1. Concepts, definitions, measures -- 1.1 Defining energy -- 1.1.1 Work -- 1.1.2 Heat -- 1.1.3 Light -- 1.1.4 Electricity -- 1.1.5 Power -- 1.1.6 Efficiency -- 1.2 Key energy resource definitions -- 1.2.1 Sources and resources -- 1.2.2 Reserves -- 1.2.3 Production -- 1.2.4 Comparing units and magnitudes of measure -- 1.3 "Renewable" versus "Nonrenewable" energy -- 1.3.1 Stock and flow limitations -- 1.3.2 Fossil and nuclear fuels: nonrenewable, stock-limited energy -- 1.3.3 Solar energy: renewable, flow-limited energy -- 1.3.4 In-between resources: renewable, stock, and flow-limited energy -- 1.3.5 Briefly comparing current use of energy stocks and flows -- 1.4 Energy use in societies -- 1.4.1 Visualizing energy use -- 1.4.2 Energy use by economic sector -- 1.4.3 Energy use by example: the united states -- 1.5 Environmental impacts of energy use -- 1.5.1 Classification by pollutant or harm -- 1.5.2 Classification by scale -- 1.6 Defining sustainability and sustainable energy -- 1.6.1 Sustainability -- 1.6.2 Sustainable energy -- 1.7 Sources of energy and environmental information -- 1.7.1 United States Energy Information Administration -- 1.7.2 International Energy Agency -- 1.7.3 World Energy Council -- 1.7.4 World Resources Institute -- 1.7.5 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- 1.7.6 Industry reports --

2. "Nonrenewable" energy resources -- 2.1 Fossil fuels -- 2.1.1 Oil and gas -- 2.1.2 Coal -- 2.2 Nuclear fuels -- 2.2.1 Fission -- 2.2.2 Fusion -- 2.2.3 Uranium distribution -- 2.2.4 Uranium exploration and production --

3. "Renewable" energy resources -- 3.1 A note -- 3.2 Earth's energy allowance -- 3.3 The solar resource -- 3.3.1 Solar photovoltaic technology -- 3.3.2 Concentrating solar power -- 3.3.3 Passive solar energy -- 3.3.4 Solar energy distribution and installed capacity -- 3.4 Biomass and biofuel resources -- 3.4.1 Ethanol -- 3.4.2 Biodiesel -- 3.4.3 Biogas -- 3.4.4 Biomass and biofuels distribution and production -- 3.5 Hydropower -- 3.5.1 Hydro potential distribution -- 3.5.2 Tidal and wave power -- 3.6 Wind power -- 3.6.1 Wind turbines -- 3.6.2 Wind distribution and installed capacity -- 3.7 Geothermal -- 3.7.1 Geothermal distribution and installed capacity -- 3.7.2 Direct use applications --

4. Energy consumption in economic sectors -- 4.1 Broadly characterizing energy consumption -- 4.2 Energy consumption in industrialized society -- 4.3 The electric power sector -- 4.3.1 Electricity generation -- 4.3.2 Electricity delivery -- 4.3.3 Energy consumption in the electric power sector -- 4.4 The transportation sector -- 4.4.1 Vehicular technology -- 4.4.2 Automobiles versus mass transit -- 4.4.3 Commercial transportation -- 4.4.4 Energy consumption in the transportation sector -- 4.5 The industrial sector -- 4.5.1 Petroleum refining -- 4.5.2 The steel and aluminum industries -- 4.5.3 Energy consumption in the industrial sector -- 4.6 The residential and commercial sectors -- 4.6.1 Lighting -- 4.6.2 Heating -- 4.6.3 Cooling -- 4.6.4 Appliances -- 4.6.5 Consumer electronics -- 4.6.6 Energy consumption in the residential/commercial sectors -- 4.7 Improving energy efficiency in economic sectors --

5. Petroleum and other energy resource limits -- 5.1 Earth's energy resource "bank account" -- 5.2 Growth and limits -- 5.2.1 The growth function -- 5.2.2 Physical limits -- 5.3 Peak oil: understanding oil limits -- 5.3.1 Specific details -- 5.3.2 Analysis -- 5.3.3 A closer look at the character of a peak -- 5.3.4 What we can know -- 5.4 Limits of other resources -- 5.4.1 Solar energy limits -- 5.4.2 Wind energy limits -- 5.4.3 Hydro energy limits -- 5.4.4 Geothermal energy limits -- 5.5 What does all of this mean to sustainability? --

6. Environmental impact -- 6.1 The environment and humans: interconnected systems -- 6.1.1 The energy and environment focus -- 6.2 Characterizing environmental impacts -- 6.2.1 Toxins, poisons, and toxicity -- 6.2.2 Radiation -- 6.2.3 Human safety and welfare -- 6.2.4 Land use and ecosystem disruption -- 6.2.5 Water usage and pollution -- 6.2.6 Air emissions and pollution -- 6.2.7 Green house gas emissions and climate change -- 6.3 Environmental impacts of the sources -- 6.3.1 Coal -- 6.3.2 Oil and gas -- 6.3.3 Nuclear -- 6.3.4 The "renewables" -- 6.3.5 Biofuels and biomass -- 6.4 Comparing impacts --

7. Global social contexts -- 7.1 Modern energy's essential role -- 7.2 Energy requirements to meet human needs and wants -- 7.2.1 Human needs -- 7.3 The advantage of consuming energy -- 7.3.1 In-depth: the energy/quality-of-life nexus -- 7.4 Consumerism -- 7.5 Energy security considerations -- 7.6 Comparing the values of different energy systems -- 7.6.1 Fossil fuels -- 7.6.2 Renewable resources -- 7.6.3 Nuclear power -- 7.6.4 Hydrogen and fuel cells -- 7.7 Externalities in energy value metrics --

8. Next steps -- 8.1 Entering a new age -- 8.1.1 The transition that brought us here -- 8.2 Petroleum's role in the next transition -- 8.2.1 Petroleum's response to the shortage -- 8.2.2 The time factor -- 8.2.3 Higher prices -- 8.3 Energy poverty's role in the transition -- 8.3.1 The need for an energy labor force -- 8.4 A brief note on climate change's role in the transition -- 8.5 Energy dreams -- 8.5.1 Easy energy transitions -- 8.5.2 Solar -- 8.5.3 Unproven technologies -- 8.5.4 Ridiculous technologies -- 8.6 Comparing the options -- 8.7 New lifestyles around sustainable energy -- 8.8 Optimized energy mixes for space and time -- 8.8.1 Using everything, as we always have -- 8.8.2 Context-based solutions -- 8.8.3 Local, decentralized energy development -- 8.8.4 Conservation -- 8.8.5 Evolving energy mixes -- 8.9 Brief summary of agency and industry forecasts -- 8.10 So, what is the path forward? -- Index.