"This new work is provocative, factual and will make you think about the situation we face. It is a must-read for anyone even slightly interested in the adequacy of the U.S. power sector and what the future may hold. The book clarifies where we are today, how we got here and paints a plausible if not scary scenario of the future. Industry, regulatory and political leaders need to read this to see the possible end results of their decisions."
-- Barry Worthington, Executive Director, United States Energy Association.
“Jason Makansi’s story is engaging and thought provoking and will appeal to a wide audience within and outside the energy business. His long history in the electricity business has given him keen insights into the inner workings of the utility industry, and his examples and illustrations, based on his personal attempts at demand side management at home with his family, give a lighter background to what is a profound and sometimes alarming thesis.”
-- Geoffrey R. Egan, Ph.D., President, APTECH Engineering Services Inc.
“This book enables even the novice to understand clearly the multi-faceted issues facing an electricity-thirsty world. Politics and economics are converging rapidly, propelled by the world-wide need for power to satisfy the rapidly expanding consumer demands for goods fueled by that power. Keeping the lights on is no longer a local, regional or national issue. This book lays the foundation for understanding how complex power generation and delivery truly is, and is a clarion call to citizens and consumers world-wide alike to become more informed and more involved.”
-- Timothy McCreary, President, HF Controls Corp.
“This thoroughly-researched and well-documented discourse explores the litany of issues plaguing the energy industry today. Lights Out will challenge your critical thinking skills and may cause you to question your position on the issues. More importantly Lights Out proposes realistic solutions that even our elected representatives can comprehend and should seriously consider.”
-- Dr. Robert V. Peltier, P.E., Editor-in-Chief, POWER magazine
"Jason Makansi’s 25 years experience in the electric power industry, combined with his ability to explain complex technologies in simple terms, makes him the ideal author for this book. It should be required reading for everyone in the trade, the financial community and others providing products and services to the industry, as well as for business schools that teach why technology leadership can be fleeting. And let’s not forget the peeved customer who wants an unbiased explanation."
-- Robert G. Schwieger, Editor and Publisher, COMBINED CYCLE Journal
Praise for Lights Out (click for radio and video interviews and more reviews)
“Lights Out is a fast paced, no holds barred account of what is wrong in our electricity sector and how we might get it back on track, written by someone who has been in the business long enough to know what he is writing about.”
-- Leonard Hyman, Author of America’s Electric Utilities: Past, Present and Future
Lights Out: The Electricity Crisis, The Global Economy, And What it Means to You
points out a troubling reality in today's world--too many people take the electric power
infrastructure for granted. Jason Makansi draws on his years of experience to illuminate
numerous dimensions of today's US power sector--engineering, political, economic
and financial--to make it all too apparent that taking reliable, afforable and
environmentally sound power for granted is a mistake. This book is an important
catalyst for a long overdue discussion we all need to have regarding our electric power future.
--
Lawrence Makovich, Managing Director of Cambridge Energy Research Associates Global Power Group.
“Jason Makansi gives us a succinct, insightful view of recent electricity problems from the California blackouts and financial disaster to the economy-busting rate increases going into effect from Baltimore to Maine. His lively, provocative writing explains the mysteries of the technology, the politics, the regulation, and the market manipulation. Parts of the book may make you mad, but you won’t be able to put it down and you will always be learning something.”
-- Lester Lave, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Co-director, Electricity Industry Center, Carnegie Mellon University
