Energy A Guidebook

by Ramage, Janet

• ISBN13: 9780192880222
• ISBN10: 0192880225
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-06-26
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

How much energy do you consume each day? Is the answer different if you live in Britain, Switzerland, India or the USA? Where does the energy come from, and where does it all go? Could we live equally well on half as much? Now fully revised and updated, this accessible guide describes the world of energy as we approach the end of the century, and asks some pertinent questions about the next fifty years. If the oil wells run dry and the 'dash for gas' exhausts that resource, what are the alternatives? Nuclear Power?Coal? The 'biofuels'? And what about the environment? How good is the evidence for global warming? Janet Ramage takes the reader from basic ideas to detailed accounts of energy systems, present and future. She describes the options, but supplies no simple answers. She writes, 'Like many guidebooks, it includes warnings against hazards and doesn't entirely resist the temptation to award stars,but the choice of destination must be made by the traveller. Only you can decide where you want to go'. 'a comprehensive, balanced guide to all the most important features of the energy world.' Nature 'clear, wide ranging and easy-to-read.' Institute of Physics

Author Biography

Dr Janet Ramage is a visiting lecturer in the Energy and Environment Research Unit of the Open University. She also teaches a course in Physics for students of biological sciences at the University of Westminster and another undergraduate course, Energy in the Natural Environment, at King's College, London. She lives in Hampstead.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	xiii	(4)
List of Tables	xvii	(2)
List of Abbreviations	xix
Part I. The Present	1	(60)
1. The Global Picture	3	(16)
2. Primary Energy	19	(22)
3. Patterns of Consumption	41	(20)
Part II. Technologies	61	(220)
4. Fuels	63	(32)
5. Energy Conversion	95	(26)
6. Using the Energy	121	(25)
7. Electricity	146	(20)
8. Nuclear Power	166	(35)
9. Energy from Water	201	(29)
10. Wind power	230	(21)
11. Solar Energy	251	(30)
Part III. The Future	281	(92)
12. Resources	283	(18)
13. Penalties	301	(36)
14. Costs and Prices	337	(15)
15. Future Alternatives	352	(21)
Appendix A: Orders of Magnitude	373	(2)
Appendix B: Units and Conversions	375	(3)
Further Reading	378	(5)
Index	383