The first systematic, quantitative appraisal of power density,
offering detailed reviews of power densities of renewable energy flows,
fossil fuels, and all common energy uses.
"There's no author whose books I look forward to more than Vaclav
Smil."
--Bill Gates
In this book, Vaclav Smil argues that power density is a key determinant
of the nature and dynamics of energy systems. Any understanding of
complex energy systems must rely on quantitative measures of many
fundamental variables. Power density--the rate of energy flux per unit
of area--is an important but largely overlooked measure. Smil provides
the first systematic, quantitative appraisal of power density, offering
detailed reviews of the power densities of renewable energy flows,
fossil fuels, thermal electricity generation, and all common energy
uses.
Smil shows that careful quantification, critical appraisals, and
revealing comparisons of power densities make possible a deeper
understanding of the ways we harness, convert, and use energies.
Conscientious assessment of power densities, he argues, proves
particularly revealing when contrasting the fossil fuel-based energy
system with renewable energy conversions.
Smil explains that modern civilization has evolved as a direct
expression of the high power densities of fossil fuel extraction. He
argues that our inevitable (and desirable) move to new energy
arrangements involving conversions of lower-density renewable energy
sources will require our society--currently dominated by megacities and
concentrated industrial production--to undergo a profound spatial
restructuring of its energy system.
