This textbook provides broad coverage of energy supply and use. It discusses how energy is produced, transformed, delivered to end users, and consumed. The author discusses all of this at an undergraduate level, accessible to students of varying backgrounds. High-level and human-scale perspectives are included. As a high-level example, the book discusses the shares of global primary energy that are provided by oil, gas, coal, hydroelectricity, and renewables, as well as trends in energy consumption and supply over time. Human-scale examples will resonate with readers’ every day experiences. The link between economic development and energy consumption is presented, which facilitates understanding of how global energy consumption growth is inevitable as economic development occurs. Coverage includes separate chapters on the oil, natural gas, coal, and electricity sectors. Each of these provides high-level descriptions of the technology involved in the production of that type of energy as well as the processing and transportation that occurs to bring the energy to end users. The book discusses the technological implications of energy transitions such as increased use of renewables or changes in the use of nuclear energy using Germany and Japan as examples. It closes with a discussion of future energy use.

A component in the America's Energy Future study, Electricity from Renewable Resources examines the technical potential for electric power generation with alternative sources such as wind, solar-photovoltaic, geothermal, solar-thermal, hydroelectric, and other renewable sources. The book focuses on those renewable sources that show the most promise for initial commercial deployment within 10 years and will lead to a substantial impact on the U.S. energy system. A quantitative characterization of technologies, this book lays out expectations of costs, performance, and impacts, as well as barriers and research and development needs. In addition to a principal focus on renewable energy technologies for power generation, the book addresses the challenges of incorporating such technologies into the power grid, as well as potential improvements in the national electricity grid that could enable better and more extensive utilization of wind, solar-thermal, solar photovoltaics, and other renewable technologies.

- This derivative volume stemming from content included in our seminal Power Electronics Handbook takes its chapters related to renewables and establishes them at the core of a new volume dedicated to the increasingly pivotal and as yet under-published intersection of Power Electronics and Alternative Energy. While this re-versioning provides a corollary revenue stream to better leverage our core handbook asset, it does more than simply re-package existing content. Each chapter will be significantly updated and expanded by more than 50%, and all new introductory and summary chapters will be added to contextualize and tie the volume together. Therefore, unlike traditional derivative volumes, we will be able to offer new and updated material to the market and include this largely original content in our ScienceDirect Energy collection. - Due to the inherently multi-disciplinary nature of renewables, many engineers come from backgrounds in Physics, Materials, or Chemical Engineering, and therefore do not have experience working in-depth with electronics. As more and more alternative and distributed energy systems require grid hook-ups and on-site storage, a working knowledge of batteries, inverters and other power electronics components becomes requisite. Further, as renewables enjoy broadening commercial implementation, power electronics professionals are interested to learn of the challenges and strategies particular to applications in alternative energy. This book will bring each group up-to-speed with the primary issues of importance at this technological node. - This content clarifies the juncture of two key coverage areas for our Energy portfolio: alternative sources and power systems. It serves to bridge the information in our power engineering and renewable energy lists, supporting the growing grid cluster in the former and adding key information on practical implementation to the latter. - Provides a thorough overview of the key technologies, methods and challenges for implementing power electronics in alternative energy systems for optimal power generation - Includes hard-to-find information on how to apply converters, inverters, batteries, controllers and more for stand-alone and grid-connected systems - Covers wind and solar applications, as well as ocean and geothermal energy, hybrid systems and fuel cells

Questions and answers explore the scientific aspects of the world around us.

Electricity Generation and the Environment is a very concise, up-to-date, and accessible guide to the evolution of environmental awareness, what that environmental awareness has taught the industry, and how technologies can be used to test and improve power performance. There is a strong emphasis on the related social impacts and economic factors involved in the various methods of generating electricity which Breeze explores, making this a valuable and insightful read for those involved in the planning and delivery of energy, such as energy engineers, power generation planners, policy makers, managers, and academics. - Explores various life-cycle assessments - Covers fast-advancing renewable and alternative power sources such as hydropower and transportation - Discusses various externalities which impact on the decisions to implement systems and technologies - Evaluates the economic and environmental viability of each power generation system covered

This publication provides industry data on electric power, including generating capability, generation, fuel consumption, cost of fuels, and retail sales and revenue.