Renewable Energy: Free Energy from Solar, Wind, Hydropower, and Other Alternative Energy Sources Book

Acknowledgements     3
Foreword     12
Reduce, Reuse and Renew     15
The Almost-Perfect Day     15
Problems with Fossil Fuels     16
Renewable Energy - Pros and Cons     17
The Focus of Renewable Energy Made Easy     19
Let There Be Light-the Potential of Solar Power     21
Introduction     21
A History of Solar Energy     21
What is Solar Energy?     24
Windows (Not the Operating System)     25
Solar Collectors     30
Types of Solar Energy     31
Passive Solar     32
Intereseasonal Storage     34
Daylighting     34
Low Temperature Applications     36
Photovoltaic     41
Powering Mr. Fusion - Biomass as an Energy Source     51
Introduction     51
A History of Biomass     52
What is Biomass?     53
The Conversion Process and Its Pros and Cons     53
Methods for Improving Fuel Efficiency     55
Crops     56
Oily Seeds and Biodiesel     57
Biogas     58
Costs     60
Ethanol     62
The Biomass-powered Engine that Could     64
Environmental Issues     66
Getting Wet and Wild with Hydropower     69
Introduction     69
A History of Hydropower     70
Head     72
Turbines     73
How Does a Hydropower System Work?     77
Hydropower Applications     78
The Francis Turbine     79
Effects on Ecosystems     81
Environmental Issues     82
Riding the Winds of Change - Wind Power     85
A History of Wind Power and Windmills     85
Wind Turbines     89
Appropriate Wind Speeds     94
Estimating the Power a Turbine Could Produce     94
Costs of Wind Power     95
Siting Ideal Locations for Wind Turbines     97
Offshore Wind     102
Strengths and Weaknesses of Wind Power     104
Catching a Wave - the Potential of Wave Power     109
Introduction     109
A History of Waves     110
How Wave Energy Works     111
Types of Waves     112
Sea States     114
Under the Sea (State)     116
Capturing a Wave      119
Integrating Wave Energy into Our Everyday Lives     133
The Extreme Economics of Wave Energy     134
Limiting Environmental Impact     137
Rock 'N' Roll - Harvesting Geothermal Energy     141
An Overview of Geothermal Energy     141
Siting Prospective Geothermal Energy Locations     141
Geothermal Plants     142
Uses for Geothermal Energy     144
Problems with Geothermal Energy     144
High Points of Geothermal Energy     146
Getting Your Hands Dirty - Case Studies     149
Glossary     259
Additional Terms     269
Bibliography     279
Author Biography     283
Index     285