People rarely stop to think about where the energy they use to power their everyday lives comes from and when they do it is often to ask a worried question: is mankinds energy usage killing the planet? How do we deal with nuclear waste? What happens when the oil runs out? Energy: The Basics answers these questions but it also does much more. In this engaging yet even-handed introduction, readers are introduced to:
the concept of energy and what it really means
the ways energy is currently generated and the sources used
new and emerging energy technologies such as solar power and biofuels
the impacts of energy use on the environment including climate change
Featuring explanatory diagrams, tables, a glossary and an extensive further reading list, this book is the ideal starting point for anyone interested in the impact and future of the worlds energy supply.
Recenzijos
"This 200-page primer is evenhanded and level-headed, and just right for what is intended: providing access to fundamentals without presumption, pretense, or prescription.Summing Up: Recommended." - L. W. Fine, CHOICE, Columbia University
Preface
ix
1 Energy and us
1
(11)
2 Human energy and the energy balance
12
(10)
3 Water, wind and kinetic energy
22
(10)
4 Heat, steam and thermal efficiency
32
(17)
5 Electricity
49
(13)
6 Electricity from falling water
62
(8)
7 Electricity from steam
70
(12)
8 Petroleum, its products, and their engines
82
(27)
9 Nuclear energy
109
(29)
10 Biomass energy
138
(14)
11 Electricity from the wind
152
(12)
12 Energy from the sun
164
(15)
13 Energy and climate
179
(17)
14 The twelve-terawatt challenge
196
(4)
Further reading
200
(5)
Index
205
Harold Schobert is Professor Emeritus of Fuel Science in the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State University, and Extraordinary Professor in the Faculty of Natural Sciences at North-West University.
