Pointing out the alarming rate at which man's demand for energy has grown and will continue to grow, Branley examines possible methods for getting the most out of the fast dwindling fossil fuels which will nevertheless have to provide all our power for the next few years, then reviews the drawbacks, advantages and relative likelihood of nuclear fission and fusion, solar installations, and geothermal, wind, hydroelectric and tidal power [in Energy for the Twenty-First Century]. Considered too are problems and possibilities of storing energy, and Branley even mentions some intriguing though admittedly far out ideas such as laser-lithium fusion and using the gravitation of a black hole to generate electricity. The view throughout is calm, leaning toward optimism. One of many such surveys and no improvement over [Laurence A.] Pringle's Energy …, but you can rely on Branley for standable, technically reliable explanations.

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"Younger Non-Fiction: 'Energy for the Twenty-First Century'," in Kirkus Reviews (copyright © 1975 The Kirkus Service, Inc.), Vol. XLIII, No. 16, August 15, 1975, p. 921.