The provision of sustainable energy supplies for an expanding and increasingly productive world is one of the major issues facing civilization today. Renewable Energy examines both the practical and economic potential of the renewable energy sources to meet this challenge. The underlying physical and technological principles behind deriving power from direct solar (solar thermal and photovoltaics), indirect solar (biomass, hydro, wind, and wave) and non-solar (tidal and geothermal) energy sources are explained, within the context of their environmental impacts, their economics, and their future prospects.

Together with its companion volume, Energy Systems, and Sustainability, this book provides both perspective and detail on the relative merits and state of progress of technologies for utilizing the various 'renewables'. The analysis considers emissions, sustainability, cost implications and energy security, as political and economic pressures move society towards a low-carbon future. From an overview of basic energy conversion processes, through a discussion of the individual renewable sources, to a concluding examination of the prospects for their integration into national and international networks, this book provides a valuable insight into prospects for the renewables. Online Resource Centre The Online Resource Centre to accompany Renewable Energy features: For students: Self-assessment questions. Links to further information and up-to-date energy statistics. For registered adopters of the book: · Figures from the book in electronic format.

FEATURES
Covers all principal sources of renewable energy currently being exploited
Uses an interdisciplinary approach in considering economic, social, environmental, and policy issues
Rich pedagogy including detailed color illustrations and tables of data
COMPANION WEBSITE (www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199545339)
For students: Self-assessment questions and links to further information and up-to-date energy statistics
For instructors: Figures from the book in electronic format (available to registered adopters of the book)


About the Author
Godfrey Boyle is Professor of Renewable Energy in The Open University's MCT Faculty. His main research interests are in solar and wind power, energy systems modelling, and energy policy, and he has chaired various Open University modules on renewable and sustainable energy. He is also a visiting professor at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) University in New Delhi, India, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and a Trustee of the UK National Energy Foundation.