Product Description

The prospect of producing clean, sustainable power in substantial quantities from renewable energy sources is now arousing interest world-wide, stimulated by recent technological developments that have improved the cost-effectiveness of many of the 'renewables' and by increasing concern over the environmental impact and sustainability of conventional fossil and nuclear fuel use. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the principal renewable energy sources including: · Solar thermal · Photovoltaics · Bioenergy · Hydro · Tidal · Wind · Wave · Geothermal With the aid of over 350 detailed illustrations, more than 50 tables of data and a wide range of case studies it explains, for each source, the underlying physical and technological principles, and examines its environmental impact and future prospects. The overall approach is interdisciplinary, covering the economic, social, environmental and policy issues raised by renewable energy as well as the physical and engineering aspects. The book will therefore appeal strongly to non-specialist readers who wish to improve their understanding of this complex, fascinating and increasingly important subject. New to this Edition - Full colour design - Updated to reflect developments in technology. policy and attitudes - Complemented by a new book on traditional sources of energy, Energy Systems and Sustainability edited by Godfrey Boyle, Bob Everett and Janet Ramage of the Open University

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14362 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Review
'This is an excellent introductory text which deserves the widest readership'. Book Review 2004.

'This is an outstanding undergraduate textbook which deserves to become the standard text. I can only urge all those who are teaching courses in the field and all students, formal or otherwise, to read and treasure this book'. Professor Robert Hill, Times Higher Education Supplement, review of the first edition of Renewable Energy.

About the Author
Godfrey Boyle is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Design and Innovation and co-director of the Energy and Environment Research Unit at the UK Open University.

Customer Reviews

Very informative book
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

Good general overview, well presented
This is one of the first books I read on this subject. It's very well presented and written (like most open university materials). It has chapters on most of the important renewable energy technologies. It explains the principles and most important topics in an understanable way. It introduces some of the most important equations, but it's not a long list of mathematical derivations.

Interesting Book
This book is very interesting and gives a lot of important information. Mostly it is readable for people with some scientific knowledge, but some parts require more advanced knowledge.