Includes index.

Introduction -- About this book -- Conventions used in this book -- What you're not to read -- Foolish assumptions -- How this book is organized -- Part 1: Basic Facts Of Energy Life -- Part 2: Digging Deeper Into The Current State Of Affairs -- Part 3: Alternatives-Buildings -- Part 4: Alternatives-transportation -- Part 5: Part Of Tens -- Icons used in this book -- Where to go from here -- Part 1: Basic Facts Of Energy Life -- Chapter 1: What a mess! -- Understanding where society is and how it got here -- Historical trends of energy use -- Energy use today -- Looking ahead to more energy use and waste -- Putting society over a (oil) barrel: problems in the current system -- Overreliance on fossil fuels -- Declining supplies -- Getting better at finding and using fossil fuels -- Rising to the challenge: balancing fossil fuel use with appropriate alternatives -- Looking at the local impact -- Adding up the alternatives -- Evaluating the alternatives -- Chapter 2: What energy is and how it's used (politically and practically) -- Defining energy: grab your hats, folks -- Life itself is energy -- Energy is order -- From simple to complex: Evolution of energy -- Trying to tap into and refine an infinite energy supply -- Refining ordered energy -- Bridging the gap between policy and pollution -- Getting energy leads to energy consumption -- Reshaping energy policy to include alternatives -- Political posturing over energy policy -- What America's policy needs -- Argument for alternatives -- Looking at alternative, renewable, and sustainable energy sources -- Chapter 3: Putting together each piece of the energy puzzle -- Wrapping your mind around the metrics of energy -- Understanding energy versus power -- Common measurements -- Energy and volume density measurements -- Types of efficiencies -- Fundamental laws governing energy consumption -- First law of thermodynamics -- Second law of thermodynamics -- Carnot's law -- Understanding electrical energy -- Short primer on electricity -- Producing electrical power efficiently and safely -- Tracking the real cost of power -- Raw fuel costs -- Looking at conversion costs -- Capital equipment costs -- Energy utilization -- Putting it together in practical terms -- Part 2: Digging Deeper Into The Current State Of Affairs -- Chapter 4: Developing a snapshot of fossil fuel use and availability -- Quick look at fuels from the fossil fuel era and beyond -- Evolution of energy use -- Petroleum products -- Natural gas -- Coal -- Nuclear -- Hydropower (dams) -- Biomass (firewood and other natural sources) -- Geothermal -- Wind -- Solar -- Electricity -- Energy consumption trends -- Global energy consumption and use -- Energy consumption in growing economies -- Energy consumption in the US -- Looking at current availability and cost -- Global availability of fossil fuels -- US and fossil fuels -- Real cost of fuel -- Chapter 5: Burning up with conventional energy sources -- Combustion processes -- Hydrogen and carbon content in fossil fuels -- Efficiency limitations of fossil fuels -- Common combustion sources -- Coal -- Crude oil -- Natural gas -- Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) -- Home heating oil -- Wood -- Processing raw fuel into useable power -- Converting energy for heating -- Powering engines for transportation -- Utility scale power plants -- Chapter 6: First alternative-energy sources: efficiency and conservation -- Efficiency consumption, and the energy market -- Efficiency increase demand -- Prices increases and decreased energy use -- Big-picture strategies for reducing energy consumption -- Dealing with peak-demand problems -- Dealing with urban sprawl -- Promoting green communities -- Making transportation more efficient -- Efficiency and conservation changes you can make in the home -- Seal and insulate your home -- Tune up your heating and air-conditioning system -- Use efficient bulbs -- Reduce water consumption -- Use appliances more sensibly -- Exploit sunlight -- Use ventilation, fans and air filters -- Chapter 7: Understanding the demand for alternatives -- Environmental primer -- Global warming -- Increasing carbon dioxide levels -- Understanding the impacts of global warming -- Combating global warming -- Other pollution problems -- Smog -- Acid rain -- Increasing demand and dwindling supplies -- Political movements and political ramifications -- Greens -- Practical political advantages of alternative energy -- Final thought on fossil fuel use -- Part 3: Alternatives- Buildings -- Chapter 8: Going nuclear -- Getting to where we are now -- Nuclear power: the early years -- Protects and accidents in the 60s and 70s -- Situation today -- Fundamentals of nuclear power -- Atoms -- Isotopes -- Atomic weight -- Ions -- Nuclear power today: Fission -- How nuclear reactors work -- Radioactive decay -- Nuclear waste -- Uranium mining -- Design of today's reactors -- Hydrogen fusion: Nuclear power of the future -- Process at a glance -- Advantages and disadvantages of fusion -- Issues impacting the move toward nuclear energy -- Fear factor -- Economics of nuclear power -- Chapter 9: Harnessing the sun with solar power -- Turning sunlight into energy: the basics of solar technology -- Understanding light -- PV cell: generating electricity from sunlight -- Current and future efficiency ratings of solar panels -- Challenges facing solar power -- Technological limitations -- Weather and temperature considerations -- Variability of sunlight -- Getting enough power -- Economics of solar power -- Dollars and sense of solar power -- Looking at solar adoption, sector by sector -- Looking at infrastructure -- Comparing cost: Solar versus fossil fuels -- Economics of net metering -- Government incentives for solar power -- Federal tax credits -- State incentive programs -- Arguments against subsidies and tax breaks -- Looking at the full range of practical solar options -- Passive solar -- Solar PV -- Solar hot water systems -- Solar water purification systems -- Utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants -- Large-scale solar condenser power generators -- Future prognosis of PV -- Financing through utility companies -- Leasing schemes -- Buying into solar farms -- Mandating and amortizing -- Chapter 10: Treading water with hydropower -- Hydropower story -- Hydropower history -- Global trends -- Quick look at hydropower systems -- Impoundment systems -the big kahuna -- Advantages of impoundment systems -- Environmental impacts of impoundment dams -- Impound advantages over diversion and run-of-river systems -- Small-scale hydropower generators -- Good and bad of small-scale systems -- Choosing to use small-scale hydropower -- Oceanic energy sources -- Tidal power generators -- Wave power generators -- Chapter 11: Blowing away with wind power -- Back story of wind power -- Growing markets for wind energy -- Wind markets at a glance -- Economics of wind power -- Tracking wind power around the world -- Wind farms: Utility scale electrical production -- Large-scale wind power technology -- Picking the right spot -- Pitch of the blades -- Other things to know about wind farms -- Small-scale wind power -- Stand-alone systems -- Intertie systems -- Advantages and disadvantages of small-scale wind power --

Chapter 12: Digging into geothermal -- Geothermal energy basics -- Where you an find geothermal energy -- Geothermal uses -- Economics of geothermal energy -- Creating electrical power with geothermal sources -- Types of electricity-generating systems -- Things to know about geothermal power plants -- Using geothermal energy directly: Heat pumps -- What direct-source systems need -- How heat pumps work -- Types of heat pumps -- Efficiency of heat pumps -- Advantage of heat pumps -- Chapter 13: Exploring biomass -- Biomass basics -- Biomass uses -- Converting waste to energy -- Growing energy: fuel crops -- Benefits of biomass -- Looking at the future of biomass -- Large-scale biomass power -- Process of turning biomass into power -- Advantages and disadvantages of biomass power plants -- Biomass fuels -- Ethanol -- Biodiesel -- Small-scale biomass for the masses -- Getting the lowdown on biomass stoves -- Choosing a fuel -- Chapter 14: Burning wood -- What the blazes! Cleaner and more efficient ways to burn wood -- Increasing demand, improving economics -- Improving efficiencies -- Open fireplaces: Cozy and costly -- Wood-burning stoves: Efficient alternative to fireplaces -- Comparing open-and closed-vent systems -- Free-standing stoves and inserts -- Types of wood stoves -- Important points about burning wood efficiently -- Enhancing efficiency by burning the right wood -- Avoiding problems by burning the wood right -- Maintaining a wood stove -- Getting the hot air where you want it -- Stove safety guidelines -- Ensure proper installation and venting -- Bring an existing chimney up to date -- Follow manufacturer's instructions -- Chapter 15: Hydrogen fuel cell Technologies -- Basics of hydrogen technology -- Sources of hydrogen -- Extracting hydrogen -- How a fuel cell works -- Practical and pie-in-the-sky applications -- Fuel cell-powered vehicles -- Small-scale fuel cell electric power -- Hydrogen-powered home of the future -- Future of fuel cells -- Part 4: Alternatives - Transportation -- Chapter 16: Alternative transport technologies -- Turning the pages of alternative vehicle history -- Glory days of steam -- Electric-powered vehicles -- Hybrids enter the scene -- Evolving from mechanical to electrical -- Watching the rise of silicon -- Decreasing demand for mechanical controls -- Getting efficient: Same power, less weight -- Recognizing the car of the future -- Coming full circle-and back to electric -- Chapter 17: Alternative-fuel vehicles -- Natural gas in the tank -- Advantages to natural gas -- Producing natural gas -- Natural gas vehicles -- Flex fuels for vehicles -- Sources of ethanol -- Producing ethanol -- Flex fuel vehicles -- Clean diesel and biodiesel vehicles -- Diesel then and now -- Clean diesel engines -- Biodiesel -- Clean diesel and biodiesel engines -- Chapter 18: Plugging in: Electric vehicles -- Drive down memory lane -- Early electric cars, circa 1900 -- Modern electric vehicles: 1960s to today -- Basic operation of an electric vehicle -- Batteries -- Lead-acid cell battery -- Nickel-based batteries -- Practical concerns of electric cars -- Performance -- Service and maintenance -- Battery charging and replacement -- Environmental impact -- Electric car safety -- Economics of electric cars -- Chapter 19: Hybrid-electric vehicles -- History of hybrids -- Witnessing the fall of hybrid hoopla -- Watching hybrid research pick up -- First modern hybrids -- Gaining popularity -- Two key hybrid features -- Onboard ICE and battery combo -- Regenerative braking -- Hybrid technologies: Series and parallel -- Series design hybrid vehicles -- Parallel design hybrids -- Driving and owning a hybrid -- Performance and handling -- Maintenance -- Environmental impacts -- Economics of hybrids -- Buggaboos and boogeymen: Unwarranted fears -- Chapter 20: Hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles -- Fuel cell fundamentals and challenges -- Dealing with hydrogen -- High cost -- Benefits of hydrogen and fuel cells -- Hydrogen-powered vehicles -- Hydrogen fuel vehicles -- Fuel cell vehicles -- Hydrogen future -- Chapter 21: Exotic propulsion systems -- Supercapacitors -- Solar-powered vehicles -- Flywheels -- Hydraulic accumulators -- Magnetic levitation trains -- Using magnets -- Bullet trains -- Nuclear-powered ships -- Efficiency and environmental impact -- Performance and maintenance -- Safety issues -- Part 5: Part Of Tens -- Chapter 22: Ten or so myths about energy -- World is doomed to a gloomy future -- We can legislate our way out of the mess -- Electric car was deliberately killed -- Conservation and efficiency can save the world -- There's an energy shortage -- Nuclear power plants are ticking time bombs -- Electric cars will displace all others -- Anything labeled "green" is green -- Waste is bad -- Solar power can provide all our electrical needs -- Burning wood is bad for the environment -- If global warming isn't our fault, we're off the hook -- Chapter 23: Ten-plus ways to invest in an alternative-energy future -- Performing an energy audit of your home or business. -- Installing a new stove -- Using solar -- Using biofuels to power your car -- Driving a hybrid -- Installing a geothermal heating and cooling system in your home -- Driving with diesel (without the stink) -- Installing a windmill in you own backyard -- Moving into a smaller, energy-efficient home -- Living in an urban environment -- Investing in energy stocks -- Driving less -- Index.

From the Publisher: Get the truth about alternative energy and make it part of your life. Want to utilize cleaner, greener types of energy? This plain-English guide clearly explains the popular forms of alternative energy that you can use in your home, your car, and more. Separating myth from fact, this resource explores the current fossil fuel conundrum, the benefits of alternatives, and the energy of the future, such as hydrogen and fuel cell technology. The ABCs of alternative energy-what it is, how it works, and what the real costs are. Where we are now-learn where our current energy comes from and how much longer it will last. Take the first step-see how energy efficiency and conservation can reduce your reliance on fossil fuels. Grasp the alternatives-from nuclear power to geothermal energy to wood burning, understand the benefits that alternative energy can have on the nation. Apply alternative fuels to transportation-from biofuels to exotic propulsion to electricity, see how they are best used and how hybrid, all-electric, and fuel cell-powered vehicles work. Get a peek into the future-see what the outlook holds for each form of alternative energy discussed. Open the book and find: The pros and cons of alternative energy - A review of the current world energy economy - The problems with fossil fuels, from smog to global warming - Advantages of alternative energy - Practical results of alternatives you can use in daily life - Guidelines for investing in alternative energy vehicles - Ten ways you can bring about change right now - Insight into the future of energy production - and how you can invest in it.