References
Foundational Texts
MacKay, D. J. C. (2008). Sustainable Energy—Without the Hot Air. UIT Cambridge. Available free at withouthotair.com
Smil, V. (2017). Energy Transitions: Global and National Perspectives (2nd ed.). Praeger.
Smil, V. (2015). Power Density: A Key to Understanding Energy Sources and Uses. MIT Press.
Smil, V. (2022). How the World Really Works. Viking.
Webber, M. E. (2019). Power Trip: The Story of Energy. Basic Books.
Module 1: Foundations and Thermodynamics
World Energy Council. (2019). World Energy Trilemma Index. worldenergy.org
International Energy Agency. (2025). Global Energy Review 2025. iea.org
International Energy Agency. (2025). Energy and AI. iea.org
United Nations Development Programme. (2020). Human Development Report 2020. hdr.undp.org
Cengel, Y. A., & Boles, M. A. (2019). Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Module 2: Harvesting the Sun
Fossil Fuels
Smil, V. (2018). Oil: A Beginner’s Guide. Oneworld Publications.
Congressional Research Service. (2018). U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics (R44854). crsreports.congress.gov
Solar Energy
IRENA. (2025). Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2024. irena.org
BloombergNEF. (2025). “Battery Price Survey.” bnef.com
NREL. (2024). Fall 2024 Solar Industry Update. nrel.gov
NREL. (2024). Annual Technology Baseline. atb.nrel.gov
Harvard Business School. (2012). “The Globalization of Solar” (Case 12-105). hbs.edu
Nemet, G. F. (2019). How Solar Energy Became Cheap. Routledge.
Wind Energy
Harvard Business School. (2011). “The Greening of Wal-Mart” (Case 11-112). hbs.edu
NREL. (2024). Land-Based Wind Market Report. nrel.gov
Wiser, R., & Bolinger, M. (2024). Utility-Scale Solar and Wind Cost Trends. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Biofuels and Hydropower
Smil, V. (2015). Harvesting the Biosphere. MIT Press.
International Hydropower Association. (2025). Hydropower Status Report. hydropower.org
Module 3: Geothermal and Nuclear
Geothermal
Fervo Energy. (2024). “2024 Year in Review.” fervoenergy.com
NREL. (2025). U.S. Geothermal Market Report. nrel.gov
Clean Air Task Force. (2025). “Superhot Rock and the Future of Geothermal.” catf.us
Nuclear
World Nuclear Association. (2025). Nuclear Power in the World Today. world-nuclear.org
Rhodes, R. (1986). The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Simon & Schuster.
Lovering, J. R., et al. (2016). “Historical construction costs of global nuclear power reactors.” Energy Policy, 91, 371-382.
IAEA. (2025). Power Reactor Information System. iaea.org/pris
Module 4: Storage, Sourcing, and Future Systems
Energy Storage
BloombergNEF. (2025). Battery Price Survey. bnef.com
IEA. (2025). Global EV Outlook 2025. iea.org
SEIA. (2025). Storage White Paper. seia.org
Hydrogen
IEA. (2025). Global Hydrogen Review. iea.org
BloombergNEF. (2025). Hydrogen Economy Outlook. bnef.com
Critical Minerals and Supply Chains
IEA. (2024). Critical Minerals Market Review. iea.org
Carnegie Endowment. (2024). “Winning the Battery Race.” carnegieendowment.org
Bazilian, M. D. (2018). “The mineral foundation of the energy transition.” The Extractive Industries and Society, 5(1), 93-97.
Hard-to-Decarbonize Sectors
McKinsey. (2025). “The Hard Stuff: Progress on the Transition.” mckinsey.com
Brookings Institution. (2024). Decarbonizing Heavy Transport. brookings.edu
RMI. (2024). The Renewable Revolution. rmi.org
Gretchen Bakke. (2016). The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future. Bloomsbury.
Module 5: Energy RPG and Policy Simulations
Climate Interactive. (2025). Climate Action Simulation. climateinteractive.org
Climate Interactive. (2025). En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator. en-roads.climateinteractive.org
MIT Sloan. (2023). “The Climate Action Simulation: A Climate and Energy Policy Negotiation Game.” mitsloan.mit.edu
Carlson, A. (2013). “Designing Durable Climate Policy.” UCLA Law Review.
Data Sources
- Our World in Data: Energy data and visualizations. ourworldindata.org/energy
- Energy Institute Statistical Review: Annual global energy statistics (formerly BP Statistical Review). energyinst.org
- EIA: U.S. Energy Information Administration. eia.gov
- IEA: International Energy Agency data and reports. iea.org/data-and-statistics
- NREL NSRDB: National Solar Radiation Database. nsrdb.nrel.gov
- IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. ipcc.ch
Further Reading
For students interested in going deeper:
- Lovins, A. (2011). Reinventing Fire. Chelsea Green.
- Gates, B. (2021). How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. Knopf.
- Griffith, S. (2021). Electrify. MIT Press.
- Helm, D. (2020). Net Zero. William Collins.
- Rhodes, R. (2018). Energy: A Human History. Simon & Schuster.
- Yergin, D. (2011). The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World. Penguin.
- Yergin, D. (2020). The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations. Penguin.
Note on Currency
Energy data ages quickly. The costs, capacities, and projections cited in this textbook are accurate as of late 2025. Consult the primary sources listed above for current figures.