{"id":1249,"date":"2016-02-17T20:25:28","date_gmt":"2016-02-17T09:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/?p=1249"},"modified":"2016-02-17T20:47:15","modified_gmt":"2016-02-17T09:47:15","slug":"renewable-energy-resources-3e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/?p=1249","title":{"rendered":"Renewable Energy Resources. 3e."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"twidell\"<\/a>Rating:<\/strong> \"★\"\"★\"\"★\"\"★\"\"☆\"<\/p>\n

John Twidell and Tony Weir. 2015. Renewable Energy Resources. 3e. Routledge. ISBN 978 0 415 58438 8<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is undeniable that renewable energy resources are slowly making inroads into our energy supplies. Housing with solar panels added is now commonplace and the sight of wind generators across large parts of Europe and the North Sea is testimony to the spread of such ideas. Despite this there is still a long way to go, not just in looking at the technologies but actually addressing the concept of renewable energy and what it implies for our build environment. It would seem that the technology behind such energy sources is in advance of its widespread use. The issues are not trivial: cost, effectiveness, impact, are all legitimate concerns and not often looked at head on.<\/p>\n

To make some sense of this issue, we need a text that goes into depth about the topic. Given that this particular book has made it through to 3 editions in the last 30 years, there is an expectation that it delivers!<\/p>\n

The opening chapter sets the scene not on the physics of energy but on the social and economic issues surrounding this technology. There is an acceptance that this form has inherent advantages and disadvantages and that the best way forward is to analyse and evaluate. There is far more to this than just putting a photovoltaic panel on a roof. What does the energy supply chain look like, how efficient is it (or does it need to be), what are the security matters raised? The questions raised are pertinent because energy is not produced in a vacuum but it is part of the social and political choices that we make. This chapter is an excellent introduction, often mentioning aspects not covered in other texts. It could usefully have been far more detailed, but the reader gets the message.<\/p>\n

Renewable energy is, essentially, a product of solar radiation and before we can reasonably judge different systems we need to know what aspects they need to overcome. By looking at solar radiation and the energy balance, we get an insight into the potential for any given technology at the earth’s surface. These two opening chapters set the scene by providing the basic parameters any system needs to work within. From this point, the book moves through the considerable range of renewable options, starting with solar water heating and then moving to other solar technologies. The list is extensive and no major form has been left out.<\/p>\n

For the remaining key sources, the authors take a two-pronged approach. There is a chapter outlining the environmental characteristic or feature followed by the energy uses stemming from it. Thus we have a description of global winds, wind characteristics and, in this case, wind measurement, followed by a chapter on wind energy systems. The next pair consider biomass with a similar theme but looking at R&D rather than measurement before their investigation of biofuels. Wave systems precede tidal energy and ocean thermal gradients. Geothermal energy stands is a single chapter. The focus from this point changes once again to look at the practical issues surrounding energy distribution, including storage, and efficiency. A final chapter considers the institutional issues at play in the energy scene.<\/p>\n

The text is completed by three chapters (“reviews”) looking at forms of electrical power, fluid dynamics, heat transfer and solid-state physics.<\/p>\n

Overall, this is a very impressive text which has clearly kept pace with developments in the field but it also offers a great deal more. The text has a considerable slant towards quantitative data and analysis and as such would be at home in engineering or physics classes as much as environmental ones. In this case, a considerable background knowledge would be essential. Although these parts are important to the text they do not stop the non-specialist from gaining much information. Chapters are supplied with questions to aid understanding and explore issues, comprehensive bibliographies and numerous examples, many of which could be used in a range of subjects e.g. Three Gorges Dam. Its value to environmental educators lies very much in its mathematical and engineering approach. The topics are presented as they are without any of the commentary and implied understanding that you might find in a text aimed at ecologists. It deals with the topics it states and leaves much of the peripheral argument out of the discussion. Having said that, the inclusion of so much in terms of sustainability, energy use, distribution and social impacts makes it an incredibly useful text for anyone trying to get a strong perspective on the subject.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rating: John Twidell and Tony Weir. 2015. Renewable Energy Resources. 3e. Routledge. ISBN 978 0 415 58438 8 It is undeniable that renewable energy resources are slowly making inroads into our energy supplies. Housing with solar panels added is now commonplace and the sight of wind generators across large parts of Europe and the North Sea is testimony to the spread of such ideas. Despite this there is still a long way to go, not just in looking at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1249"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1249"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1250,"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1249\/revisions\/1250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ecogeog.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}