If you're skeptical about the world moving to new forms of energy, just remember that some people probably had doubts about any fuel replacing wood.
We have a long history of ways to keep our houses warm and lit. And Pulitzer prize-winning author Richard Rhodes takes in a lot of that history.
His book is Energy: A Human History. From wood to coal, from horses to steam to internal combustion, from burning fuels to capturing the son, the book takes it all in. The author visits.