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- Herausgeber: Crowood
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013
Every day there are news reports that highlight spiralling energy costs, accelerating energy consumption, serious concerns over fuel security and fears that oil production may soon decline. All such reports are set against a background of the most serious threat to the world today - global warming and the devastating impact of climate change.This informative and wide-ranging book, written by an acknowledged expert, demonstrates how renewable energy technologies can help meet CO2 reduction targets. The author emphasizes that we need to use these technologies on a much wider scale to produce heat and electricity, and argues that if action is taken immediately it could make an enormous difference. He demonstrates how by installing a renewable energy technology in your home, you will be taking a step towards reducing your carbon footprint and ultimately you will be helping to save the planet. Now in a fully updated edition, this invaluable and well-illustrated book reviews the range of currently available renewable technologies that can provide energy as heat and electricity for our homes, businesses and industry, and also save harmful emissions, energy and money.The technologies are: Solar energy using solar panels for hot water and electricity; Heat pumps, which take heat from the ground for homes and buildings; Biomass fuels such as wood and waste, and even specially grown crops; Wind power, which can provide us with significant amounts of electricity in the decades ahead; Hydroelectricity where suitable rivers and streams are available; The potential of emerging technologies such as geothermal, wave and tidal power. An invaluable and informative book that demonstrates how renewable energy technologies can help meet CO2 reduction targets. Installing a renewable energy technology in your home will be a step towards reducing your carbon footprint. Reviews the currently available renewable technologies tht can provide energy for home, businesses and industry. Superbly illustrated with 78 colour photographs and 20 diagrams. Andy McCrea is a Chartered Engineer and was awarded an MBE for services to the electricity industry in 2004.
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Copyright
First published in 2008 by The Crowood Press Ltd, Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 2HR
www.crowood.com
Revised edition 2013
This e-book edition first published in 2013
© Andy McCrea 2008 and 2013
All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
ISBN 978 1 84797 544 7
Disclaimer The author and publisher do not accept responsibility, in any manner whatsoever, for any error, or omission, nor any loss, damage, injury, adverse outcome or liability of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any of the information contained in this book, or reliance upon it. Readers are advised to seek specific professional advice relating to their particular house, project and circumstances before embarking on any building or installation work.
Contents
Foreword
Renewable energy markets have some big drivers behind them these days. Firstly, more and more people are suspecting that there isn’t as much oil and gas left as we are being told. This problem has become known as ‘peak oil’. Crudely speaking, this is the time when all the oil discovered, and to be discovered, is half gone: the time when oil supply stops growing, starts becoming increasingly unaffordable, and sets us on the road to a world where only the super-rich can afford to drive and fly.
Faced with this possibility, some want to turn to the Canadian tar sands and to coal. In Canada, there is a lot of tar sand that, after much burning of gas to melt the tar, can be turned into oil. In other countries, there is plenty of coal and, after much emission of gas, that too can be turned into oil.
Oil companies are trying to turn themselves into tar and coal companies. This is a big mistake. To do this, they need to forget about a second mega-problem that is going to change our lives: global warming.
The thermostat of our planet is in danger of running out of control. The impacts of this global overheating are snowballing. Economies are being ruined (think of the Mexican floods in Tabasco province). Living systems are being decimated (think of coral bleaching). Lives are being turned on end (think of Hurricane Katrina, the Australian drought, and so on). Much worse is to come unless we change.
In 1939, when Winston Churchill said ‘we are entering a time of consequences’, he wasn’t kidding. The British face the same magnitude of threats now as we did then. Invasion, of a kind. Ruin, just as bad as bombing. Not just the Brits. Everyone.
We all have to mobilize as though for world war, just as in 1939. Then – in a big hurry – we made bombers, fighters and tanks faster than you would have believed possible. But in the war we’ve got to fight today, we need different weapons.
First, we need energy conservation of all kinds. Second, we need energy efficiency of all kinds. Third, we need renewable energy of all kinds.
This imperative is what makes books like Andy’s so important. We need people to have faith that renewables can deliver, if we just but give them a chance. By marrying renewable energy with energy conservation and efficiency in our homes, office and factories we stand a chance. Without making these changes we really don’t … and time is running out.
Jeremy Leggett, Executive Chairman, Solarcentury
DEDICATION
To my children, John and Suzanne, and the future generations who will live in the energy-hungry world of the future.
To my wife, Shirley, without whom this would not have been possible.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks are due to my many colleagues and the organizations, too many to mention individually, who offered and provided information and images used throughout this book. The captions associated with the images and figures give the name/type of the product/system/service and the name of the company that manufactures/supplies or operates it, where appropriate.
The depiction of, and reference to, specific products/system/services should not be taken as endorsement of them and no responsibility can be accepted for the subsequent use of such.
Acknowledgements are also made, where relevant, to other sources from which images and information may have been adapted or taken. Details of the relevant organizations, contacts and companies are given in the Useful Information section at the end of each chapter.
