Energy and American Society: Thirteen Myths

Energy and American Society: Thirteen Myths is a 2007 book edited by Benjamin K. Sovacool (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) and Marilyn A. Brown (Georgia Institute of Technology). The book discusses and dispells thirteen myths which have existed in American culture concerning energy, the environment, and society:

• Myth One – Today’s Energy Crisis is “Hype”

• Myth Two – The Public is Well Informed About Energy

• Myth Three – High Land Requirements and an Unfavorable Energy Balance Preclude Biomass Ethanol from Playing a Large Role in Providing Energy Services

• Myth Four – The Hydrogen Economy is a Panacea to the Nation’s Energy Problems

• Myth Five – Price Signals are Insufficient to Induce Efficient Energy Investments

• Myth Six – The Barriers to New and Innovative Energy Technologies are Primarily Technical: The Case of Distributed Generation

• Myth Seven – Renewable Energy Systems Could Never Meet Growing Electricity Demand in America

• Myth Eight – Worldwide Power Systems are Economically and Environmentally Optimal

• Myth Nine – Energy Efficiency Improvements have Already Reached their Potential

• Myth Ten – Energy Efficiency Measures are Unreliable, Unpredictable, and Unenforceable

• Myth Eleven – Energy R&D Investment Takes Decades to Reach the Market

• Myth Twelve – Climate Policy will Bankrupt the U.S. Economy

• Myth Thirteen – Developing Countries are not Doing their Part in Responding to Concerns about Climate Change

The book was produced with support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and involved 24 contributing authors with a range of diverse backgrounds.