Fueling Our Future: An Introduction to Sustainable Energy

by Robert L. Evans

• ISBN13: 9780521865630
• ISBN10: 0521865638
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-06-18
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

One of the most important issues facing humanity today is the prospect of global climate change, brought about primarily by our prolific energy use and heavy dependence on fossil fuels. Fuelling the Future: An Introduction to Sustainable Energy provides an accessible and concise overview of current energy demand and supply patterns. It then presents a balanced view of how our reliance on fossil fuels can be changed over time so that we have a much more sustainable energy system going forward into the twenty-second century. Written in a nontechnical and accessible style, the book will appeal to a wide range of readers without scientific backgrounds: students, policymakers, and the interested general reader.

Author Biography

Robert L. Evans is Director, Clean Energy Research Center, the University of British Columbia.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. ix
Glossary	p. x
Setting the scene	p. 1
Introduction	p. 3
The energy conversion chain	p. 10
Energy and the environment	p. 18
Localized environmental concerns	p. 18
Global environmental concerns	p. 21
Adaptation and mitigation	p. 34
The global energy demand and supply balance	p. 37
World energy demand	p. 39
World energy supply	p. 46
World energy sources	p. 46
Fossil fuel resources	p. 51
The global demand-supply balance	p. 58
New and sustainable energy sources	p. 63
Non-conventional fossil fuels	p. 65
New sources of oil and gas	p. 65
Clean coal processes	p. 70
Carbon mitigation	p. 75
Renewable energy sources	p. 81
Introduction	p. 81
Solar energy	p. 83
Wind energy	p. 94
Biomass energy	p. 100
Hydroelectric power	p. 103
Ocean energy	p. 105
Geothermal energy	p. 110
Nuclear power	p. 115
Introduction	p. 115
Light-water reactors	p. 116
Heavy-water reactors	p. 120
Other reactor types	p. 122
Advanced reactor designs	p. 124
Nuclear power and sustainability	p. 128
Nuclear power economics and public acceptance	p. 135
Towards a sustainable energy balance	p. 139
The transportation challenge	p. 141
Transportation energy use	p. 141
Road vehicles	p. 144
Trains, planes, and ships	p. 162
Achieving a sustainable energy balance	p. 165
Energy conversion factors	p. 176
Index	p. 177
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