Mad Like Tesla

Underdog Inventors and their Relentless Pursuit of Clean Energy

Ebook

Climate change solutions so crazy they just might work! A search for the contemporary Nikola Tesla - considered a mad scientist by his society for predicting global warming more than 100 years ago - fuels this analysis of climate issues, which introduces thinkers and inventors who are working to find possible ways out of the energy crisis.

From Louis Michaud, a retired refinery engineer who claims we can harness the energy of man-made tornadoes, to a professor and a businessman who are running a company that genetically modifies algae so it can secrete ethanol naturally, these individuals and their unorthodox methods are profiled through first-person interviews, exposing the social, economic, financial, and personal barriers that prevent them from making an impact with their ideas.

The existing state of green energy technologies, such as solar, wind, biofuels, smart grid, and energy storage, is also explored, creating a sense of hope against a backdrop of climate dread.

Table of contents

Table of contents
Front Cover 1
Copyright 5
Table of Contents 8
Introduction 10
1| More Bang for the Buck? 30
2| Out of This World 60
3| A New Spin on Energy 94
4| Copying Nature’s Playbook 118
5| Not Your Average Pond Scum 140
6| Secrecy in Cedar Park 176
7| Searching for Miracles 207
Conclusion 228
Acknowledgements 241
Index 246
Back Cover 253