Summary
In The Future of Buildings, Transportation and Power,[/i] Roger Duncan and Michael E. Webber explore the technological trends that are shaping these three sectors and what future buildings, vehicles, and power grids are likely to look like. The book is divided into five parts, with each part containing several chapters. Part one of the book discusses the energy efficiency megatrend, which is the idea that buildings, the transportation sector, and the power grids of the future will meet their functions will less material, less energy conversion, less motion, and in less time. Part two discusses the future of buildings by highlighting the current technological trends and what the future holds. Currently, there is 3D printing technology in construction, installation of solar panels on houses, and the use of robots in construction. In the future, it is expected that buildings will become more automated with sensors, and there will be installation of intelligent appliances that can interact with the users. The push for achieving sustainability in buildings is likely to continue in the future with more structures expected to have on-site power generation from renewable energy sources, zero-energy buildings, and energy-efficient designs. It will be possible in the future to have sentient-appearing buildings that can control their functioning, communicate with humans, and monitor the users’ health. Part 3 is on the future of transportation, whereby the authors explore the current trends such as the emergence of electric vehicles (EVs), the creation of new biofuels, and the enhanced efficiency in railway and trucking systems. The current technology is expected to advance in the future, whereby more EVs will be on the road, more flying taxis powered by batteries in the skies, and the autonomous movement of freight by ships, aircrafts, and trucks. Future technology will lead to the return of supersonic planes, advanced experimentation of teleporting, space tourism, and hyperloop trains. Part four explores the five areas of the changing power industry regarding what, who, why, where, and when energy is produced. In general, power generation is currently being decentralized with more buildings having on-site energy production from renewable sources like solar and wind. Clean energy solutions and the emergence of smart grids are also discussed in this part of the book. The last part summarizes the contents of the book.
Positive Aspects
One of the things I liked about the book is that it makes science fiction look more real than ever before. So far, the technology depicted in sci-fi movies like driverless cars and flying taxis has been implemented, and this implies that the projected technological trends in the building, transportation, and power industries are likely to become real in the future. Another thing I liked about the book is that the authors explore the three sectors mostly from an energy perspective. For example, they discuss the use of renewable energy in buildings, the manufacturing of EVs, and the emergence of sentient-appearing power grids. This discussion approach reveals that the building, transportation, and power sectors are all interconnected. That means whatever technology works in one sector can also work in the other sector. I was also intrigued by how the authors addressed the problem of climate change by proposing systems that emit less carbon now and in the future. Their work is not to make vehicles and buildings look fancy with the latest technologies but to address a critical issue that is troubling the world today. Lastly, I liked the simple organization of the book, whereby each part is dedicated to a particular industry, and the last part concludes the discussion.
Negative Aspects
Regarding the negative aspects, I only found a few grammar and spelling mistakes that can easily be corrected by the author. Otherwise, the book’s contents are clear and concise.
Rating
In light of the above-listed strengths and weaknesses, I feel compelled to give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The first reason for the rating is the high number of strengths as compared to the number of weaknesses. Another reason is that the presence of grammar errors slightly lowered the quality of the book and hence the deduction of one star. For the most part, however, I think the book was professionally edited.
Recommended Audience
I would recommend the book to professionals in the fields of building construction, transport, and power. This is because it offers insights into the current technological trends in these sectors and what the future of buildings, vehicles, and power grids is likely to look like. Also, people who like keeping track of the latest technologies in the transport sector can really like this book. In it, they will find a discussion of EV vehicles, driverless cars, flying taxis, drones, supersonic planes, and hyperloop trains.
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