Science & Technology (alternative energy)

Community-based renewable energy projects are a favorite among TreeHuggers. Lyle Estill of Piedmont Biofuels, who we interviewed here, is a key player in the growing movement for decentralised, clean, small-scale power generation. And it's thanks Lyle's fabulous energy blog that we came across what looks like a great resource: "The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook: Community Solutions to a Global Crisis" by Greg Pahl.

According to the publisher's blurb, "The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook is an eloquent appeal and a practical handbook for community and regional action to deal head-on with environmental challenges and to take responsibility for energy supplies now controlled by large, distant utilities and consortiums. This is the book for anyone ready to take meaningful steps toward a more sustainable future." The book also boasts a foreword by Richard Heinberg. We are yet to read it ourselves, so we can't say whether the book lives up to its promise, but if Lyle's review is anything to go by, this looks set to be an important resource for anyone looking to move their community beyond the era of cheap fossil fuels.