Understanding Renewable Energy Systems







Earthscan | ISBN: 1-84407-128-6 | ENGLISH | PDF | 289 PAGES | 5.15 MB



The destruction of the environment and global warming are among the problems first mentioned in many public opinion polls that ask what are the major problems to be solved in this century. Today’s energy supply is largely responsible for the anthropogenic greenhouse effect, acid rain and other negative impacts on health and the environment. The current trend is clearly not sustainable, especially given the enormous demand for energy predicted for the future. Several energy sources, however, offer the opportunity to cover our energy demand sustainably, i.e. with almost no negative influence on health and nature. These are also called renewable energy systems, because the ‘fuel’ is replenished by nature. This textbook is based on the German book Regenerative Energiesysteme, which was first published in 1998 and became a standard text used at German universities in courses on renewable energy. Two editions have sold out and the third edition came out in 2003. The book is aimed mainly at students, engineers,

researchers and others with technical interests wanting to obtain a basic knowledge of renewable energy production. It describes the most important technical systems for using renewable energy sources, and introduces important calculation and simulation methods for these. The main focus is on technologies with high development potentials such as solar thermal systems, photovoltaics and wind power.

When describing renewable energy subjects, one has to consider technical descriptions as well as the impact on today’s energy supply or sociopolitical backgrounds. A compromise between socioeconomic and technical issues must be found when dealing with energy matters. A textbook with technical focus has the obligation to describe technologies in an objective manner. However, the author’s subjective influence can never be avoided entirely. The choice of contents, methods of data presentation and even the subjects left out of the book are already based on opinions.

Therefore, this book consciously renounces separation of the technological aspects from any consequences of using the technologies, or from sociopolitical aspects. The intention is to emphasize that engineers must bear in mind the potential negative impacts of the use of developed technologies. Otherwise they must accept the heavy responsibility of allowing those impacts to occur. Those in engineering circles are often of the opinion that the development of technology itself cannot have negative consequences. It is the use of a technology that would create such consequences. However, it is irresponsible to search for technical innovations only for the sake of improving technology. The consequences of many new or even well established technologies are very difficult to estimate in many cases.



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