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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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ebenhack, Ben W.
Other Authors: Mart�inez, Daniel M.
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: [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.