Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual
by Solar Energy International
from New Society Publishers
Producing electricity from the sun using photovoltaic (PV) systems has become a major industry worldwide. But designing, installing and maintaining such systems requires knowledge and training, and there have been few easily accessible, comprehensive guides to the subject.
Now, with Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual, a world-class solar energy training and education provider-Solar Energy International (SEI)-has made available the critical information to successfully design, install and maintain PV systems. The book contains an overview of photovoltaic electricity and a detailed description of PV system components, including PV modules, batteries, controllers and inverters. It also includes chapters on sizing photovoltaic systems, analyzing sites and installing PV systems, as well as detailed appendices on PV system maintenance, troubleshooting and solar insolation data for over 300 sites around the world. Used worldwide as the textbook in SEI's PV Design & Installation workshops, topics covered include:
Photovoltaics guarantees that those wanting to learn the skills of tapping the sun's energy can do so with confidence.
Solar Energy International (SEI) has the nonprofit mission to respond to the need for renewable energy education. Based in Carbondale, Colorado, and active around the world, SEI is a link between people and renewable energy resources, providing information, education and training to people who want to shape a sustainable future. SEI is recognized by the National Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) as dedicated independent provider of PV training programs that may be used toward attaining PV certification. Also, SEI is recognized as an Accredited Institution to offer PV training by the Institute for Sustainable Power (ISP).
Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert's Peak
by Kenneth S. Deffeyes
from Hill and Wang
“The bad news in this book is made bearable by the author’s witty, conversational writing style. If my college econ textbooks had been written this way, I might have learned economics.” —Rupert Cutler, The Roanoke Times
Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius
by Gavin D J Harper
from McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
FOLLOW THE SUN TO MORE EVIL FUN!
Let the sun shine on your evil side - and have a wicked amount of fun on your way to becoming a solar energy master! In this guide, the popular Evil Genius format ramps up your understanding of powerful, important, and environmentally friendly solar energy - and shows you how to build real, practical solar energy projects you can use in your home, yard - even on the road!
In Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius, high-tech guru Gavin Harper gives you everything you need to build more than 50 thrilling solar energy projects. You'll find complete, easy-to-follow plans, with clear diagrams and schematics, so you know exactly what's involved before you begin.
- Illustrated instructions and plans for 30 amazing pretested solar energy projects that assume no prior experience with energy science
- Explanations of the science and math behind each project
- Projects that progress in difficulty - from simple ones that may inspire science fair entries - all the way to converting a real home to solar energy
- Frustration-factor removal-needed parts are listed, along with sources-plus all the tools you'll need
Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius provides you with complete plans, instructions, parts lists, and sources for:
- Crushed berries solar cell
- Solar "death ray"
- Solar powered hot dog cooker
- Solar furnace
- Sun-powered refrigerator
- Camping shower, oven, and more
- Hot recipes for solar cooking
- Water purifier
- Flashlight
- Garden lights
- Solar vehicle
- Environmentally friendly robot
- Much more!
Sustainable Energy: Choosing Among Options
by Jefferson W. Tester
from The MIT Press
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.
Renewable Energy
from Oxford University Press, USA
Stimulated by recent technological developments and increasing concern over the sustainability and environmental impact of conventional fuel usage, the prospect of producing clean, sustainable power in substantial quantities from renewable energy sources arouses interest world-wide. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the principal types of renewable energy-including solar, thermal photovoltaics, bioenergy, hydro, tidal, wind, wave, and geothermal. In addition, the text explains the underlying physical and technological principles of renewable energy and examines the environmental impact and future prospects of different energy sources. It includes over 350 detailed illustrations, more than fifty tables of data, and a wide range of case studies. Renewable Energy, 2/e is ideal for undergraduate courses in energy, sustainable development, and environmental science.
Energy Victory: Winning the War on Terror by Breaking Free of Oil
by Robert Zubrin
from Prometheus Books
In this compelling argument for a new direction in US energy policy, world-renowned engineer and best-selling author Robert Zubrin lays out a bold plan for breaking the economic stranglehold that the OPEC oil cartel has on our country and the world. Zubrin presents persuasive evidence that our decades-long relationship with OPEC has resulted in the looting of our economy, the corruption of our political system, and now the funding and protection of terrorist regimes and movements that are committed to our destruction. Debunking the false solutions and myths that have deterred us from taking necessary action, Zubrin exposes the fakery that has allowed many politicians -- including current US president George W. Bush -- to posture that they are acting to resolve this problem while actually doing nothing significant toward that goal. Zubrin's plan is straightforward and practical. He argues that if Congress passed a law requiring that all new cars sold in the USA be flex-fueled -- that is, able to run on any combination of gasoline or alcohol fuels -- this one action would destroy the monopoly that the oil cartel has maintained on the globe's transportation fuel supply, opening it up to competition from alcohol fuels produced by farmers worldwide. According to Zubrin's estimates, within three years of enactment, such a regulation would put 50 million cars on the road in the USA capable of running on high-alcohol fuels, and at least an equal number overseas.
Energy Victory shows how we could be using fuel dollars that are now being sent to countries with ties to terrorism to help farmers here and abroad, boosting our own economy and funding world development. Furthermore, by switching to alcohol fuels, which pollute less than gasoline and are made from plants that draw carbon dioxide from the air, this plan will facilitate the worldwide economic growth required to eliminate global poverty without the fear of greenhouse warming. Energy Victory offers an exciting vision for a dynamic, new energy policy, which will go a long way toward safeguarding homeland security in the future and provide solutions for global warming and Third World development.
Practical Photovoltaics: Electricity from Solar Cells
by Richard J. Komp
from Aatec Publications
Practical Photovoltaics, the now-classic reference on solar electricity, offers a unique combination of technical discussion and practical advice. Physicist, lecturer, and solar-home dweller Richard Komp explains the "how" and the "how-to" of PV, while providing valuable information on the industry, new developments, and the future. The book is a comprehensive guide to the theory and reality of solar electricity, as well as a detailed installation and maintenance manual. A well-illustrated appendix offers step-by-step instructions for constructing your own solar module, a creative approach to demystifying the technology. Presented in a clear, concise, and understandable style, Dr. Komp's contribution to PV literature has been called the "best single reference available," "the easiest and most complete education on photovoltaics," "one of the best basic books on PV," and "the best of the books."
Energy at the Crossroads: Global Perspectives and Uncertainties
by Vaclav Smil
from The MIT Press
Winner in the cover category of the AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers of 2003 competition presented by the American Institute of Graphic Arts
In Energy at the Crossroads, Vaclav Smil considers the twenty-first century's crucial question: how to reconcile the modern world's unceasing demand for energy with the absolute necessity to preserve the integrity of the biosphere. With this book, he offers a comprehensive, accessible guide to today's complex energy issues -- how to think clearly and logically about what is possible and what is desirable in our energy future.
After a century of unprecedented production growth, technical innovation, and expanded consumption, the world faces a number of critical energy challenges arising from unequal resource distribution, changing demand patterns, and environmental limitations. The fundamental message of Energy at the Crossroads is that our dependence on fossil fuels must be reduced not because of any imminent resource shortages but because the widespread burning of oil, coal, and natural gas damages the biosphere and presents increasing economic and security problems as the world relies on more expensive supplies and Middle Eastern crude oil.
Smil begins with an overview of the twentieth century's long-term trends and achievements in energy production. He then discusses energy prices, the real cost of energy, and "energy linkages" -- the effect energy issues have on the economy, on quality of life, on the environment, and in wartime. He discusses the pitfalls of forecasting, giving many examples of failed predictions and showing that unexpected events can disprove complex models. And he examines the pros and cons not only of fossil fuels but also of alternative fuels such as hydroenergy, biomass energy, wind power, and solar power. Finally, he considers the future, focusing on what really matters, what works, what is realistic, and which outcomes are most desirable.
The Bottomless Well: The Twilight of Fuel, the Virtue of Waste, and Why We Will Never Run Out of Energy
by Peter Huber
from Basic Books
Alternative Energy Demystified
by Stan Gibilisco
from McGraw-Hill Professional
The fast and easy way to get up-to-speed on alternative energy
Because of current events, geopolitics, and natural disasters, the cost of fuel is front and center in our lives. This book provides a concise look at all forms of energy, including fossil fuels, electric, solar, biodiesel, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, and renewable fuel cells. You will get explanations, definitions, and analysis of each alternative energy source from a technological point of view.
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