The International Society of Automation (ISA) announces that it has produced a new book that enables more informed decision making in selecting energy production and energy use options for the future.
Future Energy: Opportunities and Challenges by Thomas W. Kerlin, Ph.D., presents the scientific principles underlying the capabilities and limitations of each potential energy production and energy use technology so that energy choices can be based on facts, not conjecture or misperceptions.
“It’s inevitable that we must produce and use energy in new and improved ways,” says Dr. Kerlin, professor emeritus from the College of Engineering at The University of Tennessee. “However, without quantitative assessments using verified scientific principles, claims about the capabilities of various energy options must be viewed as unsubstantiated opinions. This book presents the essential science in a comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand way.”
The energy challenges, Kerlin says, are clear: Mounting world population and increasing energy appetites in emerging economies are increasing competition for energy resources among all nations. While many sources of additional energy production exist—fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal, oil sands and oil shale), biofuels, solar, wind, hydroenergy, geothermal and nuclear—they all have positives and negative ramifications.
“The key is to furnish enough sustainable energy while avoiding waste, unnecessary disruptions to our lives and unacceptable environmental consequences, especially climate change,” points out Dr. Kerlin. “The purpose of this book is to help readers understand the facts and principles that dictate our options for the future.”
The book is designed for students in energy-related courses, for energy industry professionals who want to broaden their knowledge beyond their field of specialty, and for anyone who wants to obtain a balanced, evidenced-driven perspective on energy issues. The science and technology are presented in a rigorous and complete manner yet in a way that is simple and intuitive for the reader.
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