The dominant user of passenger transportation energy in most industrial countries is the light-duty road vehicle (passenger cars and light trucks). In 2004, of the 19.7 EJ of energy attributed to passenger transportation in the United States, 84% was consumed by light- duty vehicles. Most of the remainder was consumed by passenger air travel. In […]

For the purposes of this book, alternatives for energy systems are reduced to three fun­damental energy system endpoints, namely, fossil, nuclear, and renewable, each of which is marked by fundamental differences from the other two. The three endpoints are compared in Table 15-1 in terms of longevity, economic cost, and environmental cost. Note that transportation […]

7- 1 Overview Nuclear energy is the first of a number of energy sources to be discussed in this book that can deliver significant amounts of energy without emitting greenhouse gases, and without consuming finite fossil fuel resources. In the last two decades, the nuclear industry in many industrial countries suffered from the perception of […]

Nuclear energy is a unique energy source, in terms of both its fuel source and its by-products; it has therefore posed a number of interesting and challenging questions with which society has grappled for the last five decades. Nuclear energy is also a pioneer in terms of a large – scale attempt to use a […]

The preceding formulas consider only the case of a flat, horizontal surface. Next, we adapt the calculations for tilted surfaces that are common to many installations of solar collector arrays and photovoltaic panels. The global insolation on a surface tilted at an angle b is Figure 9-12 Plot of F(K-T). Here R, „ is the […]

There is an adage in the PV industry that “the first parts of the PV system that the customer should buy are the energy-efficient appliances that it will run.” From a cost-effectiveness standpoint, this saying holds true, since it is in general cheaper to upgrade appliances to a more efficient level than to add extra […]

Numerous rules of thumb exist to determine the best size of a solar collector system to meet expected heat needs. None can be applied widely because of differences of climate, heat need, cost, and system component characteristics. Expanding the method of analysis using the f-chart provides insight into the best system for specific, local conditions. […]

In the best known large or small turbine designs currently in use, the blades rotate in a vertical plane around a horizontal axis, so the design is given the name horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). However, it is not the only design option available. Wind engi­neers continue to be interested in the possibility of a […]