The absolute best overview I've yet seen of both our ability to produce energy and how we use it comes from David MacKay in his book "
Sustainable Energy - without the hot air"
The author is a professor of physics at the University of Cambridge
It's available in paperback from book stores and on-line retailers, but is also available
free on-line in both HTML and PDF format.
The 'without the hot air' part refers to the omission of emotion and political-speak in the book. The author states in the preface that:
"I'm concerned about cutting UK emissions of twaddle - twaddle about sustainable energy. Everyone says getting off fossil fuels is important, and we're all encouraged to "make a difference," but many of the things that allegedly make a difference don't add up.
Twaddle emissions are high at the moment because people get emotional (for example about wind farms or nuclear power) and no-one talks about numbers. Or if they do mention numbers, they select them to sound big, to make an impression, and to score points in arguments, rather than to aid thoughtful discussion.
This is a straight-talking book about the numbers. The aim is to guide the reader around the claptrap to actions that really make a difference and to policies that add up."
I can't recommend this book highly enough.
Andy