IntroductionWhy Another Book on Energy?Why Is Energy So Important to Society?Exactly What Is Energy?Might There Be Some New Forms of Energy Not Yet Known?What Are the Units of Energy?Laws of ThermodynamicsWhat Is an Energy Source?What Exactly Is the World's Energy Problem?How Is Green or Renewable Energy Defined?Why Has Renewable Energy and Conservation Been Neglected Until Fairly Recently?Does Energy Efficiency Really Matter?Which Renewable Energy Sources Hold the Greatest Promise?Who Are the World Leaders in Renewable Energy?What Is Our Likely Energy Future?Complexities in Charting the Best Course for the FutureSummaryProblemsReferencesFossil FuelsIntroductionCoalPetroleum and Natural GasSummaryProblemsReferencesNuclear Power: Basic ScienceIntroductionEarly YearsDiscovery of the Atomic NucleusMathematical Details of the Rutherford Scattering ExperimentComposition and Structure of the Atom and Its NucleusNuclear RadiiNuclear ForcesIonizing Radiation and Nuclear TransformationsNuclear Mass and EnergyNuclear Binding EnergyEnergy Released in Nuclear FusionMechanics of Nuclear FissionMechanics of Nuclear FusionRadioactive Decay LawHealth PhysicsRadiation DetectorsRadiation SourcesImpacts of Radiation on HumansSummaryProblemsReferencesNuclear Power: TechnologyIntroductionEarly HistoryCritical MassNuclear Weapons and Nuclear ProliferationWorld's First Nuclear ReactorNuclear Reactors of Generations I and IIExisting Reactor TypesReactor AccidentsFront End of the Fuel Cycle: Obtaining the Raw MaterialBack End of the Fuel Cycle: Nuclear WasteEconomics of Large-Scale Nuclear PowerSmall Modular ReactorsNuclear Fusion ReactorsSummaryProblemsReferencesBiofuelsIntroductionPhotosynthesisBiofuel ClassificationsOther Uses of Biofuels and Social-Environmental ImpactsArtificial PhotosynthesisSummaryProblemsReferencesGeothermal EnergyIntroduction and Why Geothermal Is ImportantGeophysics of the Earth's InteriorThermal GradientCharacterization and RelativeAbundance of the ResourceGeothermal Electricity Power PlantsResidential and Commercial Geothermal HeatingSustainability of GeothermalEnvironmental ImpactsEconomics of Geothermal ElectricitySummaryProblemsReferencesWind PowerIntroduction and Historical UsesWind Characteristics and ResourcesPower Transfer to a TurbineTurbine Types and TermsControlling and Optimizing Wind Turbine PerformanceElectrical Aspects and Grid IntegrationSmall WindOffshore WindEnvironmental ImpactsUnusual Designs and ApplicationsProblemsReferencesHydropowerIntroduction to HydropowerWave, Tidal, and Ocean Thermal Power ResourcesIntroduction to Tidal Power and the Cause of the TidesOcean Thermal Energy ConversionSocial and Environmental Impacts of HydropowerSummaryProblemsReferencesSolar Radiation and Earth's ClimateIntroductionElectromagnetic RadiationTypes of SpectraApparent Motion of the Sun in the SkyAvailability of Solar Radiation on EarthOptimum Collector Orientation and TiltGreenhouse EffectSummaryProblemsReferencesSolar ThermalIntroductionSolar Water-Heating SystemsFlat-Plate CollectorsEvacuated CollectorsCollector and System EfficiencyThermal Losses in PipesWater Tanks and Thermal CapacitancePassive Solar Hot Water SystemSwimming Pool HeatingSpace Heating and CoolingThree Applications Well Suited to Developing NationsElectricity GenerationSummaryAppendix: Four Heat Transfer MechanismsProblemsReferencesPhotovoltaicsIntroductionConductors, Insulators, and SemiconductorsIncreasing the Conductivity of Semiconductors through Dopingpn JunctionGeneric Photovoltaic CellElectrical Properties of a Solar CellEfficiency of Solar Cells and Solar SystemsEfficiency of Solar SystemsGrid Connection and InvertersOther Types of Solar CellsEnvironmental IssuesSummaryAppendix: Basic Quantum Mechanics and the Formation of Energy BandsProblemsReferencesEnergy Conservation and EfficiencyIntroductionFactors Besides Efficiency Influencing Energy-Related ChoicesLowest of the Low Hanging FruitObstacles to Efficiency and ConservationIs Energy Efficiency and Conservation Ultimately Futile?SummaryProblemsReferencesEnergy Storage and TransmissionEnergy StorageEnergy TransmissionSummaryProblemsReferencesClimate and Energy: Policy, Politics, and Public OpinionHow Important Are International Agreements?What Are the Top-Three GHG Emitters Doing?How Much Time Does the World Have to Move Away from Fossil Fuels?How Has Public Opinion Evolved?Best Way Forward?SummarySome Concluding ThoughtsProblemsReferencesAppendix: Answers to Even-Numbered ProblemsIndex

"This book can help you understand and communicate about topics involving physics of renewable energy. Many good features occupy the over-400 pages of this book. Most importantly, Ehrlich places renewable energy technologies within a context that makes sense for environmental professionals. ... deserves a place on the bookshelf of people working on energy projects ..."-John H. Perkins, Environmental Practice, December 2013 "Professor Ehrlich has succeeded in writing a clear, relevant and well-organized book that is very close to a perfect fit for the kind of course I want to teach. This text provides a nice balance between discussing the applied physical principles in energy production and describing state-of-the art technology in the energy field. The text is very clear and readable, and I found the problem sets to be excellent learning tools."-Professor John Smedley, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, USA "Ehrlich's readable style with humorous touches keeps the reader engaged. I can see this book as being a well-thumbed text by a wide spectrum of science students and others involved in learning about the central importance of energy security for societies. I strongly recommend Renewable Energy: A First Course for advanced level or introductory level graduate students and teachers or lecturers of these courses."-Alexander Waller, CBiol MSB