Power plays : energy options in the age of peak oil / Robert Rapier.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

All about energy : dependence and disconnect -- Fossil fuels and nuclear power : powering modern civilization -- Renewable energy : energy of the past and the future -- Energy production : from the source to the consumer -- Global warming : how do you stop a hurricane? -- Peak oil : myth or threat to civilization? -- Nuclear power : practical solution or environmental disaster? -- Risk and uncertainty : energy security challenges -- Reducing the risks : policies to enhance energy security -- Investing in cleantech : a guide to technical due diligence -- The race to replace oil : alternative transportation fuels -- Oil-free transportation : alternatives to the internal combustion engine -- Corn ethanol : past, present, and future -- U.S. energy politics : the elusive goal of energy independence -- The road ahead : planning and preparation.

Explains the global energy situation, how it affects different groups of people, and the likely future of natural gas, coal, oil, nuclear power, and alternative energy resources.