Renewable Energy

Description

This book provides both perspective and detail on the relative merits and state of progress of technologies for utilizing the various 'renewables'. The analysis considers emissions, sustainability, cost implications and energy security, as political and economic pressures move society towards a low-carbon future.

• Interdisciplinary approach brings together economic, social, environmental, and policy issues in a single, unified narrative
• The limited prior knowledge expected of the reader makes this the ideal text for all students, regardless of subject background
• Beautiful illustrations augment the text and enrich the learning experience

New to this edition

• New editor Stephen Peake, Fellow of the Judge Business School and Senior Lecturer at The Open University, brings a fresh perspective to the current state of renewable energy
• A new chapter on 'Thermodynamics' explores the physical basis of energy
• A new chapter on 'Renewable energy futures' looks ahead to potential developments in the field
• An updated chapter on the status, challenges and opportunities for the integration of renewable energy technologies in rapidly evolving electric grid systems
• Enhanced pedagogy includes the addition of end-of-chapter exercises; boxes with annotated calculations; and clearer, more concise, chapter summaries

About the Author(s)

Edited by Stephen Peake, Lecturer in Environmental Technology, The Open University

Dr Stephen Peake is Senior Lecturer in Environmental Technology at The Open University. At the University of Cambridge, Dr Peake is Fellow of the Judge Business School and Senior Associate of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

Table of Contents

1:Introducing Renewable Energy
2:Thermodynamics and Heat Pumps
3:Solar Thermal Energy
4:Solar Photovoltaics
5:Bioenergy
6:Hydroelectricity
7:Tidal Power
8:Wind Energy
9:Wave Energy
10:Geothermal Energy
11:Integrating Renewable Energy
12:Renewable Energy Futures
A1:Appendix: Investing in renewable energy
A2:Appendix: Units

Reviews

"Review from previous edition I have reviewed many textbooks on renewable energy and this one stands clearly above them all. It provides an excellent balance between technical content and practical application." - Douglas J Reinemann, Professor of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

"The quality of illustrations in Renewable Energy , as well as the inclusion of energy data for North America, make this and its sister volume, Energy Systems and Sustainability , my top choice for any energy program in higher education." - James Leidel, Director of Clean Energy Syctems, Oakland University, USA

"A great introductory text for teaching, and an excellent reference for your bookshelf. " - Ian Mason, University of Canterbury, NZ

"An excellent overview of all the principal renewable energy technologies, placing them in the context of the overall power system. Individual chapters are all written by experts, but edited into a common style so that the level of detail is comparable across all chapters. The best book of its sort on the market. " - Paul Younger, University of Glasgow

"Excellent textbook for an introductory course on renewable energy systems. Some mathematical principles are introduced to reinforce concepts. Overall excellent material to get undergraduate students engaged with the field before digging into the detail. " - Tom Norton, Harper Adams University, UK

"This textbook continues the high standards of previous editions in terms of the clarity with which it explains the technologies while offering high quality graphics." - Peter Connor, University of Exeter

Additional Resources

Online resources

Renewable Energy is accompanied by online resources which include:

For students:
· Auto- marked multiple choice questions to accompany each chapter
· Curated links to further information and up-to-date energy statistics.

For registered adopters of the book:
· Figures from the book: available to download for use in lectures