Summary

Solar energy and geothermal energy have a good deal in common. They are abundant and widely, if unevenly, distributed. They are also, for the most part, expensive to develop, and compared to more conventional sources of energy, relatively little power is produced from either one.

Solar and Geothermal Energy, Second Edition describes two of the least environmentally disruptive sources of power by which electricity is generated today. In addition to describing the nature of solar and geothermal energy and the processes by which these sources of energy can be harnessed, this accessible, newly updated resource details how they are used in practice to supply electricity to the power markets. In particular, students are introduced to the difference between base load and peak power and some of the practical differences between harnessing an intermittent energy source (solar) and a source that can work virtually continuously (geothermal). Each section also contains a discussion of some of the ways that governmental policies have been used to encourage the growth of these sectors of the energy markets.

Specifications

eBook

About the Author(s)

John Tabak, Ph.D., performed graduate work at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and received a degree in mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is the coauthor of two titles in Facts On File's Science and Technology in Focus set, and the author of the acclaimed The History of Mathematics set and Significant Gestures: A History of American Sign Language, a social and scientific history of one of North America's most unique languages.