Energy Demand and Climate Change: Issues and Resolutions Book

Acknowledgements.

Prologue.

Part I: Questions.

Introduction.

Recommended Reading.

1 Ancient Days and Modern Times.

Recommended Reading.

2 Ice Ages – Past and Future.

The Discovery of Ice Ages.

The Heat Balance of the Earth.

The Sun and Its Spots.

Earth’s Orbit.

The Discovery of Elliptical Orbits.

Precession.

Nutation (Wobble).

Volcanic Dust.

The Cyclical Nature of Ice Ages.

The Croll–Milanković Theory of Ice Ages.

Recommended Reading.

3 Global Warming Versus Returning Glaciers.

Infrared Radiation and Absolute Temperature.

Greenhouse Gases and Global Warming: Fourier, Tyndall, and Arrhenius.

CO₂ and Methane.

The Big Picture.

Recommended Reading.

4 Earth’s Fossil Fuel Supply.

Limits of Fossil Fuels.

Coal.

Natural Gas.

Hydrated Natural Gas.

Oil.

Sequestration of CO₂.

CO₂ Level Calculations.

The Unending Carbon Cycle.

Recommended Reading.

5 Nuclear Power.

Origin of Fuel for Nuclear Fission.

The Energy in Nuclear Fuel.

Nuclear Energy.

Isotopes.

Limits of Nuclear Fuel.

The Basics of Nuclear Fission.

Evolution of Nuclear Reactors.

Present-day Nuclear Reactors and Power Plants.

Used Fuel Rods.

Radiation, Radioactivity, and Health.

Natural Radiation and Radioactive Waste.

Disposal and Storage of Nuclear Waste.

Recommended Reading.

Part II: Answers

Introduction.

6 Solar Energy.

Using Solar Energy.

Development of Solar Cells.

How Solar Cells Work.

Multiple-layer Solar Cells.

Solar Concentrators and Solar Thermal Systems.

Solar Ponds.

Solar-powered Air Conditioning.

Solar Updraft Towers.

Solar Power Towers.

Other Thoughts and Possibilities.

Recommended Reading.

7 Wind, Waves, and Tides.

Wind.

Characteristics and Limits of Wind Machines.

Tides.

Newton, the Moon, and the Tides.

Harnessing Tidal Power.

Usable Tidal Energy.

Tidal Currents.

Waves.

Recommended Reading.

8 Going with the Flow: Water, Dams, and Hydropower.

Basics of Hydroelectric Power.

Water Turbines.

Hydropower Problems.

Hydropower Schemes.

Dam-less Hydropower: Evaporation Schemes.

Dam-less Hydropower: Flowing Water.

Recommended Reading.

9 Geothermal Energy: Energy from the Earth Itself.

Geothermal Energy.

The Structure of the Earth.

Carnot’s Unbreachable Thermodynamic Limit.

Using Water and Soil in Heating and Cooling Systems.

Recommended Reading.

10 Efficiency, Conservation, and Hybrid Cars.

Efficiency of Fossil Fuel and Nuclear Power Plants.

Cars, Trucks, Trains, Ships, and Planes.

Conservation.

Recommended Reading.

11 Energy Storage: Macro to Micro.

Pumped Hydropower.

Compressed Air.

Batteries.

Flywheels.

Capacitors and Dielectrics.

Inductors: Storing Energy with Magnetic Fields.

Recommended Reading.

12 Green Fuel: Biodiesel, Alcohol, and Biomass.

Biodiesel.

Recommended Reading.

Part III: Dreams.

Introduction.

13 Breeding Nuclear Fuel.

Fast Breeder Reactors.

Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project.

Thermal Breeder Reactors.

Breeder Technology Today and Tomorrow.

Recommended Reading.

14 Nuclear Fusion: Engine of the Sun.

Cold Fusion versus Cool Fusion versus Hot Fusion.

Making Fusion Happen.

ITER, Tokamaks, Magnetic Fields, and Fusion.

The Combined Fusion–Breeding–Fission Process.

Inertial Confinement Fusion.

Accelerator Fusion.

Fusion of Helium-3 and Deuterium.

Lunar Resources of Helium-3.

Recommended Reading.

15 Power from the Ocean: Thermal and Salinity Gradients.

Electric Power from Ocean Thermal Gradients.

Electric Power from Ocean Salinity Gradients.

Recommended Reading.

16 Fuel Cells: Hydrogen, Alcohol, and Coal.

Fuel Cells and Hydrogen.

Fuel Cell Efficiency.

Fuel Cells and Cars.

Storing Hydrogen.

Producing Hydrogen.

Technologies for Hydrogen Production.

Fuel Cells and Coal.

Fuel Cells and Alcohol.

What Happens Now?

Recommended Reading.

17 Magnetohydrodynamics and Power Plants.

Faraday Induction and the Hall Effect.

Benefits of MHD Power Generation.

Recommended Reading.

18 Thermionics and the Single Fuel Home.

How a Thermionic Converter Works.

Engineering Thermionic Systems.

Recommended Reading.

19 Artificial Photosynthesis and Water Splitting.

Plant Chemistry.

Artificial Photosynthesis and Water Splitting.

Recommended Reading.

20 Planetary Engineering and Terraforming.

Changing Earth’s Albedo: Atmospheric Aerosols.

Tinkering with Planet Earth.

Parasols, Artificial Sunspots, Space Mirrors, Solar Sails, and Space Dust.

White Roads, Reflecting Roofs, and Shiny Balloons.

Back to Clouds Again.

Feeding Algae.

Terraforming Mars (and Maybe Venus).

What Can Be Done?

Recommended Reading.

21 Space Solar Power: Energy and the Final Frontier.

Lagrange and His Famous Points.

Geosynchronous Orbits and Solar Sails.

Beamed-power Microwave Transmission.

Space Elevators.

Electromagnetic Launching.

Recommended Reading.

Part IV: Nightmares.

Introduction.

22 Alternative Futures.

Epilogue: ORBITuary.

Credits.

Appendix I- Units for Energy and Power 241

Appendix II-   Radiation Units.

Index.