Solar Power

"Too often we think of solar power as being clean and just, when in fact it has the potential to be filthy and inequitable. Mulvaney's deep look at the solar industry and its political economy provides a badly needed blueprint for a future that is both green and fair."––Paul Robbins, director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin--Madison and author of Political Ecology: A Critical Introduction

"This wide-ranging and impressively researched book emphatically demonstrates that an equitable energy transition will require much more than breaking our carbon addiction. By opening up the 'black box' of how solar energy is produced, distributed, and debated, Mulvaney frames a refreshingly clear treatment of how solar energy is generated, with a sensitive analysis of the political and social justice implications of each step of the solar energy commodity chain. This book leaves us with as many questions as answers—so essential as we confront the complexity of a just renewable energy transition." ––Karen Rignall, Assistant Professor of Food and Environment, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture

"We often think about solar energy as clean and green, but Mulvaney reveals a wide range of occupational and environmental problems associated with its manufacturing, generation, and disposal. But rather than leave us with a negative story, he also presents a vision of what a just and sustainable solar energy system would look like. It’s an important book for all of us concerned with sustainable energy transitions."––David J. Hess, Professor of Sociology, Vanderbilt University