Renewable Energy: A Very Short Introduction

Energy is vital for a good standard of living, and much of the world's population does not have enough. Affordable and adequate sources of power that do not cause climate change or pollution are crucial; and renewables provide the answer. Wind and solar farms can now provide the cheapest electricity in many parts of the world. Moreover, they could provide all of the world's energy needs. But while market forces are fast helping the transition from fossil fuels to renewables, there are opposing pressures, such as the USA's proposed withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and the vested interests in fossil fuels. This Very Short Introduction describes the main renewable sources of energy--solar, wind, hydropower, and biomass--as well as the less well-developed ones--geothermal, tidal, and wave. Nick Jelley explains the challenges of integrating renewables into electricity grids, and the need for energy storage and for clean heat; and discusses the opportunities in developing countries for renewable energy to empower millions. He also considers international efforts and policies to support renewables and tackle climate change; and explains recent innovations in wind and solar energy production, battery storage, and in the emerging power-to-gas provision for clean heating.

About the Author :
Danny Campbell's regional acting credits include the Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Utah Shakespearean Festival, the Vermont Stage, Stage West, the Mint Theatre in New York City, and six years with the Independent Shakespeare Company in Los Angeles. His favorite roles include Falstaff, Bottom, Launce, and the Porter. He has appeared in CBS's The Guardian, the recent films A Pool, a Fool, and a Duel and Greater Than Gravity, and over twenty-five commercials. He is also a member of the adjunct faculty in the theatre arts department at Santa Monica College. An AudioFile Earphones Award winner, Danny has recently narrated the audiobook Once a Spy by Keith Thomson, and he read the part of David Foster Wallace in Mike Lipsky's Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself. Nick Jelley is an emeritus professor in the Department of Physics and a fellow of Lincoln College at the University of Oxford. His research was in nuclear and particle physics, and he published many papers in this field. He was a member of the Nobel Prize-winning SNO experiment, for which he was the UK group leader, and the recipient of two Institute of Physics prizes. More recently, he has carried out research on solar energy for use in the developing world. He gave lectures to Oxford physics undergraduates on Energy Studies from 2003-2014, and in 2012 a Science and Society public lecture on renewable energy at the University of Liverpool. His books include Energy Science and A Dictionary of Energy Science.