The Three Mile Island accident, the periodic occurrence of long gas lines until sufficient price increases are achieved, our dependence on foreign powers for a large fraction of our energy supply, and continual controversy in our government and concerned public groups all point to the real pre sence of an energy crisis. Even the government has finally publicly acknow ledged the fact that our present fuel sources will run out soon enough to be of concern to us now. This knowledge should raise many questions in the minds of our citizens. When will our sources run out, or at least become too expensive to afford? What could replace them, and which alternatives are best? When we hear about these matters in the news media, we get many contradictory opinions, mainly concerning coal and nuclear energy. Most of us realize that the reintroduction of coal on a massive scale would give rise to considerable pollution difficulties. Many people are also waking to an awareness of the dangers of nuclear reactors. When we turn to scientists for answers, we find that each one seems to advise us that a single path to new energy sources is the best-of course, each scientist tends to advise his own path.

The United States is on the brink of an energy crisis. Every day, foreign oil and fossil fuels become more expensive and limited. Our energy needs increase while our power plants and power grids become more outdated. Our traditional energy sources damage the environment. With all of these energy problems, any clean, renewable energy source is a viable option, right? In Renewable Energy: A Common Sense Energy Plan, Bradford Linscott addresses the impending energy problems our nation faces. He covers our nation's renewable energy options while taking into account the economic feasibility of implementing them on a large scale. Linscott discusses the role foreign oil and fossil fuels play in our future and their environmental impact. He shares his Common Sense Energy Plan, which outlines a combination of clean, renewable energy sources and nuclear energy to sustain the power needs of the United States. Find out about our renewable energy options and our country's past, present, and viable future energy resources and plans in Renewable Energy: A Common Sense Energy Plan. 'It is long past time for the United States to undertake an Apollo-like program to wean ourselves away from oil dependence and on to clean, reliable, and domestically abundant energy alternatives.' - United States Senator George Voinovich, Ohio

A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. "I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization: A History, he goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans' ability to turn energy into heat, light, and motion have been a driving force behind our cultural and economic progress over the past 10,000 years. —Bill Gates, Gates Notes, Best Books of the Year Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects of raindrops. Life on Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into plant biomass. Humans have come to rely on many more energy flows—ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of electricity—for their civilized existence. In this monumental history, Vaclav Smil provides a comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. Humans are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts—from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry, transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics, and the environment. Smil describes humanity's energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers a magisterial overview. This book is an extensively updated and expanded version of Smil's Energy in World History (1994). Smil has incorporated an enormous amount of new material, reflecting the dramatic developments in energy studies over the last two decades and his own research over that time.

Human beings depend on energy. From burning wood to harnessing the atom, we have relied on the consumption of natural resources. As civilization grows and the demand for energy increases, we must ask ourselves how toe best meet our energy needs while responsibly stewarding our resources. In Abundant Energy: The Fuel of Human Flourishing, Kenneth P. Green provides a brief history of our reliance on different sources of energy, explores the viability of both current and potential future sources, and offers a vision for the task of fueling human prosperity in the twenty-first century.

Fusion energy science combines the study of the behavior of plasmas--the state of matter that forms 99% of the visible universe--with a vision of using fusion--the energy source of the stars--to create an affordable, plentiful, and environmentally benign energy source for humankind. The dual nature of fusion energy science provides an unfolding panorama of exciting intellectual challenge and a promise of an attractive energy source for generations to come. The goal of this report is a comprehensive understanding of plasma behavior leading to an affordable and attractive fusion energy source.