Power Generation Technologies

by Paul Breeze

Overview

The new edition of Power Generation Technologies is a concise and readable guide that provides an introduction to the full spectrum of currently available power generation options, from traditional fossil fuels and the better established alternatives such as wind and solar power, to emerging renewables such as biomass and geothermal energy. Technology solutions such as combined heat and power and distributed generation are also explored. However, this book is more than just an account of the technologies – for each method the author explores the economic and environmental costs and risk factors. Each technology is covered using the same basic criteria so that comparisons between technologies can be made more easily. Those involved in planning and delivering energy – including engineers, managers and policy makers – will find in this book a guide through the minefield of maintaining a reliable power supply, meeting targets on greenhouse gas emissions, and addressing economic and social objectives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780080983363
Publisher:	Butterworth-Heinemann
Publication date:	03/24/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	408
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Paul Breeze is a journalist and freelance science and technology writer and consultant in the United Kingdom. He has specialised in power generation technology for the past 30 years. In addition to writing Power Generation Technologies, Second Edition, he has contributed to journals and newspapers such as The Financial Times and The Economist and has written a range of technical management reports covering all the aspects of power generation, transmission and distribution.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to electricity generation
2. Electricity generation and the environment
3. Coal-fired power plants
4. Natural gas-fired gas turbines and combined cycle power plants
5. Piston-engine-based power plants
6. Combined heat and power
7. Fuel cells
8. Hydropower
9. Tidal barrage power plants
10. Power system energy storage technologies
11. Wind power
12. Geothermal power
13. Solar power
14. Marine power generation technologies
15. Biomass-based power generation;
16. Power from waste
17. Nuclear power

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A guide for engineers and service planners to all major power generation methods – traditional and renewable – covering technologies, economic factors and environmental impact

Editorial Reviews

"The author does an excellent job of explaning how the different technologies work, including an objective view of their pros and cons.

Provides an excellent description of the major power generation technologies used in the world today...it provides the reader with a solid, basic understanding of how these technologies work and where they are headed. I recommend this well-organized book to anyone wishing to quickly gain a broad understanding of the many power plant technologies of the 21st century." —Chuck Kutscher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

"This book on power generation technologies provides a concise and quick read describing a full range of various power generation technologies available today...

The author provides good technical descriptions of the fundamental operating principles of each power generation technique, variants of the basic technique, such as how various types of fuel cells operate, their efficiency, comparison to competing technologies, environmental and cost considerations...

Anyone involved in planning and delivering energy, or those interested in energy technologies, will find this book very useful for quickly gaining a basic knowledge about energy-producing technologies and learning about the key cost figures, associated risks, and advantages and limitations of each technology." —IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine, August 2006

From the Publisher