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Power and the People

A History of British Energy
By Arthur Downing
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Brief Description
The energy crisis of the early 2020s exposed the true nature of Britain’s energy system: fragile, fragmented, comically complicated, and hopelessly dependent on imported fossil fuels. How did it come to this? Power and the People uncovers the hidden history of British energy from the Victorians... Read More
Format: Hardback
$5499
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Releases 5th January 2027 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Power and the People" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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The argument for a revolution in the ownership of our national energy system, from a leading industry insider.

The argument for a revolution in the ownership of our national energy system, from a leading industry insider.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The energy crisis of the early 2020s exposed the true nature of Britain’s energy system: fragile, fragmented, comically complicated, and hopelessly dependent on imported fossil fuels. How did it come to this? Power and the People uncovers the hidden history of British energy from the Victorians to the present.

The book tells the story of the private and publicly owned organisations that built the energy system, from local municipal electricity companies in the early twentieth century, to state-owned enterprises that built infrastructure at a massive scale and breakneck speed from 1926 to 1979. The frenzied construction bonanza changed the landscape of Britain and the fabric of everyday life for citizens.

From the 1980s the electricity and gas industries were broken apart and sold off. Privatisation worked for a short time but then the model started to break down. Climate change introduced a new problem. In response, the privatised model was gradually adapted and over decades became a complex and contradictory system that is crumbling. Today, we're living under a zombie system that lurches from crisis to crisis. But there is hope. Arthur Downing offers an alternative future of what is possible, based on lessons from our own past.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781836741008

Publisher: Verso Books

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 01 September 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Verso Books

Illustration: 4 charts

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 24.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 477g

Pages: 320

Collections

Arthur Downing Education & Reference Non-Fiction Non-Fiction Pre-Orders Politics & Current Affairs Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Science & Nature

About the Author

Arthur Downing is a Strategy Director at Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest electricity supplier, and Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics. He has worked across the energy industry, both in the private sector and as an advisor to government. Before working in energy, he was a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford University.

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