much more efficiently and cheaply.”
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