About the Book

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY focuses directly on energy related issues and includes a thorough treatment of all potentially viable energy sources. In most cases, individual chapters are devoted to each alternative energy approach. Although author Richard Dunlap covers past and current energy production methods, the text deals largely with future alternative energy strategies and follows the guidelines of ABET, the major engineering accreditation body. The book approaches these topics on a rigorous level -- familiarity with the basic concepts of freshman Physics and Chemistry is needed. The book contains enough material for a typical one semester course. The end-of-chapter problems are predominantly quantitative in nature. However, most are not straight forward calculations based on substituting values from the chapter in to the appropriate formula. The problems are designed to require the students to analyze information, to make use of material from previous chapters, to correlate data from various sources (not only from the textbook itself but from library, internet or other sources) and in many cases to estimate quantities based on interpretation of graphical data, interpolation of values and sometime just plain common sense. While maintaining a quantitative approach to the study of energy in our society, the text and accompanying problems show that this is a complex and very interdisciplinary topic. This approach is intended to provide students with an appreciation for the real problems that are encountered in the understanding of how we produce and use energy, and the realization that, while exact calculations are important and necessary, a broadly based analysis is often most appropriate.

About the Author

Richard Dunlap Richard A. Dunlap is a professor in the Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science at Dalhousie University and has a cross-appointment in the College of Sustainability. He received a B.S. in Physics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1974), an A.M. in Physics from Dartmouth College (1976) and a Ph.D. in Physics from Clark University (1981). Since 1981 he has been on the faculty at Dalhousie University. From 2001 to 2006 he was Killam Research Professor of Physics, and since 2009 he has been Director of the Dalhousie University Institute for Research in Materials. He currently is a member of the DREAMS Program (Dalhousie Research in Energy, Advanced Materials and Sustainability). Prof. Dunlap is author of three previous text books Experimental Physics: Modern Methods (Oxford 1988), The Golden Ratio and Fibonacci Numbers (World Scientific 1997) and An Introduction to the Physics of Nuclei and Particles (Brooks/Cole 2004). Over the years his research interests have included critical phenomena, magnetic materials, amorphous materials, quasicrystals, hydrogen storage, and superconductivity. His current research activities are primarily in the area of materials for advanced rechargeable batteries. He has published more than 280 refereed research papers.

Table of Contents:
PART I: BACKGROUND. 1. Introduction. 2. Energy Basics. 3. Past, Present, and Future World Energy Use. PART II: FOSSIL FUELS. 4. Fossil Fuel Resources and Use. 5. Environmental Consequences of Fossil Fuel Use. PART III: NUCLEAR ENERGY. 6. Some Basic Nuclear Physics. 7. Energy from Nuclear Fission. 8. Energy from Nuclear Fusion. PART IV: RENEWABLE ENERGY. 9. Direct Use of Solar Energy. 10. Electricity from Solar Energy. 11. Wind Energy. 12. Hydroelectric Energy. 13. Wave Energy. 14. Tidal Energy. 15. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion and Ocean Salinity Gradient Energy. 16. Geothermal Energy. 17. Biomass Energy. PART V: ENERGY STORAGE, CONSERVATION, AND TRANSPORTATION. 18. Energy Storage. 19. Energy Conservation. 20. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). 21. Hydrogen. PART VI: THE FUTURE. 22. Future Prospects and Design Projects. Appendix A: Powers of Ten. Appendix B: Physical Constants. Appendix C: Energy Conversion Factors. Appendix D: Miscellaneous Conversion Factors. Appendix E: Energy Content of Fuels. Appendix F: R-values in Metric and British Units. Appendix G: The Elements. Appendix H: Table of Acronyms.