Energy for a Warming World

A Plan to Hasten the Demise of Fossil Fuels
1. Auflage 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84882-834-6
Verlag: Springer-Verlag
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 178 Seiten

'Energy for a Warming World' challenges the commonplace notion that the amount of power which mankind can potentially harness from renewable resources is more than large enough to assuage future demand levels.By examining the renewable issue from an electrical engineering perspective, and exercising due regard for the limited capability of current and future electrical generation and transmission systems, this book attempts to provide more realistic statistics for the levels of power which could be extracted from sustainable resources in the critical time frame of 30 to 40 years. The engineering logic leads inexorably to the importance of taking a global outlook on the switch to renewable power supply and transmission - an outlook which has some surprising and uncomfortable ramifications for mankind.'Energy for a Warming World' provides a new perspective on renewable resources for academics and researchers in environmental or electrical power engineering, as well as to students in related areas.

Alan J. Sangster is an electrical engineer and professor at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;6
2;Contents;10
3;Chapter 1 The Context and Corollaries;12
3.1;1.1 Weather Warnings;12
3.2;1.2 Unstoppable "Growth";15
3.3;1.3 Eye of the Beholder;19
3.4;1.4 Techno-fix Junkies;24
3.5;1.5 Dearth of Engineers;29
4;Chapter 2 Energy Conversion and Power Transmission;34
4.1;2.1 Energy Conservation;34
4.2;2.2 Power and Entropy;35
4.3;2.3 Gravity;36
4.4;2.4 Electricity;38
4.5;2.5 Generators;44
4.6;2.6 The Grid;48
4.7;2.7 The Power Leakage Dilemma;53
5;Chapter 3 Limits to Renewability;56
5.1;3.1 Power from the Sun;56
5.2;3.2 Hydro-power;59
5.3;3.3 Wind Power;64
5.4;3.4 Wave Power;68
5.5;3.5 Tidal Power;73
5.6;3.6 Solar Power;76
5.7;3.7 Geo-thermal Power;85
5.8;3.8 The End of an Illusion;88
6;Chapter 4 Intermittency Buffers;92
6.1;4.1 Energy Storage;92
6.2;4.2 Pump Storage;93
6.3;4.3 Compressed Air;96
6.4;4.4 Flywheels;99
6.5;4.5 Thermal Storage;104
6.6;4.6 Batteries;107
6.7;4.7 Hydrogen;113
6.8;4.8 Capacitors;118
6.9;4.9 Superconducting Magnets;122
6.10;4.10 Nuclear Back-up;126
6.11;4.11 The Ecogrid;129
7;Chapter 5 Known Knowns and the Unknown;136
7.1;5.1 Diverging Supply and Demand;136
7.2;5.2 The Transport Crunch;141
7.3;5.3 Towards a Wired World;149
7.4;5.4 The Unknowable;155
8;Glossary;158
9;References and Notes;162
10;Index;176