The Truth About Energy
Our Fossil-Fuel Addiction and the Transition to Renewables

This book provides everyone interested in driving the renewable energy transition with a foundation to understand modern energy technology.

John K. White (Author)

9781009433198, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 8 February 2024

722 pages
22.8 x 15.1 x 4.1 cm, 1.05 kg

'This book can be a valuable text/reference for discussion courses on energy at all levels … Recommended.' J. Tavakoli, CHOICE

The transition to renewable energy is vital and fast-paced, but how do we choose which technologies to drive this energy transition? This timely book provides everyone interested in the renewable energy transition with an introduction to and technical foundation for understanding modern energy technology. It traces everyday power generation through history, from the Industrial Revolution to today. It examines the use of wood, coal, oil, natural gas, hydro, and nuclear to produce energy, before discussing renewable energy sources such as biomass, photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, wind, wave, and geothermal. The book examines to what extent and how each technology can contribute to a clean, green infrastructure. The Truth About Energy explains the science and engineering of energy to help everyone understand and compare current and future advances in renewable energy, providing the context to critically examine the different technologies that are competing in a fast-evolving engineering, political, and economic landscape.

PART I. Out with the Old
1. Wood to Coal: A Short History of the Industrial Revolution
2. Oil and Gas: Twentieth-Century Prosperity
3. The Nuclear World: Atoms for Peace
PART II. In with the New
4. Old to New: The Sun and all its Glory
5. The Old becomes New Again: More Sustainable Energy
6. Driving the Revolution: From Volta to Tesla and Back
PART III. Less is More
7. Rethink, Rebuild, Rewire
Afterword
Appendix A: Unit abbreviations
Appendix B: Metric prefixes
Appendix C: Useful Acronyms
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Environmental science, engineering & technology [TQ]