Book Description

Designed to be an introduction to energy and alternative sources of electricity, each of the nine chapters is followed by questions to test comprehension, making it ideal for students and teachers.Topics include transducers, solar energy, geothermal energy, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

new edition available
I use this book as a text book for a 12 th grade elective course on energy.there is a new edition available from Kendall Hunt Publishing

Excellent work on all energy sources. Easy to understand.
The book starts by reviewing some basic energy principles and then goes on analyzing each energy source along with its environmental impact. The layout of the book is excellent. It has chapters reviews and questions andproblems. Very easy to understand, even for the layman. Fun to read for thepro. Lots of information. ... Read more

Book Description

The development of hybrid vehicles, prompted by the pressing requirement for the reduction in the environmental impact of land transport, is probably one of the most significant recent advances in automotive technology.The hybrid vehicle is just coming of age, and the first generation of hybrid cars is now available to the general public.Hybrid buses and trolleybuses have already entered regular service.

In this timely book, the authors review recent progress in the development of a range of hybrid vehicles, from small cars to buses and light rail vehicles, and describe the results of field trials and operational experience. Numerous tables, graphs and black-and-white photographs are included while clear references are also featured to aid further investigation.

The volume will be of great interest to engineering and technical staff working in the road and rail vehicle industries, final year undergraduates and postgraduates studying mechanical and automotive engineering, transport planning personnel, and technically literate readers who wish to find out more about this subject. ... Read more

Book Description

Elements of Change 1998: Innovative Energy Strategies for CO2 Stabilization and Climate Extremes:Changes, Impacts and Projections comprises fifty-two essays from over fifty of the world’s leading global change researchers.It is one in a series of books published as a result of the Aspen Global Change Institute’s Summer Science Sessions.The book is broken down into two parts that correspond to two different meetings.

The first part of the book, Innovative Energy Strategies for CO2Stabilization, explores the potential for renewable energies toreduce global carbon emissions.Currently, 95% of the world’s energyis produced by the burning of fossil fuels and is used mainly tooperate vehicles, heat our homes and businesses, and to powerfactories. Each year 6 GtC of CO2 are pumped out into the atmosphereand it is predicted that CO2 levels will rise to twice thepre-industrial concentration over the next 50 years.Evidence of theresulting change in climate are included, but more so, it addressesthe research, development, and implementation of technologies thatwill allow us to power the world’s energy needs throughemissions-free, renewable energies that do not contribute to globalwarming.Leading researchers such as Martin Hoffert, Ken Caldeira,Gene Berry, Gregg Marland, and Amory Lovins discuss suchpossibilities as solar power, biomass energy systems, hydrogen power,wind power, geothermal power, nuclear fusion and fission, andhydroelectric power.Dave Criswell covers the more"futuristic" technology of beaming energy back to earth throughspace-based and lunar-based solar collectors in his essay.Collectively, the essays answer such questions as: Are alternateforms of energy technologically feasible, how quickly can suchtechnologies be implemented, and are these technologies economicallyfeasible?

The second part of the book, Climate Extremes: Changes, Impacts and Projections, explores the occurrence of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, and floods.More importantly, the essays explore the change in the frequency and intensity of such events and how the changing trends affect our environment and society. For example, David Changon discusses property and crop losses due to severe storms in the second half of the 20th century.Are the increased losses due to an increase in storm severity or frequency or can they be attributed to an increase in population and societal vulnerability?Likewise, can an increase in storm severity and frequency be attributed to an increase of CO2 in the atmosphere and global warming trends or is it just normal regional trends?Other authors include Roger Pielke, Jr., Thomas R. Knutson, Linda Mearns, David Easterling, Thomas Karl, and Roger Pulwarty.Climate Extremes also addresses the effects of climate change on biodiversity. Acclaimed researcher Terry Root discusses how bird populations are shifting their ranges northward and altering their migration patterns and Camille Parmesan illustrates how butterflies are similarly affected by climate change

The Elements of Change 1998 is packed with invaluable text, graphs, charts, and photos that convey the current science surrounding global climate change.It also includes a chart of common acronyms, chemical symbols, and useful unit abbreviations.The Elements of Change 1998 is a must for graduate students and anyone interested in climate change science. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Renewables Are Ready is not a book that explains how to hook up solar panels or build a windmill to generate power; instead, it is a blueprint for community participation in bringing renewable energy sources into full function. InWaverly, Iowa, for example,the Midwest's first utility-scale wind generation projects and town streetlights are powered by hydro turbines on the Cedar River that are operated by the customer-owned local utility company. AndPortland, Oregon, pioneered solar-access laws that govern new home siting and require home additions and remodelings not to block solar access to other dwellings. Authors Nancy Cole and P. J. Skerrett give strategies for organizing communitiesand creative ways to approach the politics and financing of renewable energy sources on a very small scale, or a relatively large one, in rural settings or in the heart of older, major cities. Renewables Are Ready is both inspiring and motivating. It presents a clear case of how savvy planning and good organizing can--and did in scores of example settings--bring about dramatic, positive changes in energy consumption, pollution, and reduced use of nonrenewable resources. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This book is a simple and entertaining introduction to Solar Electric, a must for everybody who is interested in the photovoltaic process or who plans to live in a solar home. It is also a statement for clean energy and for an environmentally healthy lifestyle. The reader will be introduced to the basic electrical terms and the components of a solar system. Practical tips, including names and numbers, will give the reader some idea about reliable products and manufacturers. It comes complete with index, glossary, and charts. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Nonfiction from the Heart
I red this book in Germany where I live, and, even though some aspects of this book are based on conditions in the USA, I highly recommend this book to everybody on this planet. One can tell the author's love of the subject and his skill to write just from the heart on a very technical subject. The stories and jokes in the book helped me to understand the subject and, even if I could not follow some technical detail, the point he tried to make still came across. I now know more about the subject of solar energy and - what is equally important - I look at the world and its resources with a different eye. This is truely and "Easy Guide". Keep cracking Adi,
thanks for this wonderful book.
Sonja Baumann, Berlin Germany

Great Entry Level Book
I am not technically inclined and was long waiting to hear about some book that explains solar energy in simple language. I finally found it. And even though it is technically not a How To book it is in a sence that once you understand the concept of solar electric you can use common sense to figure out the practical side of things. Besides this book is more important in a sense that it promotes Solar Energy. With only 50 years of oil reserve left and the rising prices on oil and gas it opens up this alternative energy to many people. The author explains well why it is so important for us and future generations to go solar. I highly recommand this book to everybody. It is an eye opener. Thank you Adi Pieper

Non-technical, entry-level solar electric book for beginners
I'm a technically-oriented, DIY person and I was looking for a solar electric book to help me with my small-scale, residential installation. I already have most of the background on photovoltaic systems and needed more of a "Here's-how-you-do-it" book. Although amusing and easily read, I found this book useful for someone who is starting to think about solar power and needs a light hand to make them feel more at ease about what a system will and will not do. This is not a book for someone needing a DIY guide or a "How-to" manual. It's not a bad book - just not useful for my needs.

good book for interface solar cells with auxilary equip
good book for understanding specifying wiring, inverters, batteries, etc., but limited in regards to information about solar cells themselves--only about 2 pages out of 200 plus one page listing addresses and phone #'s of solar distributors.

Excellent Introducion
I am a builder and owner of the Natural House. I reviewed Mr. Piepers book and found it an excellent introduction for entry level solar customers. My electrician says: "finally a book not clutterd with useless and too detailed information". Personally I like the humor in this book and give the book as a present to every home owner I build a house for. Thank you Mr. Pieper for the excellent work! ... Read more

Book Description

An original investigation into the social and technological history of solar power

From the days of Archimedes and Leonardo, the earliest efforts to harness the power of the sun have become the stuff of legend.

But it was not until the industrial revolution, with its great demands for fuel, that inventors --like Prometheus carrying fire from Mt. Olympus--began to build machines capable of channeling the sun's rays into usable energy.

In The Power of Light, solar energy expert Frank Kryza recounts the dramatic saga of solar invention, from its optimistic dawning in the mid-19th century to its impending triumph today. With a fervent passion for his subject, the author introduces solar pioneers such as Auguste Mouchot, whose solar-powered steam engine amazed Napoleon III, and Frank Shuman, whose solar pumping station, in 1911, became the largest and most cost-effective machine prior to the space age.

While presenting a thorough and original investigation into this little-known chapter of science history, The Power of Light offers a sober meditation on the revolutionary impact technology often has on society.

Reviews (2)

Very enlightening book---no pun intended
Because I live a block or so from Frank Shuman's inventor's compound in the Tacony community of Philadelphia, and due to my involvement in the local Historical Society, I was compelled to get this book. I read it in its entirety during last week's vacation and I was very impressed. It turned out that the localized focus on Shuman was but a bonus compared to the knowledge I've gained about the history of solar energy development in world history. Not only am I now more astute when it comes to this topic, but I've gained a new perspective on the local legend of Frank Shuman and his place in the evolution of solar power as a legitimate energy source. Mr. Kryza is to be commended for taking a scientific topic and making it interesting to someone like myself.

A fascinating foray into 19th century solar technology
This book tells an amazing story -- that of solar powered steam engines, great BIG ones -- on the banks of the Nile in Egypt before the First World War. Who would have thunk it?

The writing is gripping and reads like an Indiana Jones adventure yarn -- this isn't a textbook. And yet, though told like a story, this is nonfiction, and all this stuff really happened. The author points out that the science stories we remember widely from the 19th century, like those of Edison and Marconi, are those that impact our lives today. The story of solar power a century ago has been forgotten because most of us dismiss solar as a marginal technology, one that doesn't (or maybe can't) have a big impact on our lives. That view appears to be changing.

The writer traces the practical applications of solar power technology back to the Greeks and takes us through the 'burning mirrors' of the Middle Ages, but the main focus of the story is on an American entrepreneur who, having made millions from patenting safety devices as a young man, devoted the rest of his life to building huge solar-powered steam engines -- machines he believed could supply most of the energy the world would need in the 20th century.

Solar-powered steam fell into the doldrums during after World War I, but now it is experiencing a revival. There are solar-powered steam plants in California and Spain today (one in Barstow here in CA, which I have seen myself) that can produce 12 megawatts, enough to power 10,000 houses, and it appears that solar powered steam may give PV a run for its money in some locations.

This was a great read. I couldn't put it down. ... Read more

Book Description

This book with its illustrated exercises and CD-ROM support material, explain how GIS takes geographic information and makes it visually understandable. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

plain reading for simple-minded managers
simple-minded in the good sense. for entrenched managers who are struggling to keep up with the latest tools for running utilities, this book is the one to read. in fact, there are no freindly books ever been written about how to apply GIS to utilities ... Read more

Book Description

Global energy needs are expanding substantially as populations grow and economies develop around the world. There is clear evidence that continued use of fossil fuels as the world's dominant energy supply is damaging the environment and causing changes in global climate patterns. People want higher levels of more efficient, cleaner, and less obtrusive energy services. Global Energy Perspectives presents six long-term energy futures that lay out the alternatives among future fuels, technologies, efficiency gains, conservation patterns, and pollution levels, and pinpoints the key choices that are most likely to characterize the twenty-first century. The primary audience will include researchers, educators, policy makers in private and public sectors and other workers in the energy, technology, economics and environmental areas. ... Read more

Book Description

Energy issues such as pollution, resource depletion, global warming, nuclear power and waste are problems demanding timely solutions. This book provides a critical examination of the resources, market forces, and social impacts of modern energy production. The book addresses the dilemmas that have arisen due to society's crucial dependence on energy, particularly fossil fuels, and explores the available alternative energy producing technologies. The second edition has increased emphasis on those issues at the forefront of the current energy debate: energy sustainability, climate change, and the radical restructuring of the power industry due to deregulation. Assuming no prior technical expertise and avoiding complex mathematical formulation. The second edition, like the first, will be especially useful as a textbook for undergraduate programs in Science, Technology and Society (STS), and as a supplementary text in a variety of courses that touch on energy studies, including environmental and technology policy, environmental, mineral and business law, energy and resource economics. ... Read more

Book Description

Human survival depends on a continuing energy supply, but the need for ever-increasing amounts of energy poses a dilemma: How can we provide the benefits of energy to the population of the globe without damaging the environment, negatively affecting social stability, or threatening the well-being of future generations? The solution will lie in finding sustainable energy sources and more efficient means of converting and utilizing energy. This textbook is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as others who have an interest in exploring energy resource options and technologies with a view toward achieving sustainability. It clearly presents the trade-offs and uncertainties inherent in evaluating and choosing different energy options and provides a framework for assessing policy solutions.

Sustainable Energy includes illustrative examples, problems, references for further reading, and links to relevant Web sites and can be used outside the classroom as a resource for government, industry, and nonprofit organizations. The first six chapters provide the tools for making informed energy choices. They examine the broader aspects of energy use, including resource estimation, environmental effects, and economic evaluations. Chapters 7-15 review the main energy sources of today and tomorrow, including fossil fuels, nuclear power, biomass, geothermal energy, hydropower, wind energy, and solar energy, examining their technologies, environmental impacts, and economics. The remaining chapters treat energy storage, transmission, and distribution; the electric power sector; transportation; industrial energy usage; commercial and residential buildings; and synergistic complex systems. The book addresses the challenges of integrating diverse factors and the importance for future generations of the energy choices we make today. ... Read more

Book Description

The Economics of Energy Security brings together and expands on research on energy security that has been conducted over the past twenty years. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of this topic in one volume, examining the assessment of energy security externalities for policy purpose and the wisdom of using energy security as an argument for government intervention in energy markets. ... Read more

Book Description

Hardbound. The 24th Leeds-Lyon Symposium was held in London from 4th-6th September 1997, where it was hosted by the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.

The meeting addressed the topic of "Tribology for Energy Conservation" and attracted a wide range of stimulating papers and speakers. Some 150 delegates from nineteen countries attended and about sixty papers were presented in fifteen sessions. These covered the topics of lubricants, wear, friction reduction, hydrodynamics, elastohydrodynamic lubrication, surface roughness, manufacturing, component life (including condition monitoring), and automotive aspects. ... Read more

Book Description

Hardbound. Since biomass and bioenergy are global issues, it is no surprise that each year there are contributions from countries all over the world. Contributions from South America have been increasing ever since conference inception in 1993, and it is particularly pleasing to note the extensive contributions to this volume from Brazil.

Between the Third Biomass Conference of the Americas and this one, two conferences of the parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) occurred. In December of 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, COP3 established a list of mainly industrialized countries committed to a range of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions by 2008 to 2010. These countries included all 29 countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change is investigating how biomass, bioenergy, and the biosphere fit into the question of GHG mitigation. A s ... Read more