The bestselling author of E=mc2 weaves tales of romance, divine inspiration, and fraud through an account of the invisible force that permeates our universe—electricity—and introduces us to the virtuoso scientists who plumbed its secrets. For centuries, electricity was seen as little more than a curious property of certain substances that sparked when rubbed. Then, in the 1790s, Alessandro Volta began the scientific investigation that ignited an explosion of knowledge and invention. The force that once seemed inconsequential was revealed to be responsible for everything from the structure of the atom to the functioning of our brains. In harnessing its power, we have created a world of wonders—complete with roller coasters and radar, computer networks and psychopharmaceuticals. In Electric Universe, the great discoverers come to life in all their brilliance and idiosyncrasy, including the visionary Michael Faraday, who struggled against the prejudices of the British class system, and Samuel Morse, a painter who, before inventing the telegraph, ran for mayor of New York City on a platform of persecuting Catholics. Here too is Alan Turing, whose dream of a marvelous thinking machine—what we know as the computer—was met with indifference, and who ended his life in despair after British authorities forced him to undergo experimental treatments to “cure” his homosexuality. From the frigid waters of the Atlantic to the streets of Hamburg during a World War II firestorm to the interior of the human body, Electric Universe is a mesmerizing journey of discovery.

Start with Science books introduce kids to core science concepts through engaging stories, fresh illustrations, and supplemental activities. When Oscar the kitten finds a tractor in a field and accidentally turns on the windshield wipers, he is full of questions about electricity. Luckily, Bird knows the answers! With the help of his friend, Oscar finds out how electricity is made and stored, which machines need electricity to work, and why we always need to be careful around wires, batteries, plugs, and sockets. Back matter includes an index and supplemental activities.

As the advent of the Smart Grid revolutionizes how homeowners and businesses purchase and manage power, electricity pricing is becoming more complicated and intricate than ever before, while the need for more frequent rate revisions remains a primary issue in the field. A timely and accessible guide for the new industry environment, Electricity Pricing: Engineering Principles and Methodologies helps those involved in both the engineering and financial operations of electric power systems to "get the money right" while ensuring reliable electric service at a fair and reasonable cost. Explores both the business functions and engineering principles associated with electricity pricing Examining pricing approaches and opportunities, this book presents tools, viewpoints, and explanations that are generally not found in contemporary literature. It clarifies valuable analysis techniques, realistic examples, and unique lessons passed along from those inside the industry. This "how to do it" guide fosters a multidisciplinary understanding that integrates information, methodologies, and techniques from accounting, economics, engineering, finance, and marketing. Detail-oriented but still mindful of the big picture, this book examines the complex relationship between electricity, customers, and service providers in relation to pricing. Electricity Pricing also: Presents mathematical methods and techniques used to establish electricity prices, determine cost causation, and evaluate pricing structures and mechanisms Explores ways to translate and integrate cost elements into practical pricing structures Details how engineering concepts are used to apportion production, delivery, and associated costs to determine cost of service and to support all aspects of ratemaking strategy, design, analysis, and decision making This comprehensive professional reference addresses theory but remains grounded in no-nonsense practical applications. It is dually suited to introduce newcomers to the technical principles and methodologies of electricity pricing and provide veterans with a valuable consolidation of advanced tools for pricing analysis and problem solving. Watch an interview of the author at http://youtu.be/4fU8nkDVhNY

The search for renewable energy and smart grids, the societal impact of blackouts, and the environmental impact of generating electricity, along with the new ABET criteria, continue to drive a renewed interest in electric energy as a core subject. Keeping pace with these changes, Electric Energy: An Introduction, Third Edition restructures the traditional introductory electric energy course to better meet the needs of electrical and mechanical engineering students. Now in color, this third edition of a bestselling textbook gives students a wider view of electric energy, without sacrificing depth. Coverage includes energy resources, renewable energy, power plants and their environmental impacts, electric safety, power quality, power market, blackouts, and future power systems. The book also makes the traditional topics of electromechanical conversion, transformers, power electronics, and three-phase systems more relevant to students. Throughout, it emphasizes issues that engineers encounter in their daily work, with numerous examples drawn from real systems and real data. What’s New in This Edition Color illustrations Substation and distribution equipment Updated data on energy resources Expanded coverage of power plants Expanded material on renewable energy Expanded material on electric safety Three-phase system and pulse width modulation for DC/AC converters Induction generator More information on smart grids Additional problems and solutions Combining the fundamentals of traditional energy conversion with contemporary topics in electric energy, this accessible textbook gives students the broad background they need to meet future challenges.

The gripping history of electricity and how the fateful collision of Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse left the world utterly transformed. In the final decades of the nineteenth century, three brilliant and visionary titans of America’s Gilded Age—Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse—battled bitterly as each vied to create a vast and powerful electrical empire. In Empires of Light, historian Jill Jonnes portrays this extraordinary trio and their riveting and ruthless world of cutting-edge science, invention, intrigue, money, death, and hard-eyed Wall Street millionaires. At the heart of the story are Thomas Alva Edison, the nation’s most famous and folksy inventor, creator of the incandescent light bulb and mastermind of the world’s first direct current electrical light networks; the Serbian wizard of invention Nikola Tesla, elegant, highly eccentric, a dreamer who revolutionized the generation and delivery of electricity; and the charismatic George Westinghouse, Pittsburgh inventor and tough corporate entrepreneur, an industrial idealist who in the era of gaslight imagined a world powered by cheap and plentiful electricity and worked heart and soul to create it. Edison struggled to introduce his radical new direct current (DC) technology into the hurly-burly of New York City as Tesla and Westinghouse challenged his dominance with their alternating current (AC), thus setting the stage for one of the eeriest feuds in American corporate history, the War of the Electric Currents. The battlegrounds: Wall Street, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, Niagara Falls, and, finally, the death chamber—Jonnes takes us on the tense walk down a prison hallway and into the sunlit room where William Kemmler, convicted ax murderer, became the first man to die in the electric chair.

A behind-the-scenes exposure why our electricity system is headed for a state of emergency-and what can be done to head it off Most people don't realize that skyrocketing global energy demand and economic growth severely affect the supply of electricity. Between production (power plants) and delivery is an antiquated, "third-world" transmission grid that is in desperate need of hardening against breakdowns, terrorist attacks, inadequate carrying capacity, and operational obsolescence. And while electricity doesn't hold the headlines or dramatic power of oil, the ability to ensure its uninterrupted supply at a reasonable price is even more essential to global survival and prosperity. Lights Out is today's most detailed, in-depth examination of this largely unreported looming energy crisis. Written by one of the world's top electricity industry experts, this powerful book covers numerous hot button economic and political issues-free markets versus regulation; energy independence versus foreign imports; nuclear power, global warming, and other environmental issues; and much more. Beyond just uncovering and illuminating the problems, however, it proposes a comprehensive road map of technical solutions and regulatory reform from both the production and demand sides of the equation-a framework for rethinking, rebuilding, and enhancing the entire electricity production and delivery infrastructure. Prescriptive and provocative, Lights Out will redefine the simmering debate on how the world can-and must-act now to head off a global catastrophe, one that could eventually wreak even more havoc than the ongoing oil crisis. Jason Makansi is the President of Pearl Street, Inc., a consulting firm; Principal of PS Liquidity Advisors, an advisory service for energy technology companies raising capital; and Executive Director of the Energy Storage Council, a public-policy advocacy organization. A prolific author, respected industry thought leader, and seasoned communicator, Mr. Makansi has been analyzing the technological, business, and regulatory issues in electricity production and delivery for over twenty-five years. He earned a BS in chemical engineering from Columbia University. His earlier books include An Investor’s Guide to the Electricity Economy, also published by John Wiley & Sons, and Managing Steam: An Engineering Guide to Commercial, Industrial, and Utility Systems.

An acclaimed author and celebrated journalist breaks down the history of electricity and the impact of global energy use on the world and the environment.​ Global demand for power is doubling every two decades, but electricity remains one of the most difficult forms of energy to supply and do so reliably. Today, some three billion people live in places where per-capita electricity use is less than what's used by an average American refrigerator. How we close the colossal gap between the electricity rich and the electricity poor will determine our success in addressing issues like women's rights, inequality, and climate change. In A Question of Power, veteran journalist Robert Bryce tells the human story of electricity, the world's most important form of energy. Through onsite reporting from India, Iceland, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, New York, and Colorado, he shows how our cities, our money--our very lives--depend on reliable flows of electricity. He highlights the factors needed for successful electrification and explains why so many people are still stuck in the dark. With vivid writing and incisive analysis, he powerfully debunks the notion that our energy needs can be met solely with renewables and demonstrates why--if we are serious about addressing climate change--nuclear energy must play a much bigger role. Electricity has fueled a new epoch in the history of civilization. A Question of Power explains how that happened and what it means for our future.