BRAIN SCAN: "The frugal cornucopian: Amory Lovins began making the case for resource efficiency decades ago, long before it became fashionable; now things are going his way," The Economist, 6 September 2008.

Nice start:

If anybody should be on top of the world today, it is Amory Lovins … because today's interrelated energy and climate difficulties have at last made the world see the importance of resource efficiency, energy innovation and holistic design—principles that he has been advocating for nearly four decades.

His radical idea is simple: economic growth does not need to occur in lock-step with increased use of energy. A rival describes him as "60% pure genius and about 40% snake-oil salesman," as if this is odd for a visionary. Better description:

When Amory makes a prediction, don't stand close and scrutinize the small print. Take a step back and see his broader vision, and you will find that he usually points the way forward as no one else can.

Nice. His main source of optimism this time around? Most of the innovation is being funded privately, not by the government. No Manhattan Projects for Amory, thank you very much. Why Amory is truly a grand strategist:

Surely it is frustrating to be ignored or pilloried for years, only to have his accusers co-opt his ideas? Mr Lovins smiles. "Yes, my ideas do sometimes have a slow burn or a decade or two before they catch on," he admits.

The real deal, folks.