David J. C. MacKay Quotes & Sayings (Page 2)

“The United States consumes power per land-area at a rate three times the average. Even though they are more energy efficient, densely populated industrial countries like Germany, Britain and Japan have even bigger power consumption per area.”

“All renewables, much as I love them, are diffuse. They all have a small power per unit area, and we have to live with that fact.”

“The amount of energy saved by switching off the phone charger is exactly the same as the energy used by driving an average car for one second.”

“To have constructive conversations about the world's energy options, one needs to take a calm look at the numbers.”

“Fridges can be modified to nudge their internal thermostats up and down just a little in response to the main's frequency in such a way that, without ever jeopardising the temperature of your butter, they tend to take power at times that help the grid.”

“I was writing a book about sustainable energy, and a friend asked me, 'Well, how much energy do you use at home?' And I was embarrassed. I didn't actually know.”

“Most of physics is about energy, and physicists understand inefficiencies. I wanted to write a book about our energy options in a neutral, human-accessible form.”