John has long considered himself to be an environmentalist, albeit a pragmatic one, who always asks, “What does this mean at the global level, how much will this really save?” Answering this question led to the writing of the handbook.

John worked over forty years in aerospace engineering since graduating from San Jose State University. During his career, the considerations of power, energy and system costs were everyday issues. He is now retired, but is working part-time in systems cost modeling and analyses.

John lives in Cupertino California with his wife Sylvia, a retired travel advisor.  They have traveled the world extensively, but he admits this was mostly for sightseeing and dining—global energy not being at the forefront.

Visit John's website: www.globalbtu.com

CUPERTINO, Calif., Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- For many people, energy information might as well be written in a foreign language. In most articles and books on energy, the units are so intermixed - megawatts, barrels, gallons, tons, therms, etc. - the reader cannot see what's happening at the global level. The Global Energy Handbook, by John R. Fortun (ISBN 978-1- 935125-10-5, Robertson Publishing), uses a clear and consistent set of energy units, the BTU, to describe the flow and use of global energy from its initial production to its end-use consumption. Historical data is combined with projections for future energy consumption to show why promising savings initiatives have been unable to keep up with the increasing demand for global energy. This unique handbook is organized and presented in a way that can easily be followed by those with or without technical backgrounds. The book does not address the usual subjects of energy technology, global warming or "ways to save energy," these having been more than adequately covered by the media.

Upon gaining a feeling for the global energy flow process, the whole energy picture, not just the separate pieces, becomes evident to the reader. The reader will begin to question the conventional wisdom on energy conservation, improved efficiency and the alternative energy sources that has been a staple in the media for the past four decades.

Numerous "What If" examples are given to illustrate why past attempts at energy savings have been unable to reduce, or even slow down, global energy consumption.

What if everyone in the world drove a fuel-efficient automobile?

What if every household in the world switched to fluorescent bulbs?

The reader will be surprised and dismayed by what these examples tell us about the difficulty of saving energy at the global level. The examples make clear the meaning of two key phrases used throughout the handbook:

"Energy does not hold still while we try to fix it."

"We have been looking at energy through the wrong end of the telescope."

This handbook will be of great value to students of the energy and environmental sciences, to those in the media reporting on energy and to average citizens, who just want to better understand the flood of energy information coming their way. It should be retained as a permanent reference and guide for today's many, and often confusing, energy issues.

Publisher: Robertson Publishing,Los Gatos, CA, August 2008.

Author: John R. Fortun has many years experience in aerospace engineering - where power, energy, efficiency and cost are everyday considerations. He is a pragmatic environmentalist who always asks, "but how much energy will this actually save?" Answering questions like this led to his writing of the book. Mr. Fortun and his wife, Sylvia, reside inCupertino, CA (http://www.globalqbtu.com).

Available: Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com), Barnes & Noble (http://www.bn.com), Robertson Publishing (http://www.RobertsonPublishing.com).

Contact:

John R. Fortun
7895 Belknap Dr.
Cupertino, CA, 95014
(408) 996-3841 home
(408) 202-6837 cell