This book reviews the past, present and future generation and use of
electricity. While noting the importance of electricity to the
well-being of people, it argues that all means of electricity generation
have adverse ecological consequences. The ecological effects of all the
main forms of electricity generation, storage and transmission are
reviewed in 14 chapters. The chapters briefly cover the engineering and
physics of each method of electricity generation followed by a
description of the different ways in which the technology interacts with
the natural world. Finally, sections consider the importance of these
impacts and how they can be mitigated or avoided. A final chapter
summarizes the issues and emphasizes that the only way to truly minimize
the impacts of electricity generation is to minimize our consumption and
transmission. Future efforts should continue to focus on increasing the
efficiency of light production, refrigeration, electrical appliances and
batteries.
Key Features:
- Addresses climate change issues, providing practical and hands on
experience from the author and drawing on original case studies
- Discusses the highly topical issue of power generation policy