The Power Makers - the producers of our electricity - must meet the demands of their customers while also addressing the threat of climate change. There are widely differing views about solutions to electricity generation in an emission constrained world. Some see the problem as relatively straight forward, requiring deep cuts in emissions now by improving energy efficiency, energy conservation and using only renewable resources. Many electricity industry engineers and scientists see the problem as being much more involved.

The Power Makers ’ Challenge: and the need for Fission Energy looks at why using only conventional renewable energy sources is not quite as simple as it seems. Following a general introduction to electricity and its distribution, the author quantifies the reductions needed in greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector in the face of ever increasing world demands for electricity. It provides some much needed background on the many energy sources available for producing electricity and discusses their advantages and limitations to meet both the emission reduction challenge and electricity demand.

By analyzing the three main groups of energy sources: renewable energy, fossil fuels and fission energy (nuclear power), readers can assess the ability of each group to meet the challenge of both reducing emissions and maintaining reliable supply at least cost. It is written for both non-technical and technical readers.

This book provides quantitative analysis of the advantages and limitations of the three main modes of electricity generation?nuclear, fossil and renewable?to enable an assessment of their potential for reducing emissions and maintaining electricity supply.

The Power Makers - the producers of our electricity - must meet the demands of their customers while also addressing the threat of climate change. There are widely differing views about solutions to electricity generation in an emission constrained world. Some see the problem as relatively straight forward, requiring deep cuts in emissions now by improving energy efficiency, energy conservation and using only renewable resources. Many electricity industry engineers and scientists see the problem as being much more involved.

The Power Makers ’ Challenge: and the need for Fission Energy looks at why using only conventional renewable energy sources is not quite as simple as it seems. Following a general introduction to electricity and its distribution, the author quantifies the reductions needed in greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector in the face of ever increasing world demands for electricity. It provides some much needed background on the many energy sources available for producing electricity and discusses their advantages and limitations to meet both the emission reduction challenge and electricity demand.

By analyzing the three main groups of energy sources: renewable energy, fossil fuels and fission energy (nuclear power), readers can assess the ability of each group to meet the challenge of both reducing emissions and maintaining reliable supply at least cost. It is written for both non-technical and technical readers.

New feature

The Power Makers - the producers of our electricity - must meet the demands of their customers while also addressing the threat of climate change. There are widely differing views about solutions to electricity generation in an emission constrained world. Some see the problem as relatively straight forward, requiring deep cuts in emissions now by improving energy efficiency, energy conservation and using only renewable resources. Many electricity industry engineers and scientists see the problem as being much more involved.

?

The Power Makers ’ Challenge: and the need for Fission Energy looks at why using only conventional renewable energy sources is not quite as simple as it seems. Following a general introduction to electricity and its distribution, the author quantifies the reductions needed in greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector in the face of ever increasing world demands for electricity. It provides some much needed background on the many energy sources available for producing electricity and discusses their advantages and limitations to meet both the emission reduction challenge and electricity demand.

?

By analyzing the three main groups of energy sources: renewable energy, fossil fuels and fission energy (nuclear power), readers can assess the ability of each group to meet the challenge of both reducing emissions and maintaining reliable supply at least cost. It is written for both non-technical and technical readers.

Part 1. About Electricity 1. What is Electricity? 2. Faraday's Miracle 3. Poles and Wires 4. The Balancing Act 5. Dollars and Cents 6. The Carbon Challenge Part. 2. Renewable Energy 7. Many Options 8. Nature's Curse 9. Nature's Saviors 10. Storing Electricity 11. Smoke and Mirrors Part. 3. Clean Coal 12. Why Clean Coal? 13. Baseload Alternatives Part. 4. Fission Energy 14. Fission, Not Combustion 15. Safety First 16. More Smoke and Mirrors 17. Is Fission Really Necessary? 18. The Next Generation of Fission Part. 5. The Melting Pot 19. Variable Loads are Here to Stay 20. Cost Matters 21. Distributed Generation and Storage 22. Smart Grids 23. Electric Transport 24. Summing It All Up Author Biography Appendix A: Definition of Terms Appendix B: Power Generation and Network Control Appendix C: Wind Power Appendix D: Solar Power Appendix E: Energy Storage Appendix F: Carbon Capture and Storage Appendix F: Nuclear Power Appendix H: Electricity Costs and Markets Index