The Future of Energy

Using the principle that extracting energy from the environment always involves some type of impact on the environment, The Future of Energy discusses the sources, technologies, and tradeoffs involved in meeting the world's energy needs. A historical, scientific, and technical background set the stage for discussions on a wide range of energy sources, including conventional fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal, as well as emerging renewable sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. Readers will learn that there are no truly "green" energy sources—all energy usage involves some tradeoffs—and will understand these tradeoffs and other issues involved in using each energy source.

Each potential energy source includes discussions of tradeoffs in economics, environmental, and policy implicationsExamples and cases of implementing each technology are included throughout the bookTechnical discussions are supported with equations, graphs, and tablesIncludes discussions of carbon capture and sequestration as emerging technologies to manage carbon dioxide emissions

Chapter 1. The History and Culture of Energy Chapter 2. How is Energy Measured Chapter 3. Energy Science and Thermodynamics Chapter 4. Environmental issues Chapter 5. Crude Oil Chapter 6. Natural Gas Chapter 7. Nuclear Energy Chapter 8. Solar Power Chapter 9. Wind Energy Chapter 10. Hydroelectricity Chapter 11. Geothermal Chapter 12. Ethanol, Biodiesel and Biomass Chapter 13. Coal and Clean Coal Technologies Chapter 14. Carbon Capture and Sequestration Chapter 15. Hydrogen Chapter 16. The Future of Energy