The path to more sustainable energy systems how do we get there from here? /
What do we want from sustainable energy? What is possible to achieve and when? Energy professionals and political leaders need a solid, holistic understanding of where the world finds its energy--the limits of that energy--and what must change in the future if we are to have a more environmentally s...
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Format: | Electronic eBook |
Language: | English |
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[New York, N.Y.] (222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017) :
Momentum Press,
2013.
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Online Access: | An electronic book accessible through the World Wide Web; click to view |
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Table of Contents:
- 1. Concepts, definitions, measures
- 1.1 Defining energy
- 1.1.1 Work
- 1.1.2 Heat
- 1.1.3 Light
- 1.1.4 Electricity
- 1.1.5 Power
- 1.1.6 Efficiency
- 1.2 Key energy resource definitions
- 1.2.1 Sources and resources
- 1.2.2 Reserves
- 1.2.3 Production
- 1.2.4 Comparing units and magnitudes of measure
- 1.3 "Renewable" versus "Nonrenewable" energy
- 1.3.1 Stock and flow limitations
- 1.3.2 Fossil and nuclear fuels: nonrenewable, stock-limited energy
- 1.3.3 Solar energy: renewable, flow-limited energy
- 1.3.4 In-between resources: renewable, stock, and flow-limited energy
- 1.3.5 Briefly comparing current use of energy stocks and flows
- 1.4 Energy use in societies
- 1.4.1 Visualizing energy use
- 1.4.2 Energy use by economic sector
- 1.4.3 Energy use by example: the united states
- 1.5 Environmental impacts of energy use
- 1.5.1 Classification by pollutant or harm
- 1.5.2 Classification by scale
- 1.6 Defining sustainability and sustainable energy
- 1.6.1 Sustainability
- 1.6.2 Sustainable energy
- 1.7 Sources of energy and environmental information
- 1.7.1 United States Energy Information Administration
- 1.7.2 International Energy Agency
- 1.7.3 World Energy Council
- 1.7.4 World Resources Institute
- 1.7.5 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- 1.7.6 Industry reports
- 2. "Nonrenewable" energy resources
- 2.1 Fossil fuels
- 2.1.1 Oil and gas
- 2.1.2 Coal
- 2.2 Nuclear fuels
- 2.2.1 Fission
- 2.2.2 Fusion
- 2.2.3 Uranium distribution
- 2.2.4 Uranium exploration and production
- 3. "Renewable" energy resources
- 3.1 A note
- 3.2 Earth's energy allowance
- 3.3 The solar resource
- 3.3.1 Solar photovoltaic technology
- 3.3.2 Concentrating solar power
- 3.3.3 Passive solar energy
- 3.3.4 Solar energy distribution and installed capacity
- 3.4 Biomass and biofuel resources
- 3.4.1 Ethanol
- 3.4.2 Biodiesel
- 3.4.3 Biogas
- 3.4.4 Biomass and biofuels distribution and production
- 3.5 Hydropower
- 3.5.1 Hydro potential distribution
- 3.5.2 Tidal and wave power
- 3.6 Wind power
- 3.6.1 Wind turbines
- 3.6.2 Wind distribution and installed capacity
- 3.7 Geothermal
- 3.7.1 Geothermal distribution and installed capacity
- 3.7.2 Direct use applications
- 4. Energy consumption in economic sectors
- 4.1 Broadly characterizing energy consumption
- 4.2 Energy consumption in industrialized society
- 4.3 The electric power sector
- 4.3.1 Electricity generation
- 4.3.2 Electricity delivery
- 4.3.3 Energy consumption in the electric power sector
- 4.4 The transportation sector
- 4.4.1 Vehicular technology
- 4.4.2 Automobiles versus mass transit
- 4.4.3 Commercial transportation
- 4.4.4 Energy consumption in the transportation sector
- 4.5 The industrial sector
- 4.5.1 Petroleum refining
- 4.5.2 The steel and aluminum industries
- 4.5.3 Energy consumption in the industrial sector
- 4.6 The residential and commercial sectors
- 4.6.1 Lighting
- 4.6.2 Heating
- 4.6.3 Cooling
- 4.6.4 Appliances
- 4.6.5 Consumer electronics
- 4.6.6 Energy consumption in the residential/commercial sectors
- 4.7 Improving energy efficiency in economic sectors
- 5. Petroleum and other energy resource limits
- 5.1 Earth's energy resource "bank account"
- 5.2 Growth and limits
- 5.2.1 The growth function
- 5.2.2 Physical limits
- 5.3 Peak oil: understanding oil limits
- 5.3.1 Specific details
- 5.3.2 Analysis
- 5.3.3 A closer look at the character of a peak
- 5.3.4 What we can know
- 5.4 Limits of other resources
- 5.4.1 Solar energy limits
- 5.4.2 Wind energy limits
- 5.4.3 Hydro energy limits
- 5.4.4 Geothermal energy limits
- 5.5 What does all of this mean to sustainability?
- 6. Environmental impact
- 6.1 The environment and humans: interconnected systems
- 6.1.1 The energy and environment focus
- 6.2 Characterizing environmental impacts
- 6.2.1 Toxins, poisons, and toxicity
- 6.2.2 Radiation
- 6.2.3 Human safety and welfare
- 6.2.4 Land use and ecosystem disruption
- 6.2.5 Water usage and pollution
- 6.2.6 Air emissions and pollution
- 6.2.7 Green house gas emissions and climate change
- 6.3 Environmental impacts of the sources
- 6.3.1 Coal
- 6.3.2 Oil and gas
- 6.3.3 Nuclear
- 6.3.4 The "renewables"
- 6.3.5 Biofuels and biomass
- 6.4 Comparing impacts
- 7. Global social contexts
- 7.1 Modern energy's essential role
- 7.2 Energy requirements to meet human needs and wants
- 7.2.1 Human needs
- 7.3 The advantage of consuming energy
- 7.3.1 In-depth: the energy/quality-of-life nexus
- 7.4 Consumerism
- 7.5 Energy security considerations
- 7.6 Comparing the values of different energy systems
- 7.6.1 Fossil fuels
- 7.6.2 Renewable resources
- 7.6.3 Nuclear power
- 7.6.4 Hydrogen and fuel cells
- 7.7 Externalities in energy value metrics
- 8. Next steps
- 8.1 Entering a new age
- 8.1.1 The transition that brought us here
- 8.2 Petroleum's role in the next transition
- 8.2.1 Petroleum's response to the shortage
- 8.2.2 The time factor
- 8.2.3 Higher prices
- 8.3 Energy poverty's role in the transition
- 8.3.1 The need for an energy labor force
- 8.4 A brief note on climate change's role in the transition
- 8.5 Energy dreams
- 8.5.1 Easy energy transitions
- 8.5.2 Solar
- 8.5.3 Unproven technologies
- 8.5.4 Ridiculous technologies
- 8.6 Comparing the options
- 8.7 New lifestyles around sustainable energy
- 8.8 Optimized energy mixes for space and time
- 8.8.1 Using everything, as we always have
- 8.8.2 Context-based solutions
- 8.8.3 Local, decentralized energy development
- 8.8.4 Conservation
- 8.8.5 Evolving energy mixes
- 8.9 Brief summary of agency and industry forecasts
- 8.10 So, what is the path forward?
- Index.