Includes bibliographical references and index.

Less is more: California's energy legacy / Art Rosenfeld -- Introduction: Energy makes California go around -- [I] Overview: from indigenous stewardship to millennial crisis : Gold miners shape early energy development ; Making hydro history ; The birth of Pacific Gas & Electric ; Who says water and oil do not mix? Legal wars over energy resources begin ; Emergence of electricity as a prime power source ; Southern California's energy history ; The public power alternative ; Populations boom, driving energy use up and up ; Chic nuclear power ; Nuclear victories and defeats ; Negawatts displace megawatts ; The renewable rush ; California's free-fall into chaos -- [II] Mainstays: electricity and fossil fuels : Bringing energy into your own life ; An overview of the wonders of electricity ; Our fossil fuel natural history ; The family of fossil fuels -- [III] Alternatives: the growth of renewable energy : Geothermal energy ; Solar energy ; Wind power ; Biomass and biofuels ; Water power : Nuclear power ; Hydrogen -- [IV] Challenges: the risks of the status quo and systems overhaul : Challenge 1. Global climate change ; Challenge 2. Finite, polluting, and often imported fossil fuels ; Challenge 3. The question of nuclear power ; Challenge 4. The terrorist threat, national security, and energy reliability ; Challenge 5. Variability, cost, and NIMBY challenges with renewable sources ; Challenge 6. A dumb electricity grid -- [V] Innovation: the search for solutions : California utilities go out on a limb ; A growing role for the private sector ; What role for government? ; Bringing community back into the picture ; In my own backyard -- [VI] Progress: seven ongoing experiments : Cool roofs ; Demand response technologies ; Transforming our wastes into clean energy ; Zero-emissions fossil fuel power plants? ; Lower-carbon transportation fuels ; Smart growth land use planning ; Conclusion -- California's energy innovations beyond power road / Arthur O'Donnell.