Every now and then, someone puts forward a sensible argument about energy - renewables, nuclear, fossil fuels, and saving it. A friend from choir (thanks David!) has just put me onto a book by David MacKay called Without the Hot Air. It goes one better by providing a comprehensive analysis for the UK. It's easy to read online (I couldn't put it down), and he's done all the maths to let you design your own energy policy.
It's remarkably spin-free: most people with sufficient interest in the topic seem to latch on to a favourite solution, and spend their time advocating that. But not here: this is just the data.
Maybe one day there will be a sequel that tries to assess the economics, social, and environmental impacts of all the different options. That couldn't possibly be done as objectively as this first one, but it seems to be a necessary second step...
I recommend you have a quick skim: http://www.withouthotair.com/
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