Fifteen years in the making, Stayton's book delivers an excellent primer on how to shift from fossil fuel to solar power. It will do for the energy chain what The Omnivore's Dilemma did for the food chain and much more. Stayton's book is a forty-five–year blueprint for total solar dependence. This physicist and teacher begins at the dawn of man and rolls smoothly through the history of how we became energy-consuming animals and adapted well to each energy shift, from fire to water, coal, steam, and oil. Eloquently, Stayton persuades that our current swing from fossil fuel to solar power can also remain gradual and non-traumatic.

Indeed the shift to solar is the only way to avoid planetary destruction. With enviably clear explanations, Stayton slices the pros and cons of all available energy, from wind to nuclear, and concludes that the sun is our most powerful and efficient energy source and does not emit 100 million tons of carbon dioxide daily. He topples obstacles to the harvesting and storage of solar energy with authority, which is not surprising, since his home has been 90% solar powered since 1997. He slays the dragons of consumer indifference and ignorance, political pushback, technological shortcomings and economic pitfalls, clearing a path to the future. No one can dispute that the sun, "our giant fusion reactor in the sky," is free, evenly distributed, environmentally friendly, and politically acceptable, and it will last for five billion years. Page eighty-one alone—listing the top ten reasons fossil fuels are not good for us anymore—could cause a run on solar panels tomorrow.

Stayton's book should be required reading in schools and universities. Without denying any of our energy needs, this book explains in language anyone can understand how 100% solar power is achievable by 2060 and how it will be permanent and safe.

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