03169oam 2200613K 450 991082396420332120240219153151.09780262326926electronic bk.0262326922electronic bk.97802620291480262029146026202914(CKB)3860000000003488(CaBNVSL)mat07120891(IDAMS)0b000064848c682c(IEEE)7120891(OCoLC)927400712(OCoLC)926098378(OCoLC-P)927400712(MaCbMITP)10046(MiAaPQ)EBC5891215(PPN)262293145(EXLCZ)99386000000000348820151103d2015 uy 0engur|n|||||||||rdacontentisbdmediardacarrierPower density a key to understanding energy sources and uses /Vaclav SmilCambridge, Massachusetts :The MIT Press,[2015]1 PDF (ix, 306 pages) illustrations0-262-02914-6 0-262-32692-2 Includes bibliographical references and index.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.Energy level densitiesEnergy auditingRenewable energy sourcesPower resourcesENVIRONMENT/EnergyENVIRONMENT/GeneralPHYSICAL SCIENCES/GeneralEnergy level densities.Energy auditing.Renewable energy sources.Power resources.333.79Smil Vaclav140188OCoLC-POCoLC-PBOOK9910823964203321Power density3924085UNINA