Biodiesel: Growing a New Energy Economy, 2nd Edition / Edition 2

by Greg Pahl, Bill McKibben

Overview

For anyone who is trying to keep up with the extremely rapid developments in the biodiesel industry, the second edition of Biodiesel: Growing a New Energy Economy is an invaluable aid. The breathtaking speed with which biodiesel has gained acceptance in the marketplace in the past few years has been exceeded only by the proliferation of biodiesel production facilities around the United States—and the world—only to confront new social and environmental challenges and criticisms.

The international survey of the biodiesel industry has been expanded from 40 to more than 80 countries, reflecting the spectacular growth of the industry around the world. This section also tracks the dramatic shifts in the fortunes of the industry that have taken place in some of these nations. The detailed chapters that cover the industry in the United States have also been substantially rewritten to keep abreast of its many new developments and explosive domestic growth.

An expanded section on small-scale, local biodiesel production has been added to better represent this small but growing part of the industry. Another new section has been added to more fully explore the increasingly controversial issues of deforestation and food versus fuel, as well as GMO crops. The second edition concludes with updated views on where the industry is headed in the years to come from some of its key players.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781933392967
Publisher:	Chelsea Green Publishing
Publication date:	09/15/2008
Edition description:	Revised and expanded second edition
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Greg Pahl is the author of numerous books on energy and also writes for Mother Earth News and various other publications on biodiesel, wind power, wood heat, solar energy, heat pumps, electric cars, and a wide range of other topics related to living in a post-carbon world.

His books include Power from the People: How to Organize, Finance, and Launch Local Energy Projects (2012, Chelsea Green), Biodiesel: Growing a New Energy Economy (2005, Chelsea Green), Natural Home Heating: The Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Options (2003, Chelsea Green), The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Saving the Environment (2001, Macmillan/Alpha Books), and The Unofficial Guide to Beating Debt (2000, IDG Books).

Pahl has been involved in environmental issues for more than twenty-five years. In the 1970s he lived off the grid in a home in Vermont with a wind turbine atop an 80-foot tower that provided for his electrical needs. He is a founding member of the Vermont Biofuels Association as well as the Acorn Renewable Energy Co-op. Pahl attended the University of Vermont and was a military intelligence officer in the US Army during the Vietnam War.

Table of Contents

Part. 1. Biodiesel basics

1. Rudolph Diesel

2. Vegetable oil revival

3. Biodiesel 101

4. Biodiesel's many uses

Part 2. Biodiesel around the world

5. Europe, the global leader

6. Other European countries

7. Non-European countries

Part 3. Biodiesel in the United States

8. A brief history

9. The main players

10. Biodiesel politics

11. Recent developments

Part. 4. Biodiesel in the future

12. Looking ahead

Editorial Reviews

"Finally, the book we've been looking for. Greg Pahl's new biodiesel book offers a comprehensive review of all things veggie oil powered. From the history of the diesel engine to the development of the biodiesel industry, past, current, and future. This is the ultimate primer."—Rob Elam, Propel Project

From the Publisher