The Power Surge

The United States is in the throes of two unfolding energy revolutions, and partisans - convinced that only their side holds the key to American prosperity, security, and safety - are battling over which one should prevail. In The Power Surge, Michael Levi takes readers inside these revolutions. He shows how oil and gas production, after decades in decline, are being propelled upward by new technologies and high prices, prompting enthusiasts to predict an economic renaissance and impending energy independence. On the other side of the fight, he visits eco-startups and manufacturers betting on a new energy future, revealing how more efficient cars and trucks are increasingly dominating the road and costs for renewable energy have plummeted, leading many to herald a starkly different future that moves beyond fossil fuels and saves the planet. Armed with on-the-ground lessons, and drawing on insights from economics, politics, international relations, and climate science, The Power Surge takes on the big claims made by both sides in the fight over American energy, explaining why the purists are often wrong. Both unfolding revolutions in American energy offer big opportunities for the country to strengthen its economy, bolster its security, and protect the environment. Levi shows how to seize those with a new strategy that blends the best of old and new energy while avoiding the real dangers that each poses. All revolutions need their storytellers. So it is surprising that America's energy revolution of the past few years has not had a serious scribe before now ... In The Power Surge Michael Levi of the Council on Foreign Relations takes an excellent first stab at making sense of America's new energy resources ... The book's main strength is the clarity with which the author explains the development of shale exploitation and assesses the implications of the shale boom. The Economist An authoritative new book. Joe Nocera, New York Times The Power Surge is just fabulous. Tom Keene, Bloomberg Michael Levi's The Power Surge is a welcome relief to melodramatic debates over energy. With a calm voice and an eye for detail, Levi makes the case for a more realistic scenario: renewable energy and fossil fuels are set to share the stage for decades to come ... Levi touches on many ways the energy boom may impact other issues, including climate change, foreign policy and even the dynamics within small communities ... [T]here is a wealth of detail and insights, delivered in a clear prose Kevin Begos, Associated Press Levi ... is a smart, pragmatic observer of the energy wars ... He knows how to cut through specious arguments on both sides of the energy-and-climate debate while keeping in target the bigger challenges facing the U.S. and the world ... [The Power Surge] is one of the best analyses of the amazing changes taking place in the energy sphere today, touching on everything from fracking to climate change to the Keystone XL pipeline debate. Bryan Walsh, Time Levi, a senior fellow for energy and environment at the Council on Foreign Relations and one of the country's most pragmatic energy experts, combines a researcher's analytical detachment with a journalist's flair for on-the-ground storytelling to take ordinary readers into the impassioned and often ideologically warped debate over how best to keep the nation - and the world - industrious, comfortable, mobile and well lighted ... For anyone keen to explore and understand all of the potential combinations and outcomes of our energy wars, The Power Surge provides a compelling and timely primer. Tom Zeller Jr., Huffington Post Michael Levi's new book, The Power Surge, is very likely to be one of the best things you'll read about the ongoing oil and gas boom in the United States ... The book is filled with detailed on-the-ground reporting and carefully reasoned observations about how the oil and gas uptick could have all sorts of unexpected impacts on everything from U.S. foreign policy to climate change to transportation. And it works remarkably well: There were dozens of places that forced me to completely reconsider what I thought I knew about energy markets. Brad Plumer, Washington Post A boom in oil and gas production, coupled with the sliding cost of renewable energy, offers the United States a chance to curb reliance on foreign fuels and boost economic growth. Levi's book The Power Surge makes a persuasive case that Democrats and Republicans can at least avoid mutual sabotage ... Appeals for bipartisanship are often quixotic. Levi, however, manages to avoid sounding utopian ... Levi's myth-busting is exactly what the U.S. energy debate needs. Christopher Swann, Reuters Recommended ... [An] engaging and illuminating book. David Biello, Scientific American A detailed, clear-eyed look at the radical transformations taking place in America's energy landscape, The Power Surge shifts from fracking to the Keystone XL pipeline to the future of renewables with thoughtful analysis and vivid storytelling. The Week A highly readable account of a complex topic. Abandoning polarization, it opens the door to further scientific conversations to consider the possibilities of consensus on energy development strategies - a discourse desperately needed if we are to overcome political inertia. Levi demonstrates great breadth of knowledge and engagement with policies. Science [We] highly recommend picking up The Power Surge. Rob Wile, Business Insider This book gives you [a] strategy, gives you a game plan, and it gives you critical insights ... Everybody, I encourage you strongly to buy this book ... Buy this book. It's awesome. Marc Lamont Hill, Huffington Post Storytelling and interviews mix with more detailed analysis throughout the book, which helps keep the reader engaged ... Levi adeptly unpacks the most widespread claims regarding increased US oil production's economic impacts. [He] maintains a no nonsense, unbiased approach and readily calls out exaggerations made by groups on either side of a given issue ... The climate change discussion really excels Jared Anderson, Breaking Energy [A] breakthrough book. Perry Smith, Augusta Chronicle an illuminating account. Reihan Salam, National Review It is far from easy to find a specialized, high-quality book, aimed at a particular audience but written in simple language, with a strong journalistic flavor, that is clearly intelligible to the average reader. Yet Michael Levi has written just such a work ... Anyone with an interest in this subject, so essential to our lives, would be well-advised to read Levi, since, as Daniel Yergin puts it, he 'captures the turning point in the energy situation in America and the world.' Levi masterfully provides practical examples, linking them to the general trend Oil In The Power Surge, Michael Levi captures the emerging turning point in America's energy situation. Combining thoughtful analysis and balanced independent judgment with vivid on-the-ground reporting, Levi delivers both a timely field guide to today's fervent energy debates and compelling insight into the evolving mix of options that is shaping tomorrow's energy world. Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World and of The Prize Michael Levi has given us a rare gift: a sensible, substantive book that is so well-written it's fun to read. The Power Surge argues persuasively that we must move beyond false choices between clean energy and traditional fuels, and instead aggressively pursue both in new ways. And along the way, it introduces colorful characters and rigorously examines why our energy future is crucial to our economic one. With this book, Levi cements his growing reputation as one of the nation's leading thinkers on energy. Peter Orszag, Vice-Chairman, Citigroup and former Director of the Office of Management and Budget The Power Surge packs big ideas into a concise and illuminating package to make a 1. The Battle for the Future of American Energy ; 2. "The Barbarians Are at the Door" ; 3. Energy Independence on the Horizon ; 4. "Game Over" ; 5. The Car of the Future ; 6. "Win, Win, Win, Win" ; 7. Wild Cards ; 8. The Energy Opportunity