Well written but somewhat dated

books:


	• Sustainable Energy: Choosing Among Options Jefferson W. Tester, Elisabeth M. Drake, ... The MIT Press, 2005 - 870 pages view larger image
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Well written but somewhat dated

This was a well written text book that gives an introduction to a great number of important fields. It does a particularly good job giving a fair treatment to some options that are often overlooked in books on sustainable energy such as geothermal and nuclear energy. It also gives a good background in the economics of electricity and liquid fuels.

It is however already quite dated. The book was published right before the price of oil started to soar, and completely didn't see it coming. Many statements support the idea that oil will be cheap for many decades to come. They certainly were not alone in not seeing this coming, but it is sometimes hard to take them seriously on other subjects when they keep referring back to the low price of oil.

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Useful

Useful book to collect all in one the main subjects about the topic. Useful handbook to have at hand a rigorous point to start to study the subject without loosing between information.

Human survival depends on a continuing energy supply, but the need for ever-increasing amounts of energy poses a dilemma: How can we provide the benefits of energy to the population of the globe without damaging the environment, negatively affecting social stability, or threatening the well-being of future generations? The solution will lie in finding sustainable energy sources and more efficient means of converting and utilizing energy. This textbook is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as others who have an interest in exploring energy resource options and technologies with a view toward achieving sustainability. It clearly presents the trade-offs and uncertainties inherent in evaluating and choosing different energy options and provides a framework for assessing policy solutions.

Sustainable Energy includes illustrative examples, problems, references for further reading, and links to relevant Web sites. Outside the classroom, the book is a resource for government, industry, and nonprofit organizations. The first six chapters provide the tools for making informed energy choices. They examine the broader aspects of energy use, including resource estimation, environmental effects, and economic evaluations. Chapters 7-15 review the main energy sources of today and tomorrow, including fossil fuels, nuclear power, biomass, geothermal energy, hydropower, wind energy, and solar energy, examining their technologies, environmental impacts, and economics. The remaining chapters treat energy storage, transmission, and distribution; the electric power sector; transportation; industrial energy usage; commercial and residential buildings; and synergistic complex systems. Sustainable Energy addresses the challenges of integrating diverse factors and the importance for future generations of the energy choices we make today.

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