Summary
Solar energy and geothermal energy have a good deal in common. They are abundant and widely, if unevenly, distributed. They are also, for the most part, expensive to develop, and compared to more conventional sources of energy, relatively little power is produced from either one.
Solar and Geothermal Energy, Third Edition describes two of the least environmentally disruptive sources of power by which electricity is generated today. In addition to describing the nature of solar and geothermal energy and the processes by which these sources of energy can be harnessed, this accessible, newly updated resource details how they are used in practice to supply electricity to the power markets. In particular, students are introduced to the difference between base load and peak power and some of the practical differences between harnessing an intermittent energy source (solar) and a source that can work virtually continuously (geothermal). Each section also contains a discussion of some of the ways that governmental policies have been used to encourage the growth of these sectors of the energy markets.
About the Author(s)
John Tabak has written on a wide variety of topics including the history of mathematics, the history of American Sign Language, energy and the environment, and the expression of higher mathematics in American Sign Language. He has a Ph.D. in mathematics and years of experience as an interpreter for the deaf.