Energy and the Environment E-Book

Robert A. Ristinen

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 721

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Energy and the Environment

Examine the tension between energy production and consumption and environmental conservation with the latest edition of this widely read text

In the newly revised Fourth Edition of Energy and the Environment, the authors deliver an insightful and expanded discussion on the central topics regarding the interaction between energy production, consumption, and environmental stewardship. The book explores every major form of energy technology, including fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear power, wrapping up with chapters on how energy usage affects our atmosphere, and the resulting global effects.

The latest edition includes new figures and tables that reflect the most recent numbers on conventional and renewable energy production and consumption. The history and current status of relevant U.S. and international governmental energy legislation is discussed along with the text. Readers will also find:

• A thorough introduction to the fundamentals of energy and energy use in industrial societies, including the forms of energy, scientific notation, and the principle of energy conservation
• A comprehensive exploration of fossil fuels, including petroleum, coal, and natural gas, along with their history, world production, and remaining future resources
• Discussion of the pros and cons of nuclear power, it’s rise in China, and it’s fall elsewhere, and a history of power plant accidents
• A practical discussion of heat engines, including their thermodynamics, energy content of fuels, and heat pumps and engines
• In-depth examinations of new innovations and rapidly increasing use of renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass energy, along with updates on battery technology and alternative energy storage techniques
• Detailed discussions of the atmospheric effects of our energy usage on scales both local and global; reports from the International Panel on Climate Change; the carbon budget, carbon capture and storage, and geoengineering

Perfect for either graduate or upper-level undergraduate students of physics, environmental science, and engineering, Energy and the Environment is also an indispensable resource for anyone professionally or personally interested in climate change, energy policy, and energy conservation.

Leseprobe

Representation of the vast difference in time between our rapid use of fossil fuels and their early formation.

Source: Adapted from Wilson and Jones, Energy, Ecology, and the Environment. New York: Academic Press, copyright © 1974. Reprinted by permission.

Energy and the Environment

Fourth Edition

Robert A. Ristinen†

University of Colorado–Boulder

Jack J. Kraushaar†

University of Colorado–Boulder

Jeffrey T. Brack

Colorado State University–Fort Collins

This edition first published 2022© 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Edition History1st edition (9780471172482) 1999, by Robert A. Ristinen and Jack J. Kraushaar2nd edition (9780471739890) 2006, by Robert A. Ristinen and Jack J. Kraushaar 3rd edition (9781119239581) 2016, by Robert A. Ristinen, Jack J. Kraushaar and Jeffrey T. Brack

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The right of Robert A. Ristinen†, Jack J. Kraushaar† and Jeffrey T. Brack to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with law.

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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data

Names: Ristinen, Robert A., author. | Kraushaar, Jack J., author. | Brack, Jeffrey T.Title: Energy and the environment / Robert A. Ristinen, Jack J. Kraushaar, Jeffrey T. Brack.Description: 4th edition. | Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and index.Identifiers: LCCN 2021034355 (print) | LCCN 2021034356 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119800255 (hardback) | ISBN 9781119800262 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119800279 (epub)Subjects: LCSH: Power resources--United States. | Pollution--United States.Classification: LCC TJ163.25.U6 R57 2022 (print) | LCC TJ163.25.U6 (ebook) | DDC 333.79–dc23LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021034355LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021034356

Cover image: © NASA’s Earth ObservatoryCover design by Wiley

Preface

In the year 1973, the term “energy” became common in households throughout the United States. At that time, an energy crisis suddenly fell upon the country, and for some time, it was not unusual for motorists to spend hours waiting in line to obtain gasoline at a filling station. Customers were sometimes limited to a five‐gallon purchase. The speed limit on all highways throughout the nation was reduced to 55 miles per hour, and it stayed that way for 15 years. Decorative lighting was markedly reduced during the holiday season as an energy‐saving measure.

The experience of 1973 gave immediate significance to energy for a wide audience. Much has happened since that energy crisis. Gasoline is now widely available, as is electrical energy. However, the problems of energy are complex and go far beyond questions of the immediate availability of motor fuel. These issues affect the entire world and the problems are becoming more severe with the passage of time. While technological advances have vastly increased our reserves of fossil fuel, scientists now overwhelmingly agree that the majority of those reserves must remain in the ground if we are to preserve our environment, even as the citizens of developing countries aspire to share more fully in the use of the world's energy resources.

The topics of energy and the environment are obviously crucial to all of us, and effective policies at all levels of government depend on an informed citizenry. Energy and the Environment was created from experience the authors have had in teaching such courses starting more than 40 years ago at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

The field is changing rapidly, and the step from one decade to the next can be a long one. We continually see new developments in every aspect, from fossil fuels to alternatives, from hydrogen to hybrids to electric. Our major environmental problem, climate change, has become an issue of broad concern, and there are now serious efforts to seek means of mitigation. In this fourth edition, we have included recent statistical information on fossil fuel reserves and consumption, updates on alternative modes of energy production, as well as new data on atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate change.

Energy and the Environment deals with the core subjects of energy and the environment. With respect to energy, we have tried to cover the basic concepts, resources, applications, and problems of current interest. With respect to the environment, we have included most of the major concerns; unfortunately, because of space limitations, we have had to omit some areas such as water resources and pollution. When the problems covered in this book are examined together, it is seen that many, but not all, of our environmental problems have their origin in our quest for abundant and inexpensive energy.

The web‐based material now available on this field is voluminous. With cautious judgment on the part of the reader, these sites can provide abundant, authoritative, and up‐to‐date information. We have made frequent use of numerous websites, including those of the United States Energy Information Administration, The World Energy Council, The Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and many others, which we have tried to cite when information from those sites is used. In addition, at the end of each chapter we have added many new web‐based references to some that have been carried over from the previous editions.

Energy and the Environment is intended for students having little or no background in science or mathematics. Some elementary calculations are included in the subject matter, but these calculations do not involve mathematics beyond introductory algebra, and this is introduced along with the material under discussion.

In this fourth edition, we recognize that many of the troubling issues that have been so apparent for more than 40 years continue on their course. The world of energy production and consumption has changed considerably since the release of the last update to the previous third edition. Just becoming aparent then were the production rises in oil and natural gas, and the decline of coal. The upswing in generation from wind and solar sources was also just beginning. Some of these changes are due to new technologies, but rising concern of global climate change is driving governmental regulation that will determine the use of these technologies in the future.

Predictions of peak oil and dwindling reserves by Hubbert and Edward and others, which stood the test of time for decades, have now become relics of the last century. The concerns have switched from worrying about whether the supplies will run out in the near future to how much of our vast quantities of fossil fuels must remain in the ground forever. The severity of the climate situation could be seen from afar in the 1980s, when the earliest editions of this book were being prepared. But it was then a more remote observation compared to the urgency of the situation today, as reflected in modifications to Chapters 9 and 10, and elsewhere throughout this edition.

The focus of this book remains on the realities of energy production and consumption – the numbers and hard facts – but changes in everyday climate observations surrounding us are obvious and undeniable: our intensive energy use causes drought, extreme heat, record hurricane and wildfire seasons, rising oceans, and much more. These issues increasingly creep into the storyline of this book.

In 2020, as this edition is being prepared, these complexities of the world of energy production and consumption are compounded by the effects of Covid‐19 and, in the US, by the transition from a fossil‐fuel friendly Trump administration to a climate‐change aware Biden administration. There are large incertainties in how long the effects of Covid‐19 will persist, and how the recovery will affect the fossil‐renewable energy balance evolution.

To extend a comment put forth by Aldo Leopold many years ago, it is our hope that this text will help to bring its readers beyond thinking that “heat comes from the furnace, food comes from the store, water comes from the faucet, gasoline comes from the filling station, truth comes from the experts.”

Many of the words above and in the following text were written by my colleagues, friends, and co‐authors Jack Kraushaar and Robert Ristinen. Jack passed away in 2013 during the preparation of the third edition. Bob passed away in 2021, during the final stages of preparation of this fourth edition. This series of textbooks grew out of their insights and enthusiasm for the material presented here. Their camaraderie and assistance in preparation of future editions will be sorely missed.

Acknowledgment

Many people were of great help as we sought to obtain and organize material for the first edition of this text. In particular, we thank Dr. Robert Cohen for providing material on ocean energy, especially the subject of OTEC. The Colorado State Department of Health provided valuable information on air quality and pollution control measures. The National Center for Atmospheric Research made available useful information on global warming. In addition, Stacy Davis of Oak Ridge National Laboratory was helpful in providing data on transportation energy matters. Thomas Boden of Oak Ridge National Laboratory helped us obtain data on atmospheric carbon dioxide. We are grateful for this assistance.

In addition to the many people who provided help for the first edition, preparation of the second edition was assisted greatly by many others. In particular, we wish to thank Dr. J. Herring of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and Dr. D. Murphy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for technical information on global warming. We also thank Professor Kim Griest of the University of California, San Diego, for his helpful comments on several areas, Dr. Matthew Kohler for going over the entire text, John Katers of the the University of Wisconsin‐Green Bay, who reviewed the accuracy of the manuscript, and Richard Monson of the University of Colorado Facilities Management Department, who provided information on the CU cogeneration system.

Nearly, all of the material provided for earlier editions by those acknowledged above remains in this fourth edition, forming the basis for the updates here. Without their inputs, much of the historical perspective would be lacking from this discussion, and we are thankful for their early contributions.

Robert A. RistinenJack J. KraushaarJeffrey T. Brack

About the Companion Website

This book is accompanied by a companion website.

www.wiley.com/go/brack/energyandenvironment4thedition

This website includes:

Preparations and solutions for all chapters.