Completely revised and updated. Fills the gap between descriptive surveys of energy alternatives and specialised engineering treatises. Introductory chapters cover principles of energy supply, fluid mechanics and heat transfer, then each type of energy resource is covered individually.
Preface
List of symbols
1 Principles of renewable energy
2 Essentials of fluid dynamics
3 Heat transfer
4 Solar radiation
5 Solar water heating
6 Diverse solar thermal applications
7 Photovoltaic generation
8 Hydro-power
9 Power from the wind
10 The photosynthetic process
11 Biomass and biofuels
12 Wave power
13 Tidal power
14 Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC)
15 Geothermal energy
16 Energy systems, storage and transmission
17 Institutional and economic factors
Appendices
A Units and conversions
B Data
C Some heat transfer formulas
Solutions to problems
Index
"Twidell and Weir are masters of their subject and join the ranks of acomplished authors who have made a powerful contribution to the field. Renewable Energy Resources is a superb reference work."
– Paul Gipe, www.wind-works.org
"It's ideal for student use – authoritative, compact and comprehensive, with plenty of references out to more detailed texts [...] a very valuable book."
– Professor Dave Elliott of the Open University, UK, in Renew 162 2006
"What we need to combat climate change is a stream of students and graduates with the knowledge they can gain from this book [...] suitable not only for engineering students but also for policy-makers and all those concerned with energy and the environment."
– Corin Millais (CEO Climate Institute)