Designed to support interactive teaching and computer assisted self-learning, this second edition of Electrical Energy Conversion and Transport is thoroughly updated to address the recent environmental effects of electric power generation and transmission, which have become more important together with the deregulation of the industry. New content explores different power generation methods, including renewable energy generation (solar, wind, fuel cell) and includes new sections that discuss the upcoming Smart Grid and the distributed power generation using renewable energy generation, making the text essential reading material for students and practicing engineers.

Direct Energy Conversion discusses both the physics behind energy conversion processes and a wide variety of energy conversion devices. A direct energy conversion process converts one form of energy to another through a single process. The first half of this book surveys multiple devices that convert to or from electricity including piezoelectric devices, antennas, solar cells, light emitting diodes, lasers, thermoelectric devices, and batteries. In these chapters, physical effects are discussed, terminology used by engineers in the discipline is introduced, and insights into material selection is studied. The second part of this book puts concepts of energy conversion in a more abstract framework. These chapters introduce the idea of calculus of variations and illuminate relationships between energy conversion processes.This peer-reviewed book is used for a junior level electrical engineering class at Trine University. However, it is intended not just for electrical engineers. Direct energy conversion is a fascinating topic because it does not fit neatly into a single discipline. This book also should be of interest to physicists, chemists, mechanical engineers, and other researchers interested in an introduction to the energy conversion devices studied by scientists and engineers in other disciplines.

Overview of energy demand for students, policymakers, and readers without scientific backgrounds.

This handbook surveys the range of methods and fuel types used in generating energy for industry, transportation, and heating and cooling of buildings. Solar, wind, biomass, nuclear, geothermal, ocean and fossil fuels are discussed and compared, and the thermodynamics of energy conversion is explained. Appendices are provided with fully updated data. Thoroughly revised, this second edition surveys the latest advances in energy conversion from a wide variety of currently available energy sources. It describes energy sources such as fossil fuels, biomass (including refuse-derived biomass fuels), nuclear, solar radiation, wind, geothermal, and ocean, then provides the terminology and units used for each energy resource and their equivalence. It includes an overview of the steam power cycles, gas turbines, internal combustion engines, hydraulic turbines, Stirling engines, advanced fossil fuel power systems, and combined-cycle power plants. It outlines the development, current use, and future of nuclear power.