This book provides a rigorous, concise guide?to the current status and future prospects of the global energy system. As we move away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy solutions, the complexity of the global energy system has increased. Tagliapietra cuts through this complexity with a multidisciplinary perspective of the system, which encompasses economics, geopolitics, and basic technology. He goes on to explore the main components of the global energy system - oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, bioenergy, hydropower, geothermal energy, wind energy, solar energy, marine energy - as well as energy consumption and energy efficiency. It then provides an in-depth analysis of the pivotal issues of climate change and of energy access in Africa.

A rigorous and accessible guide to the current status and future prospects of the global energy system.

1. Introduction to Global Energy 2. Oil 3. Natural Gas 4. Coal 5. Nuclear Energy 6. Renewable Energy: Introduction and Established Sources 7. Renewable Energy: New Sources 8. Energy Consumption and Energy Efficiency 9. In-Depth Focus 1: Energy and Climate Change 10. In-Depth Focus 2: Energy Access in Africa