Godfrey Boyle (1945 – 2019) was a British author and academic who was a leading figure in the British
alternative technology movement, and an authority on sustainability and renewable energy.
He was the founder of
''Undercurrents'', the pioneering magazine of ‘radical science and alternative technology’.
Early life and education
Boyle was born in
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
, West London to Kevin and Phyllis Boyle. The family moved to
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
where he was educated at
St Malachy’s College. Boyle later attended
Queen’s University Belfast where he studied for an electrical engineering degree but failed his final exams.
While studying in Belfast, Boyle edited a student science magazine called ''Spectrum'' and pursued interests in the paranormal, alternative philosophy, libertarian and anarchist politics, and pirate radio.
Career
Undercurrents
Moving from Belfast to London, Boyle worked as a journalist on
Electronics Weekly before founding ''
Undercurrents'' in 1972, having had the idea for an ‘underground’ science and technology magazine since the late 1960s, which would drawing on titles such as ''Oz'' and ''
International Times
''International Times'' (''it'' or ''IT'') is the name of various underground newspapers, with the original title founded in London in 1966 and running until October 1973. Editors included John "Hoppy" Hopkins, David Mair ...
'', as well as more obscure publications. ''Undercurrents'', also known as ‘Undies’, initially came out as collections of individually printed articles and leaflets, put together in a polythene bag to serve as a ‘common carrier’ and to which articles could be added, inspired by ideas of
decentralization
Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group.
Conce ...
and networking that Boyle had become interested in.
Issue 2 of ''Undercurrents'' was dedicated to energy and produced in time for the first
United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, in summer 1972, which Boyle attended with the editorial team, including Peter Harper (credited with coining the term ‘alternative technology’), who organised a ‘People’s Technology Exhibition’ as an alternative event during the conference.
After transitioning to a more conventional format with issue 5, the magazine became a success, achieving a bimonthly circulation of 7,000 copies.
At the end of 1973 Boyle left his job at ''Electronics Weekly'' to focus on editing ''Undercurrents'', and formed Undercurrents Limited to administer the magazine. ''Undercurrents'' continued to be published independently for 10 years before merging with
''Resurgence'' magazine.
Radical Technology
In 1975 Boyle, with Harper, co-edited ''Radical Technology'', which contained contributions from many of those who had worked on ''Undercurrents'' and became well known for its series of ‘Visions’ illustrations by the anarchist artist
Clifford Harper. In the same year Boyle published his first book as author, ''Living on the Sun: harnessing renewable energy for an equitable society'', which became influential for its argument that industrial countries could transition away from fossil fuels and instead towards renewable energy to power their economies.
Open University
In 1976 Boyle was appointed as a lecturer at the
Open University
The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
where he formed the Alternative Technology Group (later the Energy and Environment Research Unit), which led on teaching and research into renewable energy. Alongside his teaching duties, Boyle conducted research on wind and solar systems, including the development of innovative designs for wind turbines, and also early electric bicycles.
He also edited the first three editions of ''Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future'', which remains a leading introductory textbook on renewable energy. He was appointed a personal Chair at the Open University in 2009, in the process becoming possibly the only professor in the UK without a degree.
Recognition
Boyle was a Fellow of the
Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET) and of the
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
(FRSA).
Personal life
In 1973 Boyle married Sally Maloney, whom he met upon moving to London and who worked on the graphic design and layout for ''Undercurrents''. They settled in
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...
, in the Rainbow Housing Cooperative, which Boyle was involved in founding. They had two children, Holly and Katie. Boyle and Maloney divorced in 1992. In later years he lived in London and Devon with his partner, Romy Fraser.
Archive
Godfrey Boyle’s archive is catalogued and available at Wellcome Collection (ref no
PP/GBO.
References
External links
Godfrey Boyle discussing ''Undercurrents'' (origins, financing, influences and role) (Architectural Association School of Architecture, 1975)Godfrey Boyle, 'Living on the Sun: How We Can Power the World on 100% Renewables' (Small is Beautiful Festival, 2012)Godfrey Boyle, 'This could be one of history's great transitions' (Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, 2013)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, Godfrey
1945 births
2019 deaths
British writers
People from Brentford
Sustainability advocates
Environmental engineers