Energy Choices 2 Volumes

A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complex issues surrounding energy generation and use, this one-of-a-kind resource clarifies everything from the basic structure of the industry to the potential—and risks—of new technologies. Energy is a critical public concern in the 21st century, spurring demand for reliable, easy-to-understand information on subjects as varied as the drivers of prices, the potential for new technologies, the implications of a more diverse energy-supply portfolio, and the way government policies affect the energy marketplace. All of those issues and more are covered in this unique, two-volume compendium. Traditional energy sources such as oil, coal, and natural gas are explored in volume one and new and emerging energy sources are addressed in volume two. Each chapter provides a brief history of the energy source, describes how it functions, and examines market issues, government regulations, and environmental and community impacts. The work discusses energy security and energy independence, efficiency standards, and carbon policy as well as consumer-focused technologies such as energy storage options, smart appliances and homes, and electric cars. Readers will come away from this guide with an understanding of the energy industry and an appreciation of the ways government, industry, and society can manage both risks and benefits.

Discusses the complex issues surrounding energy generation and use and clarifies everything from the basic structure of the industry to the potential--and risks--of new technologies. These volumes provide a single reference point on the energy industry and the opportunity to compare and contrast energy choices. The authors provide economic, environmental, and community contexts as well as the history of each covered energy source, traditional and alternative. They raise critical economic, national security, and environmental issues, including our ability to rely on traditional resources such as oil, coal, natural gas, and uranium in the future. Includes entries from the perspectives of industry insiders, environmentalists, indigenous people, and community activists.

This second volume of Energy Resources and Systems is focused on renewable energy resources. Renewable energy mainly comes from wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, ocean, bioenergy, ethanol and hydrogen. Each of these energy resources is important and growing. For example, high-head hydroelectric energy is a well established energy resource and already contributes about 20% of the world’s electricity. Some countries have significant high-head resources and produce the bulk of their electrical power by this method. However, the bulk of the world’s high-head hydroelectric resources have not been exploited, particularly by the underdeveloped countries. Low-head hydroelectric is unexploited and has the potential to be a growth area. Wind energy is the fastest growing of the renewable energy resources for the electricity generation. Solar energy is a popular renewable energy resource. Geothermal energy is viable near volcanic areas. Bioenergy and ethanol have grown in recent years primarily due to changes in public policy meant to encourage its usage. Energy policies stimulated the growth of ethanol, for example, with the unintended side effect of rise in food prices. Hydrogen has been pushed as a transportation fuel. The authors want to provide a comprehensive series of texts on the interlinking of the nature of energy resources, the systems that utilize them, the environmental effects, the socioeconomic impact, the political aspects and governing policies. Volume 1 on Fundamentals and Non Renewable Resources was published in 2009. It blends fundamental concepts with an understanding of the non-renewable resources that dominate today’s society. The authors are now working on Volume 3, on nuclear advanced energy resources and nuclear batteries, consists of fusion, space power systems, nuclear energy conversion, nuclear batteries and advanced power, fuel cells and energy storage. Volume 4 will cover environmental effects, remediation and policy. Solutions to providing long term, stable and economical energy is a complex problem, which links social, economical, technical and environmental issues. It is the goal of the four volume Energy Resources and Systems series to tell the whole story and provide the background required by students of energy to understand the complex nature of the problem and the importance of linking social, economical, technical and environmental issues.

In this handbook and ready reference, editors and authors from academia and industry share their in-depth knowledge of known and novel materials, devices and technologies with the reader. The result is a comprehensive overview of electrochemical energy and conversion methods, including batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, hydrogen generation and storage as well as solar energy conversion. Each chapter addresses electrochemical processes, materials, components, degradation mechanisms, device assembly and manufacturing, while also discussing the challenges and perspectives for each energy storage device in question. In addition, two introductory chapters acquaint readers with the fundamentals of energy storage and conversion, and with the general engineering aspects of electrochemical devices. With its uniformly structured, self-contained chapters, this is ideal reading for entrants to the field as well as experienced researchers.

This expansive reference provides readers with the broadest available single-volume coverage of leading-edge advances in the development and optimization of clean energy technologies. From innovative biofuel feed stocks and processing techniques, to novel solar materials with record-breaking efficiencies, remote-sensing for offshore wind turbines to breakthroughs in high performance PEM fuel cell electrode manufacturing, phase change materials in green buildings to bio sorption of pharmaceutical pollutants, the myriad exciting developments in green technology described in this book will provide inspiration and information to researchers, engineers and students working in sustainability around the world.