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A review by cosmicllama
The Grid: Electrical Infrastructure for a New Era by Gretchen Bakke
3.0
I have a hard time reviewing this book. It's an incredibly important topic, that isn't as thoroughly investigate as it should be. While I admire the task that Bakke undertook in writing this book,it just doesn't go into the detail I feel it could have used.
Bakke does a great job investigating the human and technological side of the Grid, diving into the history of it's inception and the various laws that have affected it since then. She provides good insight into why the system is the way it is, and why it is so hard to change. Bakke spends a good deal of time stating why we can't just start installing renewable energy everywhere at the speeds we'd like considering the technology as it stands and the political barriers we encounter. She clearly went through great pains to find relatable stories to highlight the struggles across the nation. There are great anecdotes about the smart grid, and tons of small stories about power outages unearthed in this book.
However, I feel like better editing could have helped bring out the best that this book has to offer. Without a really clear motive, beyond informing the public about the nature of our energy system, a lot of the book meanders. There isn't a clear chronological outline, nor do the themes of each section standout. Ultimately, the conclusion suffers because it all feels like it boils down to "this is a big mess, and we can't just start from scratch". If a little more focus was brought to each section, and a little more purpose brought to each chapter, this book could have gone a lot further to educate the reader on the Grid.
Instead I feel slightly more educated about a subject I'm greatly interested in without much of a direction on how to fix it. Just that it needs to be fixed, and it's going to take a lot of effort.
I recommend this book to people who have an interest in the subject, but barely any knowledge of it. More enthusiastic people looking for a more dedicated book technically and politically will probably have to look elsewhere.
Bakke does a great job investigating the human and technological side of the Grid, diving into the history of it's inception and the various laws that have affected it since then. She provides good insight into why the system is the way it is, and why it is so hard to change. Bakke spends a good deal of time stating why we can't just start installing renewable energy everywhere at the speeds we'd like considering the technology as it stands and the political barriers we encounter. She clearly went through great pains to find relatable stories to highlight the struggles across the nation. There are great anecdotes about the smart grid, and tons of small stories about power outages unearthed in this book.
However, I feel like better editing could have helped bring out the best that this book has to offer. Without a really clear motive, beyond informing the public about the nature of our energy system, a lot of the book meanders. There isn't a clear chronological outline, nor do the themes of each section standout. Ultimately, the conclusion suffers because it all feels like it boils down to "this is a big mess, and we can't just start from scratch". If a little more focus was brought to each section, and a little more purpose brought to each chapter, this book could have gone a lot further to educate the reader on the Grid.
Instead I feel slightly more educated about a subject I'm greatly interested in without much of a direction on how to fix it. Just that it needs to be fixed, and it's going to take a lot of effort.
I recommend this book to people who have an interest in the subject, but barely any knowledge of it. More enthusiastic people looking for a more dedicated book technically and politically will probably have to look elsewhere.