About the Authors -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Figures and Tables -- Abbreviations and Acronyms -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Global Energy Issues -- 0.1 Total energy consumption in quadrillion BTUs, with % of world consumption, 2010 -- 0.2 Total energy consumption per capita in millions of BTUs, 2010 -- 0.3 Energy intensity - total energy consumption per dollar of GDP, 2010 -- Table 0.1 Energy intensity and CO2 emissions from energy consumption -- Table 0.2 France, final energy consumption by sector by energy source, 2010 -- Table 0.3 India, final energy consumption by sector by energy source, 2010 -- Consensus in Science and The Climate Change Debate -- 0.4 Flowchart of scientific method -- Organization of This Book -- 1: Basic Energy and Policy Concepts -- Sustainable Energy Systems -- Thermodynamics -- Types of Energy -- Energy Density -- Electricity Generation -- Comparing Electricity Generation Sources -- Table 1.1 Energy sources and their EROeIs -- Table 1.2 Levelized cost of selected energy sources -- Electricity Distribution Systems -- 1.1 The North American power grid - interconnects in the United States and Canada -- Policymaking -- Policymaking Tools -- International Policy Drivers -- Domestic Policy Drivers -- Conclusion -- 2: Fossil Fuels -- 2.1 Hydrocarbon molecule, octane -- Coal -- Crude Oil -- Peak Oil -- The Structural Effects of Cheap Oil -- Unconventional Oil and Hydraulic Fracturing -- 2.2 Overview of hydraulic fracturing -- Natural Gas -- Case Studies -- China -- The USA -- Saudi Arabia -- Russia -- Conclusion -- 3: Nuclear Power -- Atoms -- 3.1 Atomic diagram of carbon -- Radioactive Atoms -- Nuclear Fission Reactors -- Radiation and Nuclear Waste -- Table 3.1 Measuring radiation -- 3.2 Radiation effect models.

Spent Nuclear Fuel -- Nuclear Accidents -- Future Reactor Designs -- The Future of Nuclear Power -- Nuclear Fusion Reactors -- Case Studies -- France -- The United States -- Japan -- Conclusion -- 4: Biomass and Biofuels -- Biomass -- Biofuels -- Food-Based Biofuels: Ethanol and Butanol -- Non-Food-Based Biofuel: Cellulosic Ethanol -- Biodiesel -- Algae -- Case Studies -- Brazil -- The European Union -- The United States -- Conclusion -- 5: Hydropower -- Hydropower around the World -- Dams and Reservoirs -- The Other Hydropower: Tidal and Wave Power -- Case Studies -- Hydropower in China: The Three Gorges Mega-Dam -- Transnational Issues -- Conclusion -- 6: Wind Power -- Intermittency and Dispatchability -- Modern Wind Turbines -- Placement of Wind Farms -- Offshore Wind Farms -- Small-Scale Wind Power -- Case Studies -- Denmark -- The United States -- Table 6.1 US installed wind capacity, by year -- Conclusion -- 7: Geothermal Energy -- Passive Geothermal -- 7.1 Geothermal heat pump schematic -- Geothermal Electricity Production -- Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS or Hot Dry Rock Geothermal) -- Case Studies -- Iceland -- Turkey -- Australia -- 8: Solar Energy -- Passive Solar -- Active Solar -- Photovoltaics -- 8.1 Concentrating solar, with Stirling engine -- 8.2 Concentrating solar, with PV field -- Concentrated Solar with Thermal Storage -- 8.3 Parabolic solar trough field -- 8.4 Parabolic solar trough -- 8.5 Power tower solar thermal plant -- The Future of Solar Power -- Case Studies -- Germany -- Kenya -- 9: Conclusion: Where Do We Go From Here? -- Business as Usual -- Climate Change in the Driver's Seat -- Pros and Cons of Various Electricity Generation Methods -- Table 9.1 Comparison of different energy sources for electricity generation.

Thinking Beyond Electricity -- Transportation -- Industry -- Commercial/Residential -- The Rosenfeld Curve, Jevons Paradox, and the Energy Efficiency Trap -- Getting the Policy Right -- Policy Recommendations -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Renewable Energy Support Policies -- Notes -- Introduction -- 1 Basic Energy and Policy Concepts -- 2 Fossil Fuels -- 3 Nuclear Power -- 5 Hydropower -- 6 Wind Power -- 7 Geothermal Energy -- 8 Solar Energy -- 9 Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.