Power Shift: The Hidden Forces That Determine Whether the Clean Energy Transition Succeeds

About the Book

See the Whole Picture of the Energy Transition

The clean energy transition is already underway. Wind and solar now provide 30 percent of global electricity. Yet ambitious policy goals consistently miss their targets, projects face years of delays, and stakeholders remain frustrated by a system that seems designed to slow progress.

Power Shift: The Hidden Forces That Determine Whether the Clean Energy Transition Succeeds explains why.

Drawing on fifty years of experience consulting for developers, banks, utilities, and government agencies, Dr. Bruce Bailey reveals the complex ecosystem of decision-makers who must all say “yes” for any project to succeed. He shows readers how to:

• Understand why grid infrastructure creates fundamental bottlenecks
• Recognize how weather dependency changes everything about energy planning
• Navigate the competing priorities of developers, financiers, and regulators
• Anticipate where policy ambitions collide with physical and economic realities
• Build the cross-sector collaboration required for meaningful progress

Power Shift cuts through the green-tinted idealism and partisan gridlock to deliver what decision-makers actually need: a realistic, interdisciplinary perspective on what the energy transition will require and how long it will take. The future is coming. This book shows you how to navigate it.

About the Author :
Dr. BRUCE BAILEY is a meteorologist and energy industry veteran who has spent fifty years at the forefront of renewable energy development. He founded AWS Truepower, an international consulting firm that served major developers, banks, utilities, and government agencies before its acquisition by UL Solutions, where he became Vice President of Renewables.

Bailey began his career at the University at Albany’s Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, where he participated in New York State’s first renewable energy feasibility studies. His work has shaped industry standards for wind and solar resource assessment worldwide.

Review :
“Dr. Bruce Bailey, a dedicated and visionary leader in the field of renewable energy, boldly exposes many of the critical and often ignored obstacles facing the global energy transition. This groundbreaking book delivers a compelling and unflinching examination of the profound changes and unwavering commitment that may be truly necessary to ensure the success of our collective shift toward sustainable energy.”
— Jim Adams
CEO-North America, Natural Power

“Bruce was ahead of his time decades ago producing the wind maps that helped spread wind energy to most US states. He has been at the front lines of the energy transition and is uniquely able to share lessons from the past and look around the corners to the future.”
— Rob Gramlich
Founder & President, Grid Strategies LLC

“In Power Shift, Bruce Bailey strips away the ‘green-tinted glasses’ that often color discussions of renewable energy to reveal the complex machinery actually driving the transition. Drawing on his deep experience with banks, government agencies, and developers, Bailey masterfully explains why often the transition moves slower than policy mandates suggest. From the ‘Darwinian winnowing’ of companies facing political volatility to the intricate alignment required between financial institutions and local landowners, this book provides the clarity stakeholders need to survive and thrive. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the ‘hidden forces’ that determine whether a project—and the transition itself—succeeds.”
— Joshua Kunkel
President & CEO, New Energy Equity LLC

“To his explanations of the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition, Bruce Bailey brings ambition, hope, and realism from deep experience. If you’ve never thought about the implications of weather as the fuel source, then Bruce Bailey’s book is a must-read for you. With strong doses of hope and realism, Bailey demystifies the long path and multiple potential failure points for accelerating the energy transition, explaining how many stakeholders with understandably different priorities and timelines all need to get to 'yes' for a project—and ultimately a national transition—to happen.”
— David M. Lodge
Francis J. DiSalvo Director, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability

“Renewable energy industry stalwart Bruce Bailey deftly guides the reader on a thought-provoking journey through the complex practicalities of the inevitable transformation to a clean global energy system. You’ll be enlightened by picking up this rewarding read. Enjoy!”
— Gregory S. Poulos
Doctor, Entrepreneur, Scientist, Outdoorsman

“This is an essential read for anyone serious about building a clean energy future. Bailey provides a clear and compelling framework for understanding and navigating the key interacting pillars and stakeholders that will ultimately determine whether the clean energy transition succeeds or not. Anyone working in the energy industry, be it in energy finance or renewable energy policy simply MUST read this book to have the perspective needed to meet the challenges we face now and in the future.”
— Chris Thorncroft
Full Professor and Director, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center