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The first systematic, quantitative appraisal of power density, offering detailed reviews of power densities of renewable energy flows, fossil fuels, and all common energy uses.
«There's no author whose books I look forward to more than Vaclav Smil.» —Bill Gates
In this book, Vaclav Smil argues that power density is a key determinant of the nature and dynamics of energy systems. Any understanding of complex energy systems must rely on quantitative measures of many fundamental variables. Power density — the rate of energy flux per unit of area — is an important but largely overlooked measure. Smil provides the first systematic, quantitative appraisal of power density, offering detailed reviews of the power densities of renewable energy flows, fossil fuels, thermal electricity generation, and all common energy uses.
Smil shows that careful quantification, critical appraisals, and revealing comparisons of power densities make possible a deeper understanding of the ways we harness, convert, and use energies. Conscientious assessment of power densities, he argues, proves particularly revealing when contrasting the fossil fuel – based energy system with renewable energy conversions.
Smil explains that modern civilization has evolved as a direct expression of the high power densities of fossil fuel extraction. He argues that our inevitable (and desirable) move to new energy arrangements involving conversions of lower-density renewable energy sources will require our society — currently dominated by megacities and concentrated industrial production — to undergo a profound spatial restructuring of its energy system.
How Power Density Matters
Quantitative Keys to Understanding Energy
Power of Rates
Power Density: Sorting Out the Rates
Typology and Caveats
Renewable Energy Flows
Solar Radiation and Its Conversions to Heat and Electricity
Wind and Wind-Generated Electricity
Water Power and Hydro Generation
Phytomass for Traditional and Modern Uses
Geothermal Energy
Fossil Fuels
Coal Extraction, Preparation, and Transport
Crude Oils, Refining, and Long-Distance Deliveries
Natural Gas, Pipelines, and Liquefied Natural Gas
Thermal Electricity Generation
Coal-Fired Power Plants
Hydrocarbons in Electricity Generation
Nuclear Generation
Transmission
Energy Uses
A Brief Historical Perspective
Hierarchy of Modern Energy Uses
The Challenges of Heat Rejection
Making Sense of Power Densities
Recapitulations
Comparisons
Aggregate Land Claims
Energy Transitions
Biofuels
Wind and Solar Electricity
What It Would Take
Appendix
References