eBooks are accessible online, and many are available for download or 2 week check out.
Alternative Energy Sources
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Alternative Energy Sources is designed to give the reader, a clear view of the role each form of alternative energy may play in supplying the energy needs of the human society in the near future (20-50 years). The two first chapters on "energy demand and supply" and "environmental effects," set the tone as to why alternative energy is essential for the future. The third chapter gives the laws of energy conversion processes, as well as the limitations of converting one energy form to another. The section on exergy gives a quantitative background on the capability/potential of each energy source to produce power. The fourth, fifth and sixth chapters are expositions of fission and fusion nuclear energy, the power plants that may produce power from these sources and the issues that will frame the public debate on nuclear energy. The following five chapters include descriptions of the most common renewable energy sources (wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydroelectric) some of the less common sources (e.g. tidal and wave energy). The emphasis of these chapters will be on the global potential of each source, the engineering/technical systems that are used in harnessing the potential of each source, the technological developments that will contribute to wider utilization of the sources and environmental effects associated with their wider use. The last three chapters are: "energy storage," which will become an important issue if renewable energy sources are used widely. The fourteen chapters in the book have been chosen so that one may fit a semester University course around this book. At the end of every chapter, there are 10-20 problems and 1-3 suggestions of semester projects that may be assigned to students for further research.
Chasing the Wind: Inside the Alternative Energy Battle
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Over the past few decades, the vexing problems of climate change and finite resources have ignited contentious global debates about alternative energy technologies. In this lucid, balanced book, Rody Johnson investigates the development and deployment of one such technology - wind power - and, in particular, the ways in which a heated battle over that energy source played out in an Appalachian community. Johnson's wide-ranging account examines the history of wind power; its capacity and output in comparison to such sources as fossil fuels, other renewables, and nuclear energy; the infrastructural challenges of transmitting electricity from wind farms to end users; global efforts to curb carbon emissions, including the Kyoto treaty; the role of public policy, government subsidies, and tax breaks; and the differences and similarities between wind power regimes in the United States and Europe. Interwoven throughout this discussion is the compelling narrative of how, beginning in 2005, the proposed construction of a wind farm along mountain ridges in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, pitted locals against each other - a story that puts a human face on the arguments about wind power's promise of clean, renewable energy and its potentially negative effects, including bird and bat kills, a disfigured natural landscape, and noise pollution. Drawing on countless hours he spent attending public meetings and interviewing those on both sides of the issue, Johnson not only pictures the Greenbrier County struggle in illuminating detail but also makes valuable comparisons between it and similarly pitched battles in another West Virginia county, where a wind farm had already been built, and in Florida, where plans to erect beachside wind turbines next to a nuclear plant faltered. Concluding with a thoughtful, realistic assessment of a 2012 study suggesting that the country has the capability of receiving 80 percent of its electrical generation from renewables by 2050, Chasing the Wind makes a vital contribution to the ongoing dialogue regarding America's energy challenges and what is likely required to meet them.
Optimization in Renewable Energy Systems: Recent Perspectives
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Optimization in Renewable Energy Systems: Recent Perspectives covers all major areas where optimization techniques have been applied to reduce uncertainty or improve results in renewable energy systems (RES). Production of power with RES is highly variable and unpredictable, leading to the need for optimization-based planning and operation in order to maximize economies while sustaining performance. This self-contained book begins with an introduction to optimization, then covers a wide range of applications in both large and small scale operations, including optimum operation of electric power systems with large penetration of RES, power forecasting, transmission system planning, and DG sizing and siting for distribution and end-user premises. This book is an excellent choice for energy engineers, researchers, system operators, system regulators, and graduate students. Provides chapters written by experts in the field Goes beyond forecasting to apply optimization techniques to a wide variety of renewable energy system issues, from large scale to relatively small scale systems Provides accompanying computer code for related chapters
Our Energy Future: Introduction to Renewable Energy and Biofuels
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Our Energy Future is an introductory textbook for the study of energy production, alternative and renewable fuels, and ways to build a sustainable energy future. Jones and Mayfield explore the creation and history of fossil fuels, their impact on the environment, and how they have become critical to our society. The authors also outline how adopting sustainable biofuels will be key to the future of energy stability and discuss a number of renewable energy options and biofuel feedstocks that are replacements for petroleum-based products. Our society is consuming energy at an alarming rate, and the authors warn that continuing fuel-usage patterns could permanently damage the environment. This book emphasizes the importance of continued scientific, agricultural, and engineering development while it outlines the political and environmental challenges that will accompany a complete shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy and biomass. Our Energy Future is an accessible resource for undergraduate students studying biofuels and bioenergy.
Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development: Research, Development, and Policies
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Contribution of renewable energy to human life is essential for sustainable life on Earth. The renewable energy industry is growing rapidly to fulfil the energy demand of the continuously developing world and has become the focal centre of many researchers across the globe. This development should meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development ties together concerns for the carrying capacity of natural systems with the social challenges faced by humanity. This book is intended to highlight various aspects for applications of renewable energy and sustainability. This work is a collaborative attempt to elaborate useful technical information from many countries across the globe about the competent and effective use of renewable energy systems. This book presents theoretical and experimental analysis, case studies and models in renewable energy systems issues related to Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Bio Energy, Tidal Energy, Geothermal Energy, Fuel Cells, and Energy Storage Systems. This book also contains different considerations in order to develop products contributing to the sustainability of life.
Renewable Energy System Design
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The limitation of fossil fuels has challenged scientists and engineers to search for alternative energy resources that can meet future energy demand. Renewable Energy System Design is a valuable reference focusing on engineering, design, and operating principles that engineers can follow in order to successfully design more robust and efficient renewable energy systems. Written by Dr. Ziyad Salameh, an expert with over thirty years of teaching, research, and design experience, Renewable Energy System Design provides readers with the "nuts and bolts" of photovoltaic, wind energy, and hybrid wind/PV systems. It explores renewable energy storage devices with an emphasis on batteries and fuel cells and emerging sustainable technologies like biomass, geothermal power, ocean thermal energy conversion, solar thermal, and satellite power. Renewable Energy System Design is a must-have resource that provides engineers and students with a comprehensive yet practical guide to the characteristics, principles of operation, and power potential of the most prevalent renewable energy systems. Explains and demonstrates design and operating principles for solar, wind, hybrid and emerging systems with diagrams and examples Utilizes case studies to help engineers anticipate and overcome common design challenges Explores renewable energy storage methods particularly batteries and fuel cells and emerging renewable technologies
Tomorrow's Energy: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and the Prospects for a Cleaner Planet
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How the use of nonpolluting, zero-emission hydrogen as fuel could be the cornerstone of a new energy economy. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. An invisible, tasteless, colorless gas, it can be converted to nonpolluting, zero-emission, renewable energy. When burned in an internal combustion engine, hydrogen produces mostly harmless water vapor. It performs even better in fuel cells, which can be 2.5 times as efficient as internal-combustion engines. Zero-emission hydrogen does not contribute to CO2-caused global warming. Abundant and renewable, it is unlikely to be subject to geopolitical pressures or scarcity concerns. In this new edition of his pioneering book Tomorrow's Energy, Peter Hoffmann makes the case for hydrogen as the cornerstone of a new energy economy.
Full text eJournals are searchable through the library catalog or on the eJournals page.
Circulating books may be checked out in 3 week intervals.
Buying Time: Environmental Collapse and the Future of Energy
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WE KNOW, from repeated failures to predict and prevent catastrophes ranging from the Great Tohoku Earthquake to the global financial crisis of 2008, that complex adaptive systems, such as those found in nature or in economies, are actually very hard to predict, much less influence. Today, we face environmental degradation caused in large part by the use of fossil fuels, ever-declining efficiencies in extracting them, a pace of development for renewable energy insufficient for replacement of the fossil fuels we are burning through, and population growth that is likely to add two billion people globally by 2045. Despite partial recovery since the financial crisis of 2008, growth remains sluggish, and large budget deficits persist across much of the developed world. Meanwhile, developing states face their own challenges, stemming from unbalanced growth. Against this backdrop, and in light of the urgent need to pay closer heed to our environment, the last thing the world needs is an energy crisis triggered not merely by recurrent scares over supply, but by more lasting structural changes in our ability to use fossil fuels with reckless abandon. Buying Time applies lessons learned the hard way from the global economic crisis of the past decade, to offer an overview of the state of the environment and our energy future. Grounded in subtle thinking about complex systems, including the economy, energy, and the environment, this book underscores the connections linking them all. Kaz Makabe is a veteran financial systems expert who lived through the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. He nevertheless concludes that nuclear energy is the bridge than can help us cross over the abyss we face.
Energy Alternatives
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This new series is inspired by the highly acclaimed Opposing Viewpoints series, which explores important issues, placing expert opinions from a wide range of sources in a unique pro/con format. Like its predecessor, Introducing Issues with Opposing Viewpoints promotes issue awareness as well as critical thinking. Even more user-friendly and accessible than its parent series, it offers a wealth of information, at a lower reading level, in a bright, engaging package. This appealing combination helps even more students grasp the controversies of our increasingly complex world.
Introduction to Renewable Energy, 2nd Edition
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Introduction to Renewable Energy, Second Edition covers the fundamentals of renewable energy and serves as a resource to undergraduates in renewable energy courses, non-specialists within the energy industries, or anyone working to support the successful implementation of renewable energy. The second edition discusses developments that have occurred since the publication of the first edition and considers the growing environmental impact of human activity on planet Earth. Dedicated to converging science and technology in a way that ensures a sustainable future, this book outlines the basics of renewable energy and focuses on current and developing policies that support the shift to renewable energy.
Renewable Energy: An Overview
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Presents articles both supporting and opposing issues related to renewable energy, including what is renewable energy, if it is beneficial to the environment, and how the government should regulate it.
Renewable Energy: Sustainable Energy Concepts for the Future
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This translation of a German title, which was enthusiastically received by a wide audience, collects contributions by leading and well-known scientists in the area explaining the technical basics of photovoltaic, solar thermal energy, wind and water power as well as geothermal energy. In an easily accessible yet sober way, the book offers a solid overview of the possibilities offered by environmentally friendly techniques, energy conversion, storage, and transportation, discussing the topic without any misplaced ideology. The editors are experienced journalists and illustrate the text with simple diagrams and information boxes, printed in full-color throughout. For applied physicists, engineers in power technology, engineers, and anyone interested in natural sciences.
Renewable Energy Made Easy: Free Energy from Solar, Wind, Hydropower, and Other Alternative Energy Sources
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Studies have shown that the average North American family will spend more than a quarter of a million dollars on energy in a lifetime. What many other countries, including Germany, Spain, France, Denmark, China, Brazil, and even Iceland, have realized is that there is a better way to power our homes, businesses, and cars by using renewable energy sources. Recently, the United States has begun to understand the importance of reducing its reliance on coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and hydropower plants, which comprise the majority of the nation s electricity, due to increasing oil prices. Some sections of the country, including California, are turning to renewable energy sources. In fact, 12 percent of California s electricity is produced by renewable resources. The potential for the use of renewables is very large and understanding their use and their impact is key. Renewable Energy Made Easy will provide you with everything you need to know about these alternative energy sources. You will learn about solar power, wind power, water power, biofuels, geothermal energy, ethanol, wave farms, photovoltaic power plants, and hydrogen fuels. You will also become well-versed on the availability, aesthetics, environmental and social considerations, and longevity issues of these so-called soft energy technologies. In addition, you will learn about the current costs and the projected costs in the future, ENERGY STAR® regulations, the newest research and innovations, and the high development potential of renewable energy. This book will serve as a guide to creating more efficient buildings and an invaluable resource for how to change our preconceived notions about power. This book has taken the complexity and scientific terms out of this topic, making it jargon-free and easy to understand. Ultimately, you will learn how our country can improve energy efficiency, reduce oil dependence, improve energy security, and reduce the health and environmental impact of our current energy system. Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company presidentâe(tm)s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.
Taming the Sun: Innovations to Harness Solar Energy and Power the Planet
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How solar could spark a clean-energy transition through transformative innovation--creative financing, revolutionary technologies, and flexible energy systems. Solar energy, once a niche application for a limited market, has become the cheapest and fastest-growing power source on earth. What's more, its potential is nearly limitless--every hour the sun beams down more energy than the world uses in a year. But in Taming the Sun, energy expert Varun Sivaram warns that the world is not yet equipped to harness erratic sunshine to meet most of its energy needs. And if solar's current surge peters out, prospects for replacing fossil fuels and averting catastrophic climate change will dim. Innovation can brighten those prospects, Sivaram explains, drawing on firsthand experience and original research spanning science, business, and government. Financial innovation is already enticing deep-pocketed investors to fund solar projects around the world, from the sunniest deserts to the poorest villages. Technological innovation could replace today's solar panels with coatings as cheap as paint and employ artificial photosynthesis to store intermittent sunshine as convenient fuels. And systemic innovation could add flexibility to the world's power grids and other energy systems so they can dependably channel the sun's unreliable energy. Unleashing all this innovation will require visionary public policy: funding researchers developing next-generation solar technologies, refashioning energy systems and economic markets, and putting together a diverse clean energy portfolio. Although solar can't power the planet by itself, it can be the centerpiece of a global clean energy revolution. A Council on Foreign Relations Book
Understanding Renewable Energy Systems
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Beginning with an overview of renewable energy sources including biomass, hydroelectricity, geothermal, tidal, wind and solar power, this book explores the fundamentals of different renewable energy systems. The main focus is on technologies with high development potential such as solar thermal systems, photovoltaics and wind power. This text not only describes technological aspects, but also deals consciously with problems of the energy industry. In this way, the topics are treated in a holistic manner, bringing together maths, engineering, climate studies and economics, and enabling readers to gain a broad understanding of renewable energy technologies and their potential.
Wind Power
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The Compact Research series offers a concise, relevant, and conveniently organized collection of information covering a variety of topics including illegal immigration and deforestation to diseases such as anorexia and meningitis. Each book introduces a timely topic in a tightly organized format to hold readers' interest. Lively objective overviews, primary source quotes, and illustrated facts and statistics present an inviting full-color and user-friendly format. Other subsets in the Compact Research series include: Current Issues Diseases and Disorders Drugs Book jacket.
Books from the reference section are available for in library use, or are available for online viewing.
Alternative Energy: Facts: Statistics, and Issues
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Rising gas and utility prices, to say nothing of growing concerns about global warming, are fueling increased interest in alternative energy. Finding comprehensive information on this popular topic can be tough. Written for the layperson, this book is a one-stop source of information about alternative energy forms, in a world that needs it more than ever. Environmentally conscious individuals will find the most up-to-date information in this new annual summary. Important facts about companies and universities conducting research in alternative energy areas, government research subsidies, statistics on global use of alternative energy systems, and production of ethanol and hybrid fuels are included. Cost comparisons and a valuable appendix with sources for further study complete this encompassing energy reference. This book features an overview of new techniques and advancements in the efficiency of various types of alternative energy sources such as: Biomass Energy Fusion Power Geothermal Energy Hybrid Systems Hydroelectric Power Hydrogen Fuel Cells Photo-voltaic Cells Solar Energy Wind A current assessment of the state of conventional energy sources and fossil fuels, the depressed state of the nuclear power industry, and world energy costs are included in the introductory section."
Dictionary of Energy
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An essential reference companion for anyone with an interest in energy, including scientists, consultants, journalists, economists, educators, students and policy-makers.
Energy Supply A-Z
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Dictionary of energy terms.
Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation
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This Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report (IPCC-SRREN) assesses the potential role of renewable energy in the mitigation of climate change. It covers the six most important renewable energy sources - bioenergy, solar, geothermal, hydropower, ocean and wind energy - as well as their integration into present and future energy systems. It considers the environmental and social consequences associated with the deployment of these technologies and presents strategies to overcome technical as well as non-technical obstacles to their application and diffusion. SRREN brings a broad spectrum of technology-specific experts together with scientists studying energy systems as a whole. Prepared following strict IPCC procedures, it presents an impartial assessment of the current state of knowledge: it is policy relevant but not policy prescriptive. SRREN is an invaluable assessment of the potential role of renewable energy for the mitigation of climate change for policymakers, the private sector and academic researchers.
