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Studies have shown that the average North American family will spend more than a quarter of a million dollars on energy in a lifetime. What many other countries, including Germany, Spain, France, Denmark, China, Brazil, and even Iceland, have realized is that there is a better way to power our homes, businesses, and cars by using renewable energy sources. Recently, the United States has begun to understand the importance of reducing its reliance on coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and hydropower plants, which comprise the majority of the nation's electricity, due to increasing oil prices. Some sections of the country, including California, are turning to renewable energy sources. In fact, 12 percent of California s electricity is produced by renewable resources. The potential for the use of renewables is very large and understanding their use and their impact is key. Renewable Energy Made Easy will provide you with everything you need to know about these alternative energy sources. You will learn about solar power, wind power, water power, biofuels, geothermal energy, ethanol, wave farms, photovoltaic power plants, and hydrogen fuels. You will also become well-versed on the availability, aesthetics, environmental and social considerations, and longevity issues of these so-called soft energy technologies. In addition, you will learn about the current costs and the projected costs in the future, Energy StarTM regulations, the newest research and innovations, and the high development potential of renewable energy. This book will serve as a guide to creating more efficient buildings and an invaluable resource for how to change our preconceived notions about power. This book has taken the complexity and scientific terms out of this topic, making it jargon-free and easy to understand. Ultimately, you will learn how our country can improve energy efficiency, reduce oil dependence, improve energy security, and reduce the health and environmental impact of our current energy system. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Poorly written
I only started this, then put it down. It is possible that the author knows the subject, but this is so poorly written that it did not inspire confidence for me. It reads like a self published book created without an editor. I prefer the many other good references on the subject.

good book for basic information
Energy and the environment are topics of such importance today that it is easy to feel like a fool when you don't know even the basics.Renewable Energy Made Easy lives up to its name, making the subject easy to handle by dividing the book up into manageable sections.For me, I found the text a little simplistic at first.Recycle, Reduce, Reuse makes me feel like I am in fifth grade again.However, after the beginning he gets into a lot of interesting information about the actual technology making these changes in energy possible.

I wanted to see more diagrams/pictures of all the technology that the author talked about.I did enjoy, though, the case studies towards the end of the book that helped to give a clearer picture of how these technologies will be used by companies today.While the author is, of course, pro alternative energy, I didn't feel like he glossed over the many difficulties of making alternative energy work effectively and integrating it into our economy.

This is definitely a good book for those looking to get a basic grasp of renewable energy and especially for people looking for an in to more complicated material.

Decent Overview
Decent overview of the primary sources of renewable energy.I feltit lacked a little bit of flow, the author seemed to launch into some technical discussion without providing sufficient background.Perhaps those with engineering/technical experience will be able to follow a little bit better.

Way too basic..
The book is written in extra-large font (to fill the pages?) and it's very, very basic. Author repeats useless information over and over again.. If you want an introductory book on the topic, your money is better spent elsewhere.

A Great Resource
While scanning the table of contents of this book words like biomass and photovoltaic jump out.On first glance, these unknown words may turn some casual readers off.Fortunately, the author is knowledgeable enough and writes with such accessibility that these words quickly go from becoming unfamiliar to familiar.The author lives up to the title and does make renewable energy "easy".
The author not only informs readers about the different types of renewable energy (solar, hydro, wind, biomass and geothermal), which he delves into in separate chapters and illuminates each completely, he also spends time on what people can do to help bring these types of renewable energy into their everyday lives.With this book you can learn how to build your own solar battery charger or how to create your own hydrogen among other interesting lessons.
This book is a great resource for anyone interested in renewable energy, from the lay person interested in making a difference in the environment, to the student needing a detailed understanding of renewable energy.
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (16)

Are you rich?
Great intel but the cost of the ideas in here are way to high for the gains.

A MUST HAVE homeowner's guide for renewable & energy efficiency
This is a must have book for anyone wanting to read up on how to improve your environmental footprint. Good Source of information for both renewable energy and energy efficiency. The book is a easy read and I highly recommend this book as well as others that Dan Chiras has written.I love this author, he really knows what he is talking about.Not only does he talk about it, he also practices what he preaches.

Very user friendly, informative.
This is very good review of renewable options.You don't have to be an engineer yet it is more than you've read in the newspapers and such.I saw some things I hadn't heard of.It is realistic, not everything works everywhere.It takes into account cost and return.It is not a tech manual, you won't know how to install the whole system (whichever it would be) but you'll likely know which way to go if need more.If I have a beef it is that the photos could be more and better.

Ok book.
Could have used more content on solar theory and techniques, and less on what is available commercially...

More DIY info would be better.

MJL

The bible ofrenewable energy for the home.
This is an outstanding, readable, comprehensive presentation of the subject of renewable energy for the homeowner. For each topic the author presents the principles, salient facts and a range of projects from the simplest do-it-yourself to that which would require a professional installation. Illustrations are excellent. In solar hot water for example he presents projects which range froma mini batch system consisting of a coiled black hose to a professionally installed all weather solar collector, storage with on-demand gas supplement. Based on this reading I plan to build a freestanding outdoor thermosiphon solar shower using cast off materials and to replace an inefficient hot water tank with a propane on-demand all season hot water heater. Chiras educates the homeowner to think broadly and to plan very manageable projects suited to his/her needs. Superb! ... Read more

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There are few more urgent topics in today’s world, so full of ecological uncertainty. Hydropower Economics uses various econometric measures to examine sustainable alternative energy sources. It kicks off by modeling hydropower, yes, but it does not end there. Forsund has extended his model to include thermal power and wind power, too – forms of alternative energy that are taking on an ever larger profile.

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This E. & F. N. Spon title is now distributed by Routledge in the US and Canada ... Read more

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Discusses the pros and cons of hydroelectric power, including an overview of its history in the United States and other countries' attempts to balance electric needs and the environment. ... Read more

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Power Generation is essentially required forimproving and maintaining the infrastructure of theoverall development of a nation. It is the tool toforge the economic growth of any country.Spat Gah-Gabarband Gah valleys consisted of UpperSpat Gah (US), Middle Gabarband (MG), both withdams, and Lower SpatGah (LS) stage as a runoff riverscheme and run almost parallel in east westdirection for about 30 km, up to their zenith atelevation 2800 m. The project aims for developmentof a high head hydropower scheme, located on theleft bank of the Indus River in Kohistan district(NWFP). The main objective of this study wasdevelopment and optimization of Lower Spat Gah (LS)scheme in cascade and simulation of energygeneration at with and without addition of the Upperschemes of the cascade. Finally simulation resultsare presented in this book and recommendations weredrawn for researchers and planners. The author appreciate the efforts of Barthlemy Chaton and histeam in facilitating and highly acknowledgepublishing of it by VDM Publishing House Ltd., fortechnical knowledge sharing internationally. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Swiss News, published by Swiss News on July 1, 2010. The length of the article is 1771 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Power crunch: keeping the lights on: blessed with high-energy hydropower, Switzerland may appear to be in a strong position to maintain a secure, low-carbon economy, but business groups warn of a likely energy supply crunch.
Author: Giles Broom
Publication: Swiss News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2010
Publisher: Swiss News
Issue: 7Page: 12(3)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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A fifth of the world's power production is hydroelectric.But many hydro plants have been in service for several decades and will soon require a new license or refurbishment.A number of technological and policy options are being proposed for increasing the power and energy output at hydro sites and improving the environment.Government officials, regulators, utility executives, and technology experts participated in this international conference in order to discuss these options.These proceedings cover regulatory approaches, hydropower technology and policy strategies, methods for increasing hydro power output while reducing negative environmental impacts, experience with technology cooperation and transfer, economics of hydropower upgrading and maintenance, and prospects for developing and adapting hydropower plants in a changing energy and environmental context. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Wind-diesel Hybrid Power Systems combine diesel generators and wind turbines, usually alongside ancillary equipment such as energy storage, power converters, and various control components, to generate electricity. They are designed to increase capacity and reduce the cost and environmental impact of electrical generation in remote communities and facilities that are not linked to a power grid. Wind-diesel hybrid systems reduce reliance on diesel fuel, which creates pollution and is costly to transport. ... Read more

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World Energy Resources and Consumption - Fossil fuel,Renewable energy, Hydropower, Biomass, Biofuel, Windpower,Solar energy, Geothermal power, Oil reserves, Peak oil,Nuclear fuel, Fusion power, Renewable resource, Wavepower,Tidal power ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Energy, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2005. The length of the article is 611 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Salmon survival, cleaner hydropower.(ENVIRONMENT)
Publication: Energy (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 30Issue: 3Page: 30(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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This digital document is a journal article from Energy Policy, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The electricity generation in Switzerland is mostly based on hydropower (~58%) and nuclear power (~38%). The exploitation of water in the hydropower sector can generate significant economic rent. One possibility to capture this rent is through royalties or fees. This system has been used in Switzerland since many decades. However, the actual water fee system is not flexible and does not take into consideration different production costs between the type and location of hydropower plants. Furthermore, storage plants can sell electricity to a higher price than run-of-river plants. A flexible system is needed in a liberalized electricity market, to take into account these different production situations and the fact that prices may vary considerably over time. The main goal of this paper is to calculate the potential economic rent that could be generated in the Swiss hydropower sector under a future liberalized market. Based on the results of the paper, it can be concluded that the introduction of a flexible fee system could improve the competitiveness of the hydropower sector and promote an energy system based on renewable energy sources. ... Read more