Energy and the Environment

In an age of mounting energy crises, James A. Fay and Daniel Golomb's "Energy and the Environment" addresses a central and critical problem in urban-industrial societies: the destructive relationship between energy use and the environment. Intended for upper-level undergraduate and first-year graduate students, as well as professionals in the fields of energy and environmental sciences and technology, this ground-breaking text develops the scientific and technological background for understanding how rapidly increasing use of energy threatens the natural environment at local, regional, and global scales. Fay describes fossil, nuclear, and renewable energy technologies and their effectiveness in transforming the source of energy to useful mechanical or electrical power. Special emphasis is given to the generation of electric power and the use of transportation vehicles, as well as the technological improvements that increase energy efficiency and reduce air pollutant emissions. In addition, the text analyzes the source of toxic emissions to air, water, and land that arise from energy uses and their effects on environmental quality at urban and regional scales.
This book aims to equip engineering and science majors and professionals with the basic factual knowledge needed to develop solutions to these environmental problems.