Energy and the Environment is a six-volume set that examines the history, technology, science, and environmental and social implications (including issues of environmental justice) associated with the acquisition and production of energy. Designed to complement science curricula, each volume describes comprehensively one or more sources of energy and the technology needed to make it useful. The books emphasize the science on which such technology is based, the limitations of each technology, the environmental effects of its use, questions of availability and cost, and the way that government policies and energy markets interact.
Natural Gas and Hydrogen is a timely overview of the complex relationship the world has with two significant sources of gaseous fuel. The book discusses the business of natural gas production and the energy futures markets that have evolved as vehicles for speculation and risk management. It also focuses on the possible advantages of adopting hydrogen as a viable source of energy, as well as on the inevitable obstacles that hamper large-scale fuel switching. The author includes an exclusive interview with Dr. Ray Boswell of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory in which Boswell discusses his work in identifying and characterizing methane hydrate reserves, one of the most promising fields of energy research today.
The volume includes information on
early gas technologies and policies
electricity generation
energy markets and energy politics
government policies
a hydrogen economy
the origin and nature of natural gas
the physical and chemical properties of hydrogen
the restructured natural gas market
Thebook contains more than 40 color photographs and line illustrations, sidebars, a chronology, a list of acronyms, a glossary, a detailed list of print and Internet resources, and an index. Energy and the Environment is essential for high school students, teachers, and general readers who wish to learn about the effects of large-scale energy production and consumption on society.
Energy and The Environment Set
Biofuels
Coal and Oil
Natural Gas and Hydrogen
Nuclear Energy
Solar and Geothermal Energy
Wind and Water
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction xiv
Part 1 Natural Gas 1
1 Early Gas Technologies and Policies 3
Coal Gas 5
The End of Coal Gas 8
Early Attempts to Use Natural Gas 10
Early Attempts at Regulation 14
2 The Nature of Natural Gas 21
The Origin of Natural Gas 23
Synthetic Gas 33
Carbon Dioxide Sequestration 38
3 Transporting and Storing Natural Gas 44
Gas Pipelines 45
The Energy Content of Natural Gas 49
Liquefied Natural Gas 50
Natural Gas Storage 54
4 Electricity Generation 59
The Production of Heat 59
Energy Conversion 62
Alternatives to Natural Gas 66
Effects on the Environment 70
5 The Restructured Natural Gas Market 78
Pipelines: A Natural Monopoly 79
The Changing Nature of Natural Gas 84
Natural Gas Storage: No Longer a Monopoly 86
6 Energy Markets and Energy Politics 93
Prices and Profits in the Natural Gas Industry 95
Energy Policies and Their Effects 103
An Interview with Ray Boswell about Methane Hydrate Research 104
Part 2 Hydrogen 117
7 The Physical and Chemical Properties of Hydrogen 119
Hydrogen Production 121
Onboard Hydrogen Storage 128
Energy Conversion 134
Hydrogen Safety 138
8 The Hydrogen Economy 144
The Transition to a Hydrogen Economy 145
How Long until the Hydrogen Economy? 152
Characteristics of the Hydrogen Economy 154
9 Government Policies 163
Politics versus Physics 165
The Hydrogen Marketplace Today 168
Current Hydrogen Research 170
Chronology 176
List of Acronyms 180
Glossary 181
Further Resources 184
Index 188
Overview
Energy and the Environment is a six-volume set that examines the history, technology, science, and environmental and social implications (including issues of environmental justice) associated with the acquisition and production of energy. Designed to complement science curricula, each volume describes comprehensively one or more sources of energy and the technology needed to make it useful. The books emphasize the science on which such technology is based, the limitations of each technology, the environmental ...