The approach of this sustainable energy textbook is to dig down to the real numbers of the various technologies being discussed. In the author’s own words, “the aim is to guide the reader around the claptrap to actions that really make a difference and to policies that add up.”
David MacKay FRS, a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, offers a honest assessment of what energy sources are truly sustainable and which ones may offer little more than snake oil. This online textbook uses simple language, charts and diagrams to explain the science and make this a work readable by all students; not just the science majors.
The author speaks in plain language and that appears to include using colloquiums and phrases commonly used in England. Among the numerous translations, someone has taken the time to explain British “English” expressions into “Americanisms.”
- I. Numbers, Not Adjectives
- 1. Motivations
- 2. The balance sheet
- 3. Cars
- 4. Wind
- 5. Planes
- 6. Solar
- 7. Heating and cooling
- 8. Hydroelectricity
- 9. Light
- 10. Offshore wind
- 11. Gadgets
- 12. Wave
- 13. Food and farming
- 14. Tide
- 15. Stuff
- 16. Geothermal
- 17. Public services
- 18. Can we live on renewables?
- II. Making a Difference
- 19. Every BIG helps
- 20. Better transport
- 21. Smarter heating
- 22. Efficient electricity use
- 23. Sustainable fossil fuels?
- 24. Nuclear?
- 25. Living on other countries’ renewables?
- 26. Fluctuations and storage
- 27. Five energy plans for Britain
- 28. Putting costs in perspective
- 29. What to do now
- 30. Energy plans for Europe, America, and the World
- 31. The last thing we should talk about
- 32. Saying yes
- III. Technical Chapters
- A. Cars II
- B. Wind II
- C. Planes II
- D. Solar II
- E. Heating II
- F. Waves II
- G. Tide II
- H. Stuff II
- IV. Useful Data
- I. Quick reference
- J. Populations and areas
- K. UK energy history
- Power and carbon translation tables
- Bibliography
- Index
View this Free Online Material at the source:
Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air
